The "C" Word...Getting a Jump on It

"Christmas"...I know, I know...it's not even Thanksgiving yet-but, here in blog land, the Christmas season is already in full swing! I am trying to get an early start, myself, as I have a very busy couple of months ahead. So, I am diving in with my Journal Your Christmas album preparations. So far I have a kit, and I have made my album covers, so I am way ahead of last year!

My album covers:

I made them 9 inches x 9 inches (I plan to make my pages 8x8, and I wanted the covers bigger), cut from chipboard sheets leftover from product packaging, and rounded the corners. The paper that I covered the chipboard with is from the Heidi Swapp Believe collection, and I added droplets of gold spray paint and Color Shine mist. The embellishment clusters are made up from a doily, sequins from my stash, pearls and gems from my stash and some grungeboard letters and numbers that I spray painted gold. All kit and album items are from my stash, either won or purchased before I decided to freeze my spending.

Here is the kit I gathered up, "Twinkle Lights":

Filled with beautiful colors, and yummy hints of golden sparkle and silvery shimmer, my stash kit is made up of lovely warm reds and icy spearmint greens, cream based papers with a bit of the chalkboard trend for a fun twist.  I am completely happy with this kit, and I don't think I will mind not having a purchased kit at all! I am a washi girl for sure, and my kit could also be called a "Washi Wonderland", because I have included bunches of it!

Here is a closer look at my pretty papers, since we all know that is my favorite part:

I have included selections from an older October Afternoon line, Very Merry, an older Martha Stewart line, Glitz's Finley collection, red embossed snowflakes from an older We R Memory Keepers line, a red chevron paper from Bella Blvd's Christmas Countdown, and several from Heidi Swapp's Believe line.

I have plans and ideas for handmade numbers, diecuts, and other embellishments, which I will share as I finish them. For now, I am happy with the head start that I have gotten on my Journal Your Christmas project!

More Journal Your Christmas Fun (Day 3)

Two Peas in a Bucket has had a range of CHA challenges this week, so I used several of the challenges as inspiration for my Journal Your Christmas pages. Here is my page for JYC, Dec 3, "Planning Magical Moments":

See It on 2Peas

This layout is done in response to CHA Challenge #2, "Scraplift 2 Concepts". I took inspiration from these sources:
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/gallery/member/367453-tenmylove/1875576-december-daily-day-1-cover/ [twopeasinabucket.com]
and this one:
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/gallery/member/498045-soaphousemama/1877620-days-3-and-4-december-daily-jyc/ [twopeasinabucket.com]

I also used my 2 kits that I made up for January from my stash:
Scrap Your Stash Kit , and May Your Days Be Merry and Bright Counterfeit Kit .

Supplies used: Cosmo Cricket Jolly Days background, cream colored pp is from Crate Paper, Wilton's Doily, Elle's Studio stamp and journaling spot, gold glitter ribbon and Thickers from American Crafts.

I quite like how it came out, and I have enjoyed playing along with the challenges at 2Peas, so I will be sharing many more pages over the next few days...Leave me a comment to let me know what you think!

Journal Your Christmas, Days #1 and #2

I played along with Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas class for the first time this year, and I loved it! Instead of trying to do a page every day in December, like a December Daily style album, I just read her daily prompts and journaled whatever they triggered for me, and took photos along with the photo prompts, also! It was so much fun, and I felt so much less stress! Now that the holiday has passed, I am using my Merry and Bright kit (and another kit that I will share tomorrow) to put these memories and photos into an album. Over the next month, I plan to share these pages and stories here on my blog. I really feel that this class helped me to appreciate the joys and memories of the season, and I love that I am now signed up for lifetime access to it! Is it weird to already be excited, and planning things for next year? Lol!
Anyway, on to my pages:
Day 1, "A Christmas Manifesto":




The journaling reads:
"Spend time this year ENJOYING the season, creating and recording memories, instead of overwhelming myself with too much STUFF. Simplify, take more time for family and togetherness. Take time to reflect and yes, even to mourn the loved ones who are missing from this year's celebration. But treasure the memories, and the loved ones who are here. Appreciate the magic of Christmas while the kids are young. Make yummy food, enjoy, and photograph all of the family's memories."

Day 2, "Tuna Can Ornaments":

The journaling reads:
 " I remember sitting at the table as a child, making the ornaments for this tree! The painstaking work threading each bead onto wire for the icicles, and the hot glue burns on my fingers from gluing the velvet ribbons and tiny ornaments onto the tuna cans...I wonder how many cans of tuna were eaten in the process of making these? I love crafty things like these now, so it seems funny to think back on how much I hated making them at the time!"

Thanks for looking! I will be back with another kit from my stash tomorrow!