Maine Girl

December Daily 2013. Cover. Day One. Day Two. Nutcracker, Tree Search and Advent Calendar

Wow I have not posted since last December 14th and although I actually FINISHED my December Daily 2012 I never posted the finished product.  I have to say I am thrilled I finished it last year leaving me the ability to bring it out this year and reminisce.  This year I will try to do better at posting right through to the end.  Here we go 2013 cover:

I used the Studio Calico Handbook, the Studio Calico foil number 25 and fabric from my stash.  Plain White Muslin sent through the dryer to fray the edges and a star made out of Joel Dewberry Wood fabric.  I really like it's subtle simplicity.

Day One: The great Christmas tree search and The Nutcracker.

I saved the ticket stubs from both the show and parking and also included the front cover of the program.  The wood veneer arrow is sewn on and MAGIC is done with foil stickers from Joann's.

 

 

Day Two features the advent calendar including an image part of it hanging and Tripp opening his Day 2.  I may revisit this later in the month on a week my two bonus kids are here with us.  

Super excited to be embarking on this new tradition!  I can't explain how much I have enjoyed looking through last years.  Thank you Ali Edwards for just being awesome!

 

December Daily 2012. Day Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. It's all about Twelve.

Had to play some catch up here... So here we go.

Day Eleven

In the book...

Day Twelve.  My dear bonus daughter turned 12 on 12.12.12 pretty darn cool!  I made the day about the #12 whereever possible.  #12 sugar cookies to school, 12 presents to open, #12 rice krispie birthday cake.  :)

In the book:

Day 13 something very unexpected, very sweet, totally amazing happened.  My Silver Sneakers class left me a card with $83 they collected in $5 and $1's.  It is not about the money at all but to know how much they cared to think of me.  I have been teaching their exercise classes for a year now and love it so so much.  No pictures today just a little journaling about what they did for me and the card they gave me.  :)  total goodness!

That's it all caught up.  :)  It was a crazy few days around here and I am happy that I stuck with it, I am totally enjoying this.  Tonight is our family tradition...a twinkle light drive with hot cocoa.  

December Daily. Day Ten. Love.

Love, love, love... Love for Aden & Anais sleeping bags, love for his sissy and brother, love for the "Bear" series of books by Karma Wilson.

I loved the stitch page with the starbuck that Ali did for Saturday and wanted to try the concept out myself.  When T's replacement Aden & Anais bags arrived yesterday a light bulb went off.  My boy was beyond excited with his new sleeping bags which is a relief because I thought that since the others were his go to "duddy" it would be tough to replace them.  Also, in the mail came Bear Stays Awake for Christmas by Karma Wilson this series is one of my most favorite and T's too!

Page one: Confetti Pockets, #10 and some journaling.

Page 2: the front cover of the flap  Sissy reading to T "the book" and the Aden & Anais sewn on.

Open the flap and you will see:

I like how it came out for sure, may try it again before December Daily is over.  Such a neat and fun idea!

December Daily. Day Nine. Advent Calendar

Ahhh...the advent calendar.  What a challenge I have found it to be with two children that spend every other week in this home.  We have done the chocolate ones in the past but it seemed so wrong when they came back to see them popping 6 little pieces of chocolate into their mouths--I never felt they were getting the true meaning of it all.  However they did love the whole idea of it so last year I thought of a different way which I made happen this year.

Outside of the protector:  Ali edwards December 9 overlay in Red, with some journaling about the whole thing in Ali Edwards font white. 

And here is a close up of them that I used in the four pocket baseball protectors.  I added another Ali Edwards overlay colored light blue (from the chevron fabric strip.)

Have you noticed a common theme with me this Christmas season...fabric strips are in use big time. 

Page One under protector:

Page 2 under protector:

December Daily. Day Eight. I Love Twinkle Lights.

Here we are Day Eight.  Typically what happens around here is we get the tree put it up in the living room and their it sits naked for about a week.  In the past I have put the lights on fairly soon after it is set up and then taken a week to decorate but not this year or last year.  She was just plain naked.  I don't mind it at all, but I do think my husband does.

This year we went with NOTHING breakable because of sweet little brown fingers that like to grab and THROW everything.  I like my tree this year all adorned with bleached white muslin 2" fabric strips, white feather boa and white puffy feather owls.  I think I need to add something else but I am not sure what that something else is.  I am sure it will come to me soon.

Pocket with beads and sequins, image of sweet feather owl, image of tree with Ali Edwards "i love twinkle lights" photo overlay and an number 8 card from Little Yellow Bicycle I think....

Backside, I actually filled this time with some journaling on Evalicious Our Home holiday card, added an evalicious Our Home button, and then an image of a JOY sign hanging on our wall with a little washi to spice up the blank space.

