molly irwin

december daily - fini

 

The fat little book is done, and it was a joy to complete.

 

This page falls between 24 + 25.

 

 

You can see a page-by-page slideshow of the entire book, here.

Now ... Onward into the New year.

December daily, pages 20-24

Losing momentum is my biggest weakness where these little mini books are concerned. The past week was busy and the pictures sat on my table waiting for my return.  It feels different coming back to this a week later, as I mentioned previously -- as though these happenings are a world away.

I have learned a lot doing this December Daily project. A few of those (personal perspective) lessons:

• I'm feeling that the simpler, softer and subtler patterns work best for me.

• I like the photos all on their own. (meaning without patterns and other things around them) I'm not sure how that is going to manifest itself in my future story-capturing -- but I know that it will, and I know that it will be an immediate change.

• I need to capture the words in the moment instead of later. It is far more meaningful and real that way.  After the fact writing on my part reads like just that.

• I wanted to use my fun products on this book and I'm glad that I did, but my favorite little aspects have less to do with purchased products. I like the stiching. I like the paint, I like the punch, and I loved incorporating some of the fun digital elements.

Thank you new friends for your warm response to my pages.  I really appreciate every kind word, and makiing new connections with you here in this space.

And now, on with the pages ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I was out doing a last minute grocery run, etc. Paul and the kids readied the house for my Mom's arrival.  They also played pirates (which explains the note.)  The envelope contains my list and a note Paul left me on the kitchen table. Hilarious, no?

 

 

If it's obvious to you that I rushed through putting together the last few pages, that is because I did.  It is more important that I finish and not let a loss of momentum stop me, than to wait and try to "get it right." It's a lesson I want to carry with me into the new year.

Get it done. Sometimes good enough is good enough. Know what I mean?

Tomorrow afternoon I'll share the Christmas day page.

Celebrate 2008. Celebrate the possibilities for 2009!

december daily - day 19

 

This one is really as basic as it get; just photos and words.  I think I began to get very distracted putting this together as the holiday approached.  Strangely, the 19th of December seems like a lifetime ago; so much as taken place since then.

... and the journaling:

   

december daily - days 17 + 18

 

Do not adjust your monitor. Yes, that is a blurry photo, but it sums up our neighborhood walk perfectly. 

There is another vintage Santa printed on inkjet canvas sheet and mounted to chipboard.  I noticed this morning that there is a similar digital element on sale for just .25. Don't know how long that price will hold. At that price it just makes sense to add it to my little collection.

That is the actual newspaper headline from the Washington Post, scanned and reduced to fit the page.

 

And day 18:

  

This one is as simple as it gets, but it's one of my favorite photos from the project, and I didn't want to detract at all from that.

Here's a closer look at the journaling.

   

Can you believe we are closing in on Christmas Eve? I cannot. Today there is much to do: cookies, still some shopping, and helping a little elf with some hand stitch work for her sister's gift.

Days 19 + 20 coming tomorrow.

december daily - day 16

 

Well ... Hello!

Hi to all those nice new people visiting and leaving me kind comments yesterday. Thank you very much for the sweet things you've said about my December daily project, and the blog.  Ali is one inspiring person. I owe her a debt of gratitude and find her remark very touching,

There were a few questions:

The retro snowflake punch is from Paper Source. 

Also, regarding the holiday CD project:I hate to disappoint, however, I'm a bit pressed for time between now and Christmas, and won't be able to upload a pdf file of those just now. It would take some maneuvering on my part to get that together. Perhaps it is something I will resurrect next year, almost did this year, but time got away from me. Please, if you are interested, check back early next Nov. (gosh that sounds like forever away, doesn't it?)

The colors in today's photo seems a little hot. The red is actually not quite that strong. It was rushed together; I'm feeling today like plugging along through. I'm enjoying the process of framing through the lens each day, and assembling my thoughts on the paper, but today (just a wee bit) am feeling the pull of a busy schedule, but ... I WILL accomplish this.

december daily - day 15

 

The story of Marty's new (to him) bed.  Click image to enlarge to read.

I've had a question about the date 'stamp' on my pages. It is an element created just for this project in microsoft publisher, using word art.  I envisioned something like this because I don't have a lot of number embellishments, and it's just quick for me to pop it over the picture each day.  There is a similar circular number digital brush, designed by Ali, available here.

 

The other detail added here is scratched edge overlay, by Anna Aspnes, for designer digitals. 

Just FYI: I did not use photoshop to incorporate my digital elements.  I have photoshop, but I'm using microsoft publisher and pulling the .jpg images open on top of my photo file in that application. So if anyone is PC-based and using that software, that should work for you as well.  I DON'T reccomend adding that software to your platform if you do not already have it.  It is already outmoded, is not compatible with print shops, and I only use it because it's familiar. 

 

Clock by Heidi swapp. Metal arrow turn and brad: 7 gypsies, canvas strip with words self created.

