162 days to go...

Yes folks, 162 days is all you've got until Christmas 2013. In the middle of the hottest summer in the UK for the last seven years, some wintery scrapbook pages are just what you need to cool you down.

This bloghop is the brainchild of the lovely Ruth, who has put together an incredible list of ladies all joining to give you inspiration for those Christmas photos that you still haven't scrapped. You should have come here from Catherine, and after me you need to visit Tasha.

The challenge was to create a project that was Christmas-related. And so I turned to me Christmas 2012 album to see what gaps needed filling. Last year as always, I took part in Journal Your Christmas, this time choosing to mix up project-life style divided page protectors with standard 12x12 pages. It began well...using a mix of photos and journalling cards, I put together several layouts that I really love in my album:

Ah, see that there? That's the first gap. And that point around the 17th of December must have been when I lost my way with the project and everything kind of ground to a halt. It gets worse:

That is a divided page protector with two pockets filled and the rest empty, showing the page behind. Grrrrr. It looks unfinished - it is unfinished, and when I look through my album the story of Christmas is incomplete. So this is as good a time as any to crack on and fill in those gaps. I pulled out the stash of paper I was using for this album, and the envelope of photos that I'd had printed and then put away.

First things first. Sort the photos into the ones I want to use, and then start grouping these together. Most of these pictures are from Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and I'm not worrying about the JYC 'daily' format. Then I got to work putting this in to some kind of order!

(Sorry for the strange colours, the light had gone by this point.)

Photos from Christmas Day morning on the left - the back of the previous insert with lots of gaps. I've been using this alternate photos/journalling block layout throughout so I thought I would continue it. The page on the right is a new insert, using three photos I just couldn't choose between. I wanted to make a bit of an emphasis on 'eat, drink and be merry' so I separated each word from the phrase on to a separate insert. To create some repetition, I punched three hearts to embellish the photos, which also filled in the gaps as for some reason I'd had these printed at 5x3.5 inches so they don't quite fill in the spaces. 

One of the best things about picking up this project after such a break, is that I don't feel guilty about doing cards which are simpler. And yet, these are some of my favourites.

Maybe there's a lesson in this: work quickly and worry less. And it's amazing how having a kit can help my creativity.

Am I finished with my Christmas pages? No! I still have another couple of page protectors' worth to do. But now that I've got my stash out and found a working method, I shall probably carry on and do them all. Hopefully thinking about cold winter days will help me keep cool over the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for sharing my contribution to the Christmas in July bloghop. Your next stop is Tasha. Have fun!

Journalling my Christmas

The Christmas lurgy has struck early and my crafting has definitely suffered. I am very thankful that I decided to do a small, no pressure album for JYC this year!

The first couple of spreads are done, in their pockets and ready to go in the album. I have a fairly simple system - prompts where I want to write just a few lines get the 'layering' treatment like the one above. Prompts which inspire me to write a bit more get a 6x4 card which I printed a border on, just to make my journalling look neat. And then the other slots are taken up with photos - some of them inspired by the photography prompt, some of them a record of daily activity.

These 12 slots cover days 1-7. Some days I have lots of photos, and other days there aren't any, which is why it's irregular - but I don't mind at all. I am just thrilled to bits with how the pages are growing, and how the cards all work together to make an interesting spread.

It takes a surprising amount of consideration to make the pages balance - photo, journalling, embellishment, what goes in which slot - and I am not sure that I could do this all the time. But for recording lots of smaller memories, it's perfect.

Nine sleeps!

So this is Christmas

Well, here it is again my friends. The festive season means Journal Your Christmas, and my attempt to document (almost) daily thoughts about Christmas past and present. This is my sixth year of JYC, and some albums are more complete than others, but however much I have completed I am always glad to have this record of the season. It's not just a daily record either, it's an opportunity to ponder on different aspects of the season and do some reflective journalling.

My format this year is slightly different. Most of my albums have been 6x6 or 8x8, and last year I experimented with a 6x8 sketchbook. I've realised that I'd like to try including these JYC pages with the rest of my pages for 2012, so to do that I am using divided page protectors with 6x4 slots. My hope is that I will be able to adapt by using them for photos, text, or a combination of the two. If the topic really grabs me I will have the freedom to use more pockets, and if I miss a day (or two) it won't matter. It also means that if I really want to include a 12x12 page, it's easy to slot that in - and that's exactly what I've done with my manifesto page. This paper was just too nice to cut up and I wanted to make a bit of a 'statement' to identify these pages. 

