December 1st.

And so indeed, it has begun. Shimelle's class, Journal Your Christmas gave us this for our blogs and our books, should we wish to use it:


At the beginning of Get Organized for the Holidays, we were challenged to create our own vision statement. This was mine:

This time of year is all about celebrating Jesus's birth and the time leading up to it, peacefully, joyfully and calmly. We'll take the opportunity to express our love and appreciation for one another in everything we do.

Hmmm. Sounds very much like a dry Corporate Vision Statement.

I've been listening to Father Richard Rohr, and a series of lectures called "True Self, False Self."

What is Christmas?

It is that time of year when we celebrate the union of the divine with the flesh. That is what Jesus the Christ was: The creator and the created became one. It is also the celebration of a young woman's "yes." To paraphrase Rohr: God said, "Do you want the divine to come to Earth and show you itself?" Can I use you to do it? Will you let a miracle happen?"

And Mary said, "Yes."

So, my manifesto?

No. No manifesto.
A prayer. Let it be a prayer, instead:

Let the Divine come through me this month. Please use me, if You want. Let there be a miracle. Amen.

So, let there be cheer and lights and music. Let there be peace and joy and dancing. Let there be thanks and giving and kindness. Let there be love.

December Daily Foundation Pages

Warning: This is a long post, mostly of interest, likely, to fellow scrapbookers doing Ali Edwards' December Daily Project.

I am so excited. I've finally put it together after working on it nearly a solid week. I used a lot of freebies from the internet which I'll link to. But I also purchased a fair bit of product, as well. More than I needed.

Like Ali Edwards, who informally heads the annual project, I decided to make my pages 6x8. Like her, (though I arrived at my decision without knowing hers) I also decided to make my pages a two page spread with a "number" page in the middle of it.

The numbered page in the middle is a variety of things. Originally, it was to be a simple 4x6 piece of patterned paper or cardstock with a number tag mounted on it. (See the page fro Day 3 below!) In many ways, I wish I had kept it that simple. But, if you stick around for the whole post, you'll see that I interpreted that basic idea in many different ways.

The right hand page is patterned paper, the left hand page is cardstock. I chose not to embellish or in any way mark up the cardstock pages. I want to retain maximum flexibility. I plan to put journaling on the patterned paper pages--and on some I've already gone ahead and inserted a fancy journaling page. I'd like to sew the patterned page to the cardstock, but we'll see if I make time to do that.

Before I show you my pages, I want to show you the "extra" pages I've prepared to use if needed:

These are for extra pictures and memorabilia.

From left to right: a two up page protector for 4- 4x6 photos or journaling cards, then I have 2- 6x8 page protectors (sewn by machine from 8x8 page protectors), an envelope sewn in half and hole punched (for concert tickets or journaling tags, or, even, pictures) and a four by four pocket page cut down from a full sized baseball page protector. I have lots more of each item should I need them.

The next set features journaling extras:



From left to right: "luggage tags" from the office supply store which I've inked already, library card pockets and library due date cards, a few journaling tags from fancy pants design and some post cards (back only) downloaded for from designedly Kristie. I also plan on making up some text boxes on the computer.

Now for pages themselves.


The dedication page: I believe this is paper by Moxie


page 1: Here's the back of the Moxxie paper with a fancy pants journaling tag on top of it. The number page is a clear vinyl sheet from SEI, I believe, and a Thicker's #1 sticker from American Crafts.



page 2: Patterned Paper by Basic Grey. The luggage tag has an image from the internet and a Thickers "2" sticker.


page 3: Fancy Pants journaling Tag, PP: Basic Grey, Number tag: font: Poor Richard.


page 4: old, old K & Compnay music note paper, Hambly transparency, Luggage tag with ribbon, rick rack and a text box with the font Algerian.


page 5: The patterned paper is from the Girl's Paperie. Journaling tag: Fancy Pants. The divider is that SEI vinyl. The number card is something I made based on a free download from the talented creator of the Pretty Little Studio. I made mine with an image is from the Internet, and the Century font for the letters and numbers.


page 6: This patterned paper is also from Moxxie. The journaling tag is fancy pants and the number tag was created with words from Karla Dudley of Design House Digital. The ticket is from a free download from Miss Cutie Pie.



page 7: The paper is by Graphic 45. I had an old piece of lace hanging about which I stitched onto the SEI vinyl. The round seven was made with Microsoft Word 2010 textbox and a font called Clarendon-Light.