 

On the back of yesterday's page I left open space. (In other words, this page precedes day 15)  I want to include some narrative here about what books the kids are enjoying this year.  We've had a holiday book basket for the last three years running and each year they gravitate towards different titles, depending on their interests and reading skills.

I'll come back to that later, so I don't get slowed down or off track maintaining the daily commitment.

december daily - days 13 + 14

 

We finally picked up a tree this weekend. Have been waiting for a place to put it and now that Paul has installed the cherry flooring in the great room, that time has come.  Also had some fun building a reading fort for the girls.  They took in a basket of books and I didn't see or hear from them for a couple of hours.  Had to pry them out for dinner.

 

I'm not sure how I'll merge the day 14 to whatever I'm doing tonight.  Just trying not to be so darn perfectionist with this and just let it become whatever it will be.

Here's a bit of detail:

 

I read that quote yesterday and felt that it should be here.

It's hard to believe that the month is half gone. The book is half done as well. 

This project has been so enlightening. I don't know if it's helped me be more present. It has helped me stay on top of documenting things. There is no way I would have felt motivated to pull this together (to this degree) after the fact.  Others can do that without hesitation, but I know myself and I think I want to start the new year fresh ... looking ahead to new projects. Also, snapping the decorations and small stories now before the holiday sort of leaves me free to get just a couple of choice images on Christmas day and relax, without concern over the rest. Does that make sense?

I think less might be more when it comes to capturing the essence of an event like Christmas. My parents didnt' shoot every detail, but there is one picture from that the Christmas when I was four that really captured the essence of that day.  I'll have to find it and share it here.  Tomorrow.

december daily - day 12

 

Joan loves looking through my little bits and pieces of supplies and has often admired this red flower and the two smaller matching shiny brads (right), so I was sure to use it on a page featuring her activity.  They came as part of a cocoa daisy kit from the summer.

The black text is Anna Aspnes for designer digitals. Ribbon from the fabric store. Red plaid paper Cricut by Provo Craft, Christmas Cheer pack.

This layout was very much inspired by Ali's use of black and white photos in her book.  I like how timeless it feels.

Here's some detail and the story:

 

december daily - day 11

I stitched!

Can I just tell you how exciting this is to me? I have been very nervous to try stitching on paper for some reason. I don't know what I thought was going to happen ... maybe my needle might break or the paper would tear and ruin my machine, but I got over it. Yes I did. And I stitched right on my page.

 

This is simply a square of canvas cut to size, edges frayed a bit, and stamped with acrylic paint using the foliate cube stamp, from Stampendous.  After adhering it to the paper I went over it with a line of stitching. The machine (and I) survived. Nothing broke or smoked, or melted down or anything. Whew!

Next I added one of my inked pebbles that's been in a dish in the window sill just waiting for the right project, with heavy-duty glue dots. The tiny pine cone found a home today. 

Red cardstock from Basic Grey. Here's the journaling:

december daily - day 10

We've had heavy rain here for the past couple of days.  Those clouds don't make for the best photos in the house, so it occurred to me to tell this story. 

It reads:

There’s been a lot of speculation around here as to whether Santa is real. The whole matter of St. Nicolas Day (which. by the way, was not my idea to introduce; that notion came home from school.) seems to be confusing the issue. 

 Last year Santa left a thank you note for the cookies and Helen thought the handwriting resembled Papa’s. This may have started the query. There’s been whispering among the girls. Conspiring. The other night as they planned to leave their shoes for St. Nicholas, I overheard a bit of conversation along the lines of this: “if we don’t tell Papa about the slippers, then that will prove … “, and they trailed off into the next room. 

 Their comprehension of fiction vs. non-fiction still seems unclear. After watching the movie Santa Claus is Coming to Town, for example, they wondered if that story is true, then why is he called Santa Claus and not St. Nicholas.

 This is where I got into an explanation of cultural differences and pronunciations between Europeans and Americans. How Santa Claus is a derivation of the name St. Nicholas, and how the story portrayed in the animated movie is a made up fable, while the real St. Nicholas was, in fact, a Cardinal priest who generously gave to those in need.

“Then how can Little House on the Prairie be true?” Helen’s retorts in her own stern way.  Before I can explain, Joan cuts in with: “Well, if St. Nicholas is dead, and in heaven, how can we see him here? And how can he bring us toys?” she drills, determined to keep on subject.

“Well,” I ask “Does anyone really see St. Nicholas? Have we seen Santa Claus?” Silent pause. “… and, do we always have to see something to believe it?” I respond. “Do we see love, or do we just feel it?” The answer in this case is both, I believe. “Are there other things that we know to be true without seeing them?”  Long pause. “Yes.” replied Joan, thoughtfully.

I felt that was a significant talk. For it’s when we believe without seeing that we experience the spirit of Christmas and the heart of our faith.

-----------------

Here, I've used more vintage santas printed on canvas, back to back with eyelets on either side and looped with hemp twine through the tiny polka dot transparency. The screened background on the right page, under the text, is a digital holiday postage strip enlarged to fit the entire page.