The banner at the top has taken...most of the day. No kidding. Cutting each individual shape, layering them together, putting them in place and then leaving it, before coming back and tweaking it to get it 'just right'. I won't be putting this much into every day. But sometimes it's worth it. 

Here's to finding the magic in Christmas all over again!

Traditions at Christmas

As we grow up, families change, and somehow old traditions aren't quite the same any more. Christmas is a hard time for us all but this year we have been doing a few more things that I hope will become traditions - like baking.

Whoopsie

How could I forget? I know I am posting my pages way behind schedule, but I can't believe I left this one out.

I think I was saving it for a special post all of its own. Because I'm pretty pleased with this self-portrait illustration. Not a bad representation (and in fact it's exactly what I am wearing right now). Last year's self-portrait page was quite miserable, really, so it's lovely to do something positive.

Journalling Christmas

Behind the scenes, I've been working away on my Christmas journal. I've never done a book in this format before and I really love it. The space for writing is just about the right size, and I'm finding that as I go on, I'm getting more and more creative with the pages. It's also giving me the chance to practice a few techniques that I might not use on a normal scrapbook page.

Day 5: counting down. Mindy bought me an advent calendar! What a sweetie.

Day 6: I'm pretty sure that last year I moaned about moving house at this time of year, as well. It's not my fault! But every move I've ever made has been in either November, December or January. Last year felt like a real anti-Christmas because I couldn't be bothered to decorate a house I was leaving. This year, I feel much more 'at home' and have really enjoyed making my house beautiful for the season.

Day 7: Traditionally a day for creating a to-do list of all the things that still have to be done before the big day. But yes, this year I'm feeling pretty smug. Because I thought I was going to be either in hospital or recuperating from my surgery, I made sure that I had done almost everything before I went in (yes that was pretty stressful). So when the surgery turned out to be much easier than I was expecting, and the stay in hospital much shorter than I was dreading, it meant I got to come home and relax because pretty much everything is done.

I'm using a mix of hand lettering and stickers in this journal, whatever I feel like at the time. I used to do lots of calligraphy and hand-drawn letters (anyone who went to middle school with me will remember the lessons in how to draw perfect bubble letters). I think my discovery of scrapbooking products and the multitude of stamps, letter stickers and chipboard alphabets made me feel that my lettering wasn't quite up to scratch. I like how it works in this journal, though, and it's great to have a space to play.

More to say than I realised

This journal is just under 6x8 inches, and when I got it I wondered if I'd have enough to say to fill in each page.

To get me started (and because I hate a blank book) I went through and painted some borders and backgrounds on some of the pages. Not having a definite 'plan' makes me slightly nervous, so if I can just go for it and get something on the page it makes me feel better. Even if I cover it up with paper later.

We haven't had any snow this year - yet. This time last year everywhere was white, but we've had an unusually mild winter so far. The cold has kicked in now, though - I've even had to put the winter duvet on the bed.

Last year, I made my Christmas cards and everyone was suitably impressed. The thing with that was - I made them before I went back to work. This year, I knew I would be back at work full time (although I didn't know I would be going for surgery) so I went shopping in the January sales and bought some lovely cards to use instead. Then I volunteered to help with making the cards that Gran will be sending. Colouring, cuttting, sticking....card making is not my favourite thing to do. My friends will still be getting the shop-bought cards!

When I went slap-happy with the paint, I didn't do every page. This is one of the ones I left, and I just trimmed some paper to make a border top and bottom, and added one of the toppers I've used on Gran's cards. I don't think I need to worry about not having enough to write!

Catching up

How many years does it take before something becomes a tradition?

I first did Journal Your Christmas in 2007, and it's strange to look at all the changes in my life since then. Last year's album is pretty special, and is currently sitting on the table beside me. Fun to flick through.

I wasn't sure if I would manage it this year. The last few weeks have been quite hectic as I prepared for my fourth (and hopefully final) bout of surgery on 1 December. The surgery went really well, and I was home much quicker than I expected to be. I now have a few weeks off work to recover, so I guess I have no excuse for not doing another Christmas journal, right?

This year I decided to do a sort-of art journal - no photos, just writing and drawing and maybe some illustrations if I felt like it. I chose a simple sketchbook, grabbed a few scraps of Christmas paper, and now I'm catching up. It feels really special to be facing the season on my way to completely full health. It's been a long time coming.

