HIH Days 5-7 - Album Framework

On Friday (Day 5), we were finally given access to the album components. Things like our templates/sketches, some number "stickers" and tags for use in both our digital and traditional/hybrid projects. Pretty much, our assignment for the day was to decide for ourselves on our format -- 8x8 or 12x12? digital, traditional or hybrid?

Day 6 gave us a digital paper pack to use for the album, if we chose to use it, along with the recommendation to start pre-planning our pages. Get our templates already put to use so all we have to do is add pictures/journaling. That's the point where I'm at. I've started some templates, and I also did a Goals/Values card to add into my book as well.
As for Day 7.... Just continue plugging away.

HIH Day 4 - Finishing the Prompts

So, on Day 1 there was an Assignment 3, but it was actually only a *bonus* assignment (which it seems many of us took on). Therefore, I'm not stuttering when I say that Day 4 has Assignment 3 for the class, because, technically, it is the third actual required assignment. Did that make any sense?

Anyways, here's what Assignment 3 is:

Choose from the suggested ideas for the "Make" and "Do" prompts, or create your own, according to your own interests and time - OhMyGoodness. I told you there was a plethora of suggestions that Jessica and her team brought to the table for us. I think I've whittled down my list (but there's always room for additions!).

Either print and handwrite your ideas in the blanks, or open the prompt cards in Photoshop and type onto the "Make" and "Do" lines, then print - I printed my cards on Day 2 because I was semi-impatient, but this is OK. Today, I sat down and using Jessica's prompt cards as my springboard and Adobe Photoshop CS2 as my tool of choice, I worked with the cards Jessica gave us, adapted, improvised and came up with what's below. I also created a card that I will add to the end of my HIH Album that's called "Things I Wish I Could Have Done and Made in 2009", because there are just some things that I'm not allowed to do right now (like ice skating, etc.).
Complete your display - this is something I thought I'd already completed by repurposing a clipboard I'd previously altered...but I'm thinking about doing something brand-new for it. I don't know... We'll see.

HIH Days 2 & 3 - Prompts & Brainstorming

Yesterday, we were given our first downloads of the class. This file included prompts for each day of December and each one was broken down into various components:

• The date
• A quote - inspiring words to help place focus
• A writing prompt - this is to help spark ideas for your daily writing exercise.
• A photography prompt - typically accompanies the writing exercise, and shares its theme
• Two blank lines - Do and Make.
  
• A "Remember" section - This prompt is specifically designed to help you recall events from your past that connect with that day's theme.

We were asked to find a way to display these prompts so that we're faced with them every day in December. You know the addage, "Out of sight, out of mind"? Well, we're trying to combat that and put these someplace where we WILL see them multiple times a day.

Anyways, all I did was pull out the clipboard I altered with Tinkering Ink papers earlier on in the year (or maybe it was the end of last year now?). That's it. No muss, no fuss.

Today, we were given lists to help us fill in the Do and Make sections of our prompts. The lists include both crafty-goodness & recipes for the Make prompts, and doing is....well....doing. Examples include: putting up Xmas tree, reading stories, playing games, watching movies, go shopping, etc. And so, today we're supposed to whittle down the lists to come up with the items we would like to Do/Make. We don't have to specifically pick one of each of every day, or even pick them for specific days, but we should have a decent idea of what things we want to accomplish.

I suppose that means I need to start whittling....

And hope I don't wind up cooking everything in the Things to Make: Recipes list...

HIH Day 1 - Values & Goals, Commit, Organize

Assignment 1: Write Your Values & Goals

I pulled out the Holiday Values Worksheet from the Organized Christmas website. I used two questions to open my eyes/mind and help drive my responses for my values and goals this holiday season. This worksheet wants you to compare the last holiday, but given my family's circumstances, I went back to the last holiday where the ENTIRE family was involved (Thanksgiving 2007) because this Christmas will be an ENTIRE family event. Hopefully that made sense for anyone actually reading this.

The questions I used were #2 (stresses family faced? too many activities? household systems falling apart?) and #5 (what would you have done differently?).
2. We had a case of "too many cooks in the kitchen", also known as "too many Chiefs and not enough Indians". There was inadequate communication as an overall, involving the where/when/meal/invitees... Yea, pretty much everything.
5. The big change would be more forthright communication.

Using that, I developed my values & goals.

Values:
peace, family, tradition, friends, memorable, togetherness

Goals:
1. To create a more peaceful holiday season by keeping an open flow of communication between family members in regards to our overall celebration. This includes: creating a full menu and knowing exactly who is making/bring what and only the hosting household doing the inviting (that would be hubby & me)...among other things.
2. To create togetherness among family and friends through decorating for the holiday & with our holiday meal.
3. For my husband and I to start our own traditions as a family since this will be our first Christmas together since we were married in 2007.
4. And for the holidays to be remembered as low-stress and peaceful by doing the above.

Assignment 2: Commit to 20 minutes per day of writing/recording/photo-ing/SBing/remembering/or similar during each day in December.

Alrighty... This I think I can do. Unless pregnancy gets in the way, and I wind up fully on bed rest (I hope not) or hospitalized....but we'll think positively and pretend that those are not options as of right now. Yep, that's the plan.

Assignment 3: Organize

Ultimately, I'm a list-maker, and that typically is enough for me to stay organized. So...we'll be sticking with that method. Crossing things off the list makes me oh-so-happy.

Things to Share & Holiday Album "issue"

I've been cooped up all week on bed rest (bleh), although it could have been worse. We had that wicked storm come through here from Wednesday thru Friday (the remnants of Ida), and there was flooding and similar all around. It just was NOT a good time. Anyways, Mom came done Monday thru Thursday to keep me company after a frantic, teary-eyed phone call from her favorite eldest daughter (me!). Between her, half a dozen unread (but now completely finished) books, and my laptop, I've kept some of my sanity....and lost a bit too. But all that "free" time let me play around online all week without, well, guilt.

Moralia's blog is one of the blogs I stalk on a daily basis. Am I so glad I saw it today! You all should head over and check out her 6x6" mini album. Best part -- it just uses cardstock, pattern paper and embellishments! Really. Go Check It Out! I do believe she just saved me from a gift-less Christmas.

Becky Higgins debuted her Project Life kit yesterday. Reminiscent of Project 365 (which I totally failed to keep up with after getting so sick at the start of my pregnancy), this kit can be used for not only P365 but a whole host of other things. Digital kit to come as well.

Reminder that Jessica Sprague's Holidays in Hand class begins tomorrow. It's free. Go register for it if you haven't!

This junk binder by Janet Hopkins is really cool. My only issue is finding a local source for the binder mechanism, and I refuse to pay crazy shipping on ONE mechanism which really doesn't cost all that much.

Saw these mason jars... Now I wish that not only did I have alcohol inks, but mason jars (and a window in my kitchen that I could actually put them in!). Hey, at least I have none of it as opposed to being aggravated for only having part of what I need.

One day I want to try this Photo Album Scrapbooking. I think the album they show is adorable. This might be something I do as a quick baby's 1st year or baby's firsts album now that I'm thinking about it.

And I'm running into a Holiday Album debacle. With being put on bed rest so early in my pregnancy (I'm 19w1d today), it won't be a surprise for me to be kept on it for the duration, or to be put back on it later in my pregnancy. Which means... I'm not exactly sure if I'll get to do any of what I want to do FOR the holidays this year. And this disappoints me. It's the first year hubby will be home since '05, and our last childless holiday season (although the cat is trying to show me that we have never been childless due to her VelcroKitty skills this last week). What to do... I suppose I *could* do an album that looks more at just the details of the holiday this year -- the tree, wrapped gifts, the decorating. But...oh...I don't know. I'm truly up for some suggestions.

Holiday Album 2009

Taking some inspiration from Amanda & the wonderful Ali Edwards, I've decided to embark on a holiday season album. Quite a bit of this I can complete without too much "thinking", as in I know there are certain components I want to include to the album, including:

• Fall/Thanksgiving