page 8: Basic Grey on the left and a nice 4x6 of the Graphic 45 paper serving as my number divider. I put on some brown rick rack and my homemade #8 circle tag made, again, with Clarendon-Light.



page 9: The K & Company music paper, the Moxxie paper and the tag based on the design by Pretty Little Studio.


page 10: This idea I borrowed from another December Daily participant. The advent tags (by Cathe Holden from www.justsomethingImade.com) will hold the ten reasons why we love Christmas. The patterned paper is by The Girls' Paperie. The library pocket is decorated with a strip of paper "ribbon" by Anna Griffen and some rick-rack.The frame for the #10 from Jennifer Pebbles (at 2peas) is mounted onto a Hambly transparency.


page 11: I found the number 11 by doing a google search for numbers. It's mounted on a plain white American Crafts ribbon on a Hambly transparency. The Patterned Paper on the left is from Pink Paislee.


page 12: More paper from Pink Paislee, a number card based on the one from Pretty Little Studio and a shaped paper--I can't remember who makes it. I do love it though. Here's the back (with a fancy pants journaling tag attached):




page 13: This is the other side of the white Pink Paislee paper above. The tag is composed of a free image from the Pretty Little Studio, words from Karla Dudley and the Georgia ref font made up the number 13.


page 14: Basic Grey paper on the left, the number is on the other side of the shaped paper. I made the number tag from a text box and the Century font.


page 15: The pretty dotted paper is The Girls' Paperie. The number tag (this time made with the Souvenir font) is held in place by Holiday ribbon from Micheal's. That's the last of the SEI vinyl.



page 16: I love the Jovial line from Basic Grey--can you tell? This is the #16 in the Pharmacy font cut out with a 2" circle punch and mounted on top of the Hambly transparency. The scalloped paper behind it is one of the journaling tags from Fancy Pants. I glued down some ribbon from Offray.


page 17: Nice and simple. More Basic Grey on the right. The number tag is mounted behind the Hambly transparency. It was made with the Algerian Font.


page 18: Graphic 45 patterned paper, the unknown shaped paper and another tag based on the design from the Pretty Little Studio I made from an image of a vintage card I found on the Internet.


page 19: More Basic Grey paper. This tag was fun to put together. The paper ribbon is Anna Griffen. The word "celebrate" is from Karla Dudley. The image of the boy is from Dover publications and the number 19 is the Algerian font again.


page 20: Basic Grey and fancy pants provide the pattern here. The numbers are Thickers from American Crafts mounted onto a ribbon from Offray.


page 21: More basic grey. The tag is another composite of words from Karla Dudley, an image from the internet and the number is in the font called Canadian.



page 22: The paper on the left is old, old 7gypsies. I made the bingo card based on various number tags already out there. Katie Pertiet makes some as does Jenni Bowlin, I believe.


page 23: This was fun. It's not a pocket page, though it looks it. Nothing new: Fancy pants journaling tag, a home made number tag, Basic Grey patterned paper and ribbon by American Crafts.



page 24: The paper is Basic Grey, yet again. The tag is made up of the Anna Griffen paper ribbon and a tag from Miss Cutie Pie stitched on by machine.


page 25: This is what happens to me when I think I have to make something "really special." I freeze! So, for the "fanciest" page of all, I have the simplest thing: a Hambly transparency with some Thickers just fastened straight onto it. The paper on the left is from The Girls' Paperie.

And, there we have it. I'll do a post on the Cover another time.

Values and Quotes

In September, as part of Aby Garvey's Time Management course, she had us do an exercise to (1) determine and then (2) prioritize our goals. I went all Pottery barnish and used to computer to make my list look like a colourful sort of mini bus roll. Then, I bought a $5 frame and "distressed" it.

Tonight, as I was hunting down quotes for the calendar project, it occurred to me to use the values as categories to find quotes that I could believe in. I even thought that defending their truth would make for interesting essays--but I'll spare you.

Here's what I've found:

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.” Anais Nin

[Nothing suitable for responsibility. Hard to find something that didn’t sound too preachy.]

“Joy is not in things; it is in us.” Richard Wagner

"The journey between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place." -Barbara DeAngelis

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” The Dalai Lama

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.” George Bernard Shaw

(This is the quotation I found to speak for excellence.)

“It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required.” Sir Winston Churchill

“Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice.” Baruch Spinoza

[Nothing suitable for beauty.]

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” Sir Winston Churchill

[Respect and vitality? Nothing. But I did like these others, below.]

“Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.” - Francesca Reigler

“People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

"Whoever is happy will make others happy, too." Mark Twain.

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” Cicero

So, there we go. A little something for your quotation collection.

Soul Cake

My daughter is learning this on her recorder for school.

We went a'hunting on You-Tube--this is what we found.



We also found Sting's version which was cool but my daughter didn't really like it.

I'm still working on those projects!

Coming Up: Project Week

No, not those sorts of projects, the ones that still need doing, like hemming and hanging curtains and so on. No, these are Christmas Projects. Three of them, to be exact.



Top left: the Advent project.

This tub full of small watch tins (which is what they were "officially" known as ten years ago before they were appropriated into spice jars and scrapbook embellishment containers) is put out by Wilton to hold wedding favours. I'm going to make round numbered disks for the top, buy some small chocolates and candy and come up with 25 activities for the kids and I to do. I'm really looking forward to it. This was the inspiration:


from: Ormolu! She also has a lovely Etsy shop where you can purchase these fabulous tags.

And that is....

Top right: the Daily December Album.

Ali Edwards (informally) heads up the annual project. Here are more details, about the project, if you're interested. Yes, in spite of the fact that I have not done my Vacation album, I have not finished my Week in the Life Album--and there are just one or two things left to do on my Me: The Abridged Version album, I am going to do this. I will likely post more about this project as it goes along.

And then....

Bottom left: The Calendar Project.

I bought a kit from Basic Grey --something I've never done before-- and I'm quite excited about using it. I spent about a day wondering why I'd bought it. I enjoy scrapbooking, I don't really need or want to simplify it. Nonetheless, I am rather tired of the whole Calendar thing. It's been several years, now, after all. Buying the kit will make this task go more smoothly--but it won't satisfy my need to play and create. I think that's a large part of why I decided to do the December Daily.

So, that's my weekend and next week accounted for. I'm not exactly sure how I am going to do this seeing as we will also be having our Investment Guy and a Life Insurance Rep in for appointments next week: and the "board room table" cum dining room table is also my scrap table, but I will figure it out!

Snowday!

Taken at 8:40am after waiting 30 minutes for the bus.
Temp: -14*C (wind chill -21*C)

I told my daughter she could stay home today.

Kitchen Cure, yep, Week 1.

But, it is a beauty.

I finally, finally, finally had all my supplies together to clean out (and clean!) one of my two over the counter kitchen cupboards.

Just to orient you: These are my kitchen cupboards. The shelves I tackled are on the right.

Supplies? What supplies?

It took me a while, But I settled on using good old fashioned quart (or Liter) canning jars for holding things I usually buy in floppy bags. And I bought shelf paper. Plain white shelf paper. I wanted something pretty: but I couldn't find anything that wasn't hideous (or clashed with my kitchen). So, I went with white.
Glad I did.

The embarrassing before:



ugh, ugh.



The shelves with the new paper: much better!


I did weed out a bunch of spice packets (chili mixes and the sort) and kept very few. So few, I didn't want a container for them: so I hammered in some picture hangers to hold them (those all wood cabinets have to be good for something!)


And so, you've waited long enough, you've earned it:



Ta Da!

I'm feeling mighty smug.

Coming Soon: Advent

image: Pottery Barn.

I know it seems soon, but if I want to make anything, I need to get on it. I've been collecting ideas since last year. Most of them involve hanging up some sort of numbered container to hold things we can unfold or unwrap.

Here is my favourite idea: Little pyramidal boxes.

photo: Julie Ree

The best tutorial is from T. Mathews Fine Art. I like how she adapted it to use Scrapbook paper.



I do love felt, though. Our vintage tree skirt is felt applique made eons ago by my Aunt.


These felt pockets from all sorts may be a bit on the small side? I don't know.

Here's another hanging felt idea: the classic stocking.


Aren't these cute? photo and tutorial from: Knit and purl grrl

Here's a modern take on a traditional felt calendar:


photo and tutorial from purlbee

Design sponge featured this fairly simple but elegant envelope pocket based countdown "calendar."

photo and tutorial: design sponge

A more colourful and even easier take on that idea is this one by quietfish. The envelopes could even be kept in a basket (and I could have one for each child to open). She filled hers with activities. I would like some room for a bit of candy, though.

photo and tutorial from quietfish

This bucket idea could not be more simple:



photo: John Lewis.

It's just a matter of finding the buckets. Of course, if I did that, then I suppose I could do this:


photo: Pottery Barn.

Kitchen Cure Week 1: The Freezer

Boom da da boom.