JYC :: Boxing Day

We had Boxing Day surprise this year as we took a 'leftovers' meal round to Gran's house. Obviously, we didn't have any actual leftovers from Christmas Day, so Mum had deliberately cooked extra on Christmas Eve so that we could still have our Boxing Day lunch. Thanks Mum!

JYC :: Christmas

Christmas Eve...nearly done. Just a few things to finish off, but it felt very busy. I went to Mum's for dinner in the evening which was time to sit down and relax. And isn't this fairy pretty? Mindy made her and she adorns the top of Mum's tree. I do love handmade decorations.



Christmas Day itself was lovely. And who would have thought that I could fit so much on a single 6x6 page?



We went out for Christmas dinner and I'm glad we did. It made a lovely break from past years and meant that none of us were sitting there thinking about things that used to be. And of course, it meant that none of us had to prepare any food, get up early to cook it, or do the washing up afterwards. Afterwards we went back to Gran's to exchange our gifts. I couldn't decide if I was more excited to give or receive...my handmade goodies went down well and I received some lovely presents too. Follow that with some Christmas TV and it was pretty much the perfect day. Thanks guys :)

Self portraits at Christmas

It's only on looking back at these pages that I realised I'd used two self-portraits in a row. The photo on this one is my current Facebook profile picture...sometimes looking at photos like this over a period of time can show just how much things have changed.

My scrapbooking tip for today? Use a dual-ended pen to write your text, using the thicker end for the key phrases. Makes the text look much more interesting than a simple paragraph, especially if you are writing short thoughts rather than a long story.



This is a less flattering portrait (no-one looks good on a convex surface) but this is the first year I've actually remembered to take a photo of my reflection on a bauble. Except, of course, I only have mini baubles on the tree this year so I had to hold one instead. If you'd like to see some better examples of bauble self-portraits, check out this Flickr group.

So that was Christmas...catching up with JYC

The last few days before Christmas were a whirlwind of activity: shopping, singing, preparation and organisation. Suddenly it was far too difficult to keep up with JYC and post pictures online. The darkness didn't help as the days got shorter and shorter.



I did keep up with my pages, though, and I'm so pleased. My little book is now super-thick (three inches?!) and is a lovely record not only of what happened, but also of how I felt.



As I sit here in a post-Christmas haze, it all seems so long ago. I can hardly believe that I made that page above just last week. Everyone was so excited for Christmas, and now it's all over.

I had a lovely, lovely Christmas and really enjoyed it. It was quiet and relaxed and full of thoughtfulness and love. And I'm really glad I've been recording it all. I'll share the rest of my pages later.

K x

JYC :: 16 :: Thankful

This one gets a post all of its own.

It is so easy to be thankful this year. 2009/10 has been without a doubt the hardest year of my life. I keep thinking 'this time last year I was'...and it's all negative. I was being told I had cancer. I was starting chemotherapy. I was in hospital. I was having major surgery. I didn't know what the future held except that it wasn't going to be very good for a long time.

I am so thankful to be writing this post from a place of health and contentment. I am so blessed with my family and friends and all their support. In between sickness and surgery, I have still managed to have some really good times this year and I am so thankful for everything. One little page doesn't say it enough.

JYC :: 14 &15

For some reason the design of this page really pleases me...it feels very balanced, despite the larger amount of writing than normal. Like everything, this year presents are 'different'. We used to get up very early to open everything under the tree. These days we are all a little older and able to sleep in, so the early mornings are out! I am also Gran's Christmas fairy this year and have been buying her presents for everybody else.

Quickest page ever...and much lighter to balance out the previous page. It'll just be us five for Christmas, as the rest of the family is scattered far and wide. But there'll be lots of phonecalls I am sure.

JYC :: Memories worth saving

Uploading these has taken a back seat over the last few days, but I am slowly catching up.

I love, love, LOVE my pink tree. I think unconventional Christmas trees are great anyway (my main artificial tree is a pewter/silver colour) but this one just thrills me. Seriously. It's just about 2 feet high and is currently sitting beside my TV, with co-ordinating miniature baubles in glittery retro brights and white. I couldn't handle a full size tree this year but this is small enough to be manageable, and is just enough 'Christmas' to keep me happy.

This prompt was never going to be easy - thoughts of Christmas past. 2007 was the last year before everything changed, and of course being without Jonpa is the biggest change of all. But I know that he loved Christmas, and would want us to be happy. It won't be the same without him, but it will be ok.