I've been using a few more digital elements in this project. I love the immediacy -- that you simply download them and are ready to go. Also they're more economical; the cost can be attributed over many, many uses. I don't have a lot of embellishments so this works well for me and appeals to my frugal nature.

Today I'm volunteering in my daughter's classroom to assist with their gingerbread house project.  I guess it goes without saying what an irresistible photo opp that can be. Yesterday's page is still in progress.

december daily :: days 7, 8, 9

Day 7: Just one simple accent, another digital vintage Santa printed on canvas sheet and mounted to chipboard. Here's the detail.  

 

I suppose these canvas bits have become sort of signature thing for me.  I use them all the time on everything. Just love the subtle texture they add to an otherwise super simple page.  Patterned paper by DaisyDs. Tiny dots by Paper Source.

Day 8:

 

fat ric rac from Paper Valise.

The newsletter is something I picked up at Starbucks this week.  I couldn't bring myself to cut and use for it's good graphic parts, as originally intended.  The representation of the financial picture of the holiday season over this last decade was just so compelling.  Thought the kids might be interested to see this when they are grown.

day 9:
 

 

'celebrate' digital overlay: Ali Edwards for designer digitals.

The journaling reads: "Could this room be ready for a Christmas tree next weekend? One thing's for sure, Paul is someone who accomplishes what he sets out to do.  "Gettin' it done" is his common mantra. This may just be the first year we have our tree in the great room, fire in the fireplace and all! Time will tell.  What's that bit of white stuff in the corner up there? drywall tape from the work today."

Now if that's not worth celebrating, I don't know what is.

december daily - day 6

 

Saturday was just so full of visual goodness during our trip to the Smithsonian Institution, that it took me a while to get my mind around how I wanted to present this. I struggled a bit with selecting those photos that told the story best and really got to the point.

For this first page (above) I used a piece from the NGA kid's brochure from the event we attended and made a pocket out of the photo (right) to hold a tag with the screen capture and info about the movie.

Graph grid transparency printed from home, using the online graph creator. chipboard rectangle: maya road, epoxy tag and jumbo square brad: making memories, digital ribbon: Michelle Martin for designer digitals, flourish stamp: autumn leaves, red paint: making memories, gaffer tape: seven gypsies.

I'm really thankful that this is a daily project becuase I can see where that extra motivation gave me the push I needed to get on with it, instead letting that perfectionist inside set this aside for another day.  And while some of my typesetting is slightly ascew, and I might have edited the journaling more completely, overall I'm glad to have this story to hold on to, rather than on my hard drive along with last year's December images.

 

   

... and the whole spread, opened up. (Round metal tab by 7 gypsies, similar product, here.)

   

These pages are slightly wider than the rest, which solves that nagging question I've had over what to do about covering the 'american crafts' de-bossed logo at the far right (just off the frame of the photos, but it's been bugging me for days.)

Also, if you are local to the DC area, I heartily recommend a visit to the National Botanical Gardens 'Windows to Wonerland exhibit' this season.  It is an unforgettable experience.  They are open late, with live musical performances, throughout the month.

december daily :: day 5

 

Friday was a movie night.  Rudolph for the kids.  This page will be used to jot down the favorites that we enjoy throughout the month.  Clock transparency by Heidi Swapp. Ribbon making memories.  And look who used glitter! I'm not much of a glitter gal, but these sparkly brads seemed right here.  Brads came in a combo pack and I don't remember the manufacturer.

[journaling over photo; click photo to enlarge] 

It's been a big weekend here, and I'm still putting together day 6, with our Saturday activities. It's huge ... a three part piece. 

december daily - days 3+4

 

Day three, a collection of our stamping images from yesterday.

 

Circumstances were looking a little grim on day four, and late in the afternoon I was wondering if I would find anything worth documenting, until this story unfolded.

As I created page four, I was concious of working together with the previoous page, that the transparency had a place and the images and words did not look too busy together.  I made sure the entire photo of day four was covered, (since the mosaic from day 3 really dominated the page).

The transparency is one of several different patterns throughout the book, I printed at home using the free online graph creator, found, here.  The 'Joy' square is a jumbo pebble brad from last year's Making Memories St. Nick line. Red paper strip by Paper Source.

december daily - day 2

[click image to enlarge]

Interesting how little bits of Christmas crop up amidst everyday routines this month. That's what I hope to capture throughout the days and weeks ahead.

Here's a look at the front side of the coffee cup from yesterday, covered in patterned paper by Basic Grey (last year's line).

 

materials list: white cardstock throughout, Neenah 80lb. linen cover, red cardstock: bazzill basics, snowflake punch: paper source, chipboard shapes: maya road, vintage santa image: katie pertiet for designer digitals (printed on canvas sheet and mounted to chipboard) grid journaling blocks: printed at home using the free online graph creator.