December Daily, Day 2

I took the prompt for Dec 2 from Shimelle's clss. Wonderful pages being shown and so interesting as most of the participants are from the U.K.

The weather here has actually been mild. Minus 8 or so Celsius is wonderful at this time of year --in the sun and without wind, of course. And we were lucky to have that today.

On the left, a screen capture of the weather page from Environment Canada. Around it I printed the little ditty (which we first heard in Little Bear.):

Whether the weather the hot, whether the weather be cold,
we'll weather the weather,
whatever the weather,
whether we like it or not.

I included photocopies of our energy/electricity bill and our natural gas bill in the envelope. Behind the envelope, I have the scrapbook "spread." The journaling card is something I made up in word (fonts: Antique Olive and Antigoni Light).

It reads:

For me, surviving the winter is all about the Christmas lights. C (my husband) and B (my son) put these up on Remembrance Day when it was still warm. They're so cheery, we won't take them down until March! I actually turn these on in the morning when I take Aurelia to the bus stop --just so they greet me when I come home.



The original:



As you can see, it isn't bothering me one whit to change things up.
(Though now that I see it again, I may spruce up that envelop with some of that patterned paper. We'll see.

Reverb #3: The Moment

December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)

I saw this prompt last night and I've been thinking about it all day. I may have been a bit hasty saying "I'm not a writer" the other day, for to answer this prompt is to do what writers do.



I was standing here.

At my back is the Porcupine Foothills. Below and before me stretches the long, low, sloping prairie. The wind dulled people's shrill voices to a low buzzing sound, making it difficult to eavesdrop. It is a constant companion here, making my long hair impossible, our tailgate picnics challenging. It has a sound, surely, but not one that seems separate from the body. It seems to come from within, somewhere, inside my head.

The air can't help but be fresh. The nearest city is more than a hundred miles away. Even if there were something, say, a feedlot with its piles of manure, the wind would scrub the air clean.

Behind me, in the shadow of the hill, looking into the sun, the green was as sharp as blades. Before me, great patches of dark and light played out on the land as the clouds lumbered in front of the sun. Colour seemed muted, light rays from an impossible distance, shattering a little, slipping a bit, before they reached me.

I felt my heart lift. Literally. Physically. It rose out of my chest and dashed to catch that wind. It raced, twisting through the grass, rushing out beyond sight to tumble in the impossibly blue sky. It sought those spaces between the light, the places in between. It found home.

Reverb #2

December 2 Writing.
What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?
(Author: Leo Babauta)

I'm not a writer.

I took a creative writing course in University. The Prof remarked that my stories were nothing like my personality. Of course, what she meant was that my stories were nothing like my persona. I had a well-developed extroverted persona--some even said bubbly--and the disconnect was in more places than just between my writing and my self.

This past summer, I "auditioned" to write a narrative history of Canada for a homeschooling curriculum company. After two chapter attempts--complete with a chapter by chapter breakdown for the book as well as maps for each of the chapters, I was told that while my enthusiasm was great, my writing was terrible.

And as I mourned the loss of a long-held dream I realised that is was my belief in their pronouncements that killed it: not what they said. I could have chosen to ignore what they said. I could have chosen to believe differently.

But I didn't.

Defeated, humiliated and discouraged. That's where I'm at about writing.

PS: This isn't turning out to be very cheery stuff, is it?

December Daily Day One

Yay! I actually got the pictures formatted and developed last night! My plan is to actually do this only every few days as rushing out to get photos every day won't be all that practical! But, I was thrilled to do these up today so I could share them right away.

Here was the original. I couldn't make the journaling tag work all that well, so I dropped it.



Here is the left page:



And the right:


I think I'd like to add some red stitching to the margins of this page. We'll see.

Reverb: One Word*

(This morning, 8:30am)


December 1 One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
(Author: Gwen Bell from reverb10)

If I were to pick a safe word, it would be change. I started scrapping earlier this year after a long hiatus. I took lots of classes at Simplify 101 to help me change my habits in my household and learn to run it better. On our vacation we went places no one but me had ever been before. And I put my daughter in public school: a huge change I'm still adjusting to. Yep. Change. Safe word.

But I don't like change.

If I'm honest, then the word I have to choose is angry. I am angry. I have been angry all year. Angry that while I did my scrapbooking, life around me fell apart. No one else, it seems, can get meals or do laundry or do all the dishes in one go. There's always something left for me to come along and do.

I am angry that that I broke my foot and was immobile for several weeks. And it's funny. I didn't gain back the forty pounds I lost in 2008 then, but later, after my foot was better. I'm angry about my weight too. Spitting mad, actually.

And I am angry at the fact I had to send my daughter to school. I miss her terribly.

But where is all this anger going?
It attacks my loved ones.
How am I dealing with it?
I'm not. Yelling is not coping.
Not coping well at all.

In a year from now?
What should my word be?
Obvious, isn't it?

Peace.

I have no idea how to get there from here.

*note: I'm not sure I'm committing to this. I may have too much on my plate already. Yet, I want a change, I need a change. So, perhaps I ought to do something different--like be real--or something.

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.