A cover and a skeleton

Three years ago, I set up a December Daily, in a little notebook made out of a little book.
 I did a little here and there, and then...

Two years ago, I did an entire album, start to finish, in an 8 x 8 book, and I fell in LOVE with it.
I still go over it and reread it again, and softly caress it.
I did it start to finish, and it was wonderful. I think it was successful because I was able to print the pictures and keep it up. 

Last year, I fully intended to do it again, in a 12 x 12 album.
The cover page was AWE-to-the-SOME. The second page was pretty awesome, too.

And then, I stopped.

But this year, I decided to do it again, and go all out.
I also decided to go hybrid, as I've learned some digital skillz.

I knew I didn't want to do another 12 x 12, but I wasn't ready to commit to another 8 x 8.
Couldn't decide.
Couldn't decide.
But then, while perusing the aisles of The Hob Lob, I found an album cover, and it all came to me. The album was 7 x 9, and I snatched it up really quick.

It's a special type of album, so it was a plain canvas that you are supposed to spritz with color, etc... Not so much for me. I painted it red, and added a (very delicate) wooden ornament and a 2012 button to the center with hot glue. I don't think it's done, and the inside is certainly not done. I'll show that off on Saturday. You know, December. 

Next step? Figuring out the inside.

In past years, I've created each page as a separate entity. Day by day. I've added fun little numbers. I've made each page special and dainty and unique.

Perhaps that's why I only got to day two last year.

So, this year, I'm going more uniform, and I couldn't be more excited about it. I've been scouring Pinterest for ideas, and looking at endless flikr streams for inspiration, and I found it here. I liked the idea of bookmarks with numbers, but still wasn't sure. Then, I ordered and received pages from Jenni Bowlin, and fell. in. love. I cut the stars out and put them on the papers, made them into bookmarks.

By the by...
(I wrote that,and when I came back to the post to finish it, I had no idea what I was going to write or what could finish that statement. Keepin' it realz.)

For each day, I may embellish the front part of the bookmark, and I may not. It's beautiful without anything.

On the back, I can do my journaling and add some embellishment, leaving the pages for pictures.











Right now, the pages can't even be called foundation pages. I'm calling them skeleton pages. The only things I have so far are the bookmark/journal pages and the white cardstock that I adhere the scrap paper.

To prepare, I'm taking most of my Christmas patterned paper and cutting it down to 7 x 9 size, so each day, I just have to pick a patterned page that works with whatever I photographed.

I also pulled and spread out ALL of my Christmas embellishments and  other miscellaneous supplies all over my dresser. I've basically set up a Christmas scrapbooker's buffet. Every time I work on a page, I can just go and pick out what I want to use.

I may  have also set up a word document/spreadsheet to plan out what every day will be about and which materials I will use, but I'll deny it at all costs.







Each page will have the same general structure, but will change as needed. There will be a picture, several pictures, or other ephemera on the left, bookmark noting the day, journaling/ embellishment  on the back of the bookmark, and then a focus picture on the right, with the Ali Edwards 6 x 8 overlay (thus the digital element and the hybrid).

How excited am I about this project?

I may have already done day one. Even though Dec 1 doesn't happen for two more days.

In my defense, I have absolutely nothing going on Saturday, with the exception of finishing the decorating (come hell or high water). I always like to introduce the month what I'm doing currently (see yesterday's post) and lots of details about my decorations. Since I don't have a right-hand page to put extra pictures on, I'll probably add an insert with other pictures from around the house behind teh bookmark.

Sneak peek of my tree and the start of my book. Nothing's glued down, because something exciting may go down between now and then, and I can easily put the overlay on a different picture and change it all out.

I also went so far as to buy ink for my printer and set it up and install it on my computer so I could print some things at home. I'm not messing around here. I did by matte photo paper instead of glossy, so when I went to print the photo I realized that I basically bought some fancy and expensive white cardstock. I'm not a huge fan of how it printed, so I'll probably upload to persnickity prints and order from there for the final project.