To December Daily... or Not!

Hey guys!

I am sure you have seen the kits and packs and paper lines circulating in the creative circles about the new December Daily kits.  There are lots of choices and I wanted to share my experience!

So, first choice - grab a kit or paper line!
There are lots of "pre-made" kits for December Daily albums.  Ali Edwards has been making on for a long time, as well as Studio Calico and Elle's Studio.  These kits usually contain some papers, a lot of 3x4 and 4x6 cards and lots of other embellishments.  But, with the advent of 3x4 cards built into 12x12 papers, you can totally grab your favorite Christmas paper line, cut it up, and make your own kit!  I love this option is you wanted to take a faith-based view on your December Daily (I mean, how awesome would it be to create a journal of the Advent stories???) or if you love a good vintage Christmas, grab some vintage Christmas paper! 

Once you have your supplies done, there are three options for creating!
1) Pre-do it!  If this is your jam, start now!  Pre-done albums are scrapbooked for everything-but-the-pictures!  Think about it like a Scrap Club album.  You make the pages and plug in your pictures when the days roll around.  This is a great way for your album not to get lost in the hubbub of the holiday season. 

2) As-you-go!  I am in awe of people who do this!  The idea is that you do a page each day as the holiday season goes on.  Scrapping and printing pictures as you go along is a great way to reflect on each day and make sure no tiny memories go un-documented. 

3) When it's over.... This is totally me.  I work on my December Daily when the whole thing is over!  I always make a plan of what I want to include, check it off as the season goes on, and then scrapbook it when it is over.  This allows me to adjust the schedule of events when it changes - because in our family, change always happens.  One of my tricks, so I don't forget things is to hang a little plastic bag on the fridge.  In here, I drop any memorabilia - tickets, pictures, notes - that we collect between Thanskgiving and New Years.  I also jot down anything super adorable about Christmas that Anderson says.  I would rather have the stuff to weed through as I scrapbook than struggle to remember in January!

Need some inspiration to get started?  Ali Edwards has flip-throughs of her albums on her YouTube page.  Plus, there are tons of other scrappers who share theirs!  You can also look on Pinterest for lots of samples and examples of December Daily layouts. 

My biggest concern would be having this separate album and nothing in my regular scrapbook.  If I am being 100% honest, I haven't even made it to last Christmas in my regular album, so I feel like I have captured the tiny memories that would be lost in the cracks of time.  Plus, I am still planning on hitting some of our Christmas favorites with a few layouts in the family album.  But, with the mini-album, I can scrap and savor every single moment of the holiday season! 

If all of this seems like it is too much to keep track of - have no fear!  Sara is planning an amazing album that is a complete 12x12 (!!) Christmas album for January.  It is using the line Christmas by Carta Bella, which is full of traditional colors and patterns.  Registration is not open quite yet - we are putting the finishing touches on the album.  I will share the link when it goes live!
Overall, I highly recommend the whole experience!  I love having a tiny album to flip back through for just those holiday memories!  I am so so so glad I did it!

What do you think?  Will you be creating a December Daily this year?  Share your plan in the comments or on Facebook!
Now, go get crafty!
Lesley

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