On 13th December, the prompt for Christmas music coincided nicely with the MHCC Christmas concert. Carol services and nativity plays used to be such a big part of my Christmas, but since I stopped going to church I haven't had anything like that in my life. Choir has helped me re-discover my love of Christmas music and really makes the season special.

JYC :: almost on time

Traditions. Well. I have some wonderful memories of Christmases in the past (that's another page) but right now it doesn't feel like I have any traditions. Things change, families change, people get older. I don't do nativity services any more, or have a Christmas stocking, and we tend to go out for Christmas dinner rather than cook at home. But it's ok. Just because it's different doesn't mean I don't like it. Each Christmas is special.

A quick page to catch up here. I'm using up wrapping paper from previous Christmases, but really I suppose I ought to have some presents ready to wrap by now! And a little memory from last year...Mum bringing my presents and wrapping paper to the hospital so that I could wrap them for everyone. I'd had major surgery the night before and it was HARD WORK. Despite all the stress, this year is so much easier.

JYC :: 6,7,8

This week has been the longest and busiest for a long time. I've been back at work, busy with lots of errands, preparing for a concert next week and trying to find somewhere to live. I have definitely been feeling the pressure, and although I have a lot of support from family and friends, it's times like this I can often feel quite alone.

BUT. It's not all bad. I've made it through the week. Getting back to work (even if it's only part time to start with) feels like a massive achievement. I am slowly working my way through my to-do list and making progress with it. Rehearsals for the concert are sounding good and I think it'll be a success. And most importantly, I am on my way to solving my housing problems.

JYC pages are a few days behind but nothing an evening's crafting won't fix. 6th December was all about the memories. Good and bad. Happy and sad. I'm quite glad this is a hidden journalling page because I really just poured it out on the page. Let it out and let it go.

A page about to-do lists? Now I know 6x6 definitely wasn't big enough.

I also decided to stop taking photos of my pages against a white background because there's no sense of scale. This way at least you get an idea of the size.

I haven't taken as many photos as I would like this month, but these pictures sum up life so far. I think all my photos from now on are likely to be of big cardboard boxes. Moving starts here!

JYC :: Day 5

Hanging on in there...just a couple of days behind.

Right now:
Worrying about moving house.
Hating agents who don't return my calls.
Stressing about my return to work.
Helping mum and mindy as much as possible.
Singing as much as I can, in preparation for our concert next week.
Trying to keep on top of it all.

It feels like nothing is easy. I cannot remember the last time life was simple and uncomplicated and fun. There is always something in the way.

Hopefully this is just one am-worry-talk. Hopefully in the morning things will look better. Add that to the list above - hoping.

JYC :: day 4

The challenge for this prompt was to include some drawing. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to include an art-journal style self portrait (even if I did leave the glasses off). I don't want much for Christmas, just a relaxing time with loved ones...why does it always seem to be so hard?

I'm off to view a couple of houses now. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

JYC:: 2 & 3

We had some pretty heavy snowfall last week and so the prompt for 2nd December was perfectly timed. Morpheus wouldn't go out, and I think he had the right idea. Fortunately my new winter coat had arrived so I was able to wrap up warm and head out to see Gran, and take her some food. I kept thinking of the snow we had earlier this year, when I was having chemo and was unable to go out because cold + chemo = some unpleasant side-effects.
I found myself walking up the road with a smile on my face just because this time, I was fit and healthy and able.

After such a lovely day, I came down to earth with a bump on the third. Literally - I left the house, slipped on some ice and fell flat on my back in the middle of the road. I hit my head so hard my hat flew off, and I think I may have knocked myself out for a moment. It was pretty traumatic, although to anyone watching it would have probably been a moment of comedy gold. Still, I persevered (at a much slower pace) and made it round the corner to pay my rent...only to be told that my landlady wants to move back into the house so I have two months to find somewhere else to live. By this point I really wished I'd stayed indoors!

My page for 3rd December should have been about Christmas cards, and indeed on the outside it is. But hidden in the envelope is some journalling that explores how I feel about my house move, about returning to work next week, my surgery in January and how I am going to cope. When I wrote it I definitely felt overwhelmed and quite panicky, and I still do to some extent. But I've had some really good support from family, friends and internet forums, and there is a glimmer of hope. I might be able to do this after all.