I really wish I would have done the Ali Edwards December 8 photo overlay in white opposed to red but it is what it is and I didn't feel like printing it again.  I added some red twill sewn on with silver thread in zigzag stitch and a JOLLY ticket from last years Banana Fish Studio Holiday stuff.  I took a pic of my window because I love how it came out this year.  :)  I also loved that you can see the lights from the tree in the window reflection.  

December Daily. Day Seven. Bath Time.

Day Seven and I am still with it.  I am positive that this is a record for me and I am proud of me.  :)  Day seven was supposed to be a layout of T and I going to the big Festival of Lights Sparkle Parade in Freeport (Papa had a meeting so he would not be attending.)  I wanted so badly to make this one of the new family traditions beginning this year, the weather had something else in mind so we ended up staying home.  The layout is about Bath Time and T's hair grooming.  

I already had the glitter brads and circle star sewn in from last year as well as the white canvas star I amde and adhered a glitter 7 too.  I added the little who, what, when, where card from Martha Stewart Crafts because it had a star on it.  Then the you complete me mail tag is from Banana Fish Studio attached with a Martha Stewart star brad.

This is a flip up page because I loved the one Ali Edwards did I thought I would try it myself.  

Wish I would have got more than two Washi choices for Christmas!  As you can see he is prepared for hair grooming in the top picture he loved holding on to the clips but really hated giving them up!

December Daily. Day Six. December Joy.

Ahhhh...embracing the part of the process that involves no pictures for the second day this week.  It is OK to not have a picture EVERY DAY!  Today I just did some journaling using Ali Edwards December Joy overlay and vertical journaling.  I printed it out and sewed together some Bazzil Cardstock Orange Peel and Swiss Dots then glued the journal paper right on.  I also sewed totally free form, absolutely imperfect starts on the cardstock with silver thread (silver thread idea came from Ali Edwards Day One)  I added in one of my hang tags I am using for this holiday season since my journaling is about maine girl creations.  :)

Decided to add in this Bazzil Chipboard Snowflake :)  So cute!

Finally the journaling includes how thankful I am for all the orders I have been sewing away and I how I NEED to check in with that thankfulness when I am feeling too busy or when  feel like I am failing someone/thing because I am so busy!

December Daily. Day Five. These Boots are Made for Walking.

Yesterday was the day we had been waiting for around here.  At 1 year 5 months and 21 days old sweet Tripp took his first steps and lots more throughout the day!  He was so proud of himself.  So awesome to see!

Day Five Page 1.

I really wish I could figure out what is going on with my camera and why I am getting such grainy images.

 

Since it was a day about T I did some "You" words for him.  :)

Day Five Page Two. 

These boots are made for walking...So happy I captured this image.  He loved that he could sit in his rocking chair and stand up to walk, he must have done this 40 times.  I added Ali Edwards December 5 Photo Overlay and flipped it around.  I could have sworn I had once watched a tutorial she did with how you could flip these around and stretch to fit without messing up the "December 5" I looked for it last night for a while before giving up and settling for the stretch.  Added some washi and an Evalicious Christmas Joy button, some words about the day and done!

December Daily. Day Four. Making a List.

I never snapped an image yesterday but I DID run around like a crazy woman in between teaching a couple classes and sewing.  My pictures are horrible because it is pouring here so I can't go outside to take the pics.  

Making a list:

I deserved that Salted Caramal Mocha with Nonfat Milk and NO Whip Cream...The List has two sides...The sweet "believe" token is from Tim Holtz and the "magic" card sewn to the side was a ruined card from Banana Fish Studio that I still found a use for.  :)

Backside of Day 4 pocket page.  I do love the confetti pockets so...

Finally all the receipts from "the list" sewn on to Bazzil Orange Peel Cardstock, some letters sewn on, a splash of washi tape and some red/white twine wrapped around.  I used green thread because that was what I had in my sewing machine.  I do wish I would have incorporated the December 4 Ali Edwards overlay but I was too lazy to move from my work station to the computer.  

The best part is no matter what the flaws are Day 4 is complete.  I love this album I made last year...it totally deserved to be used!

Christmas Manifesto. December Daily. Day Three.

Late yesterday I realized I had not thought of December Daily Day three yet.  I loved the wreath we had picked out when we went to get our Christmas Tree so I decided to snap an image of it.  While showering this morning I decided I needed a sort of Christmas Manifesto (thanks Ali for the Summer Manifesto, total inspirations) and here it is:

The beginning in Photoshop with the overlay and words in place:

The pocket page which I added two Christmas fabrics from my whimsy red green love dress.  I have been working with these fabrics a ton over the last few weeks, they deserve a place in December Daily.

And the layout on Bazzil Orange Peel Cardstock with merry & bright in white letters at the bottom, they were old from American Crafts Remarks.  One red + sign in the middle I have no idea where that came from!  I do like the tone on tone white I may do that again somewhere in the album.

That is all for Day 3.  Used most of the same items as yesterday and WILL do a link up post at some point.  Really focusing on making this is as easy as possible, MUST stick with it.  I want these memories to live on forever.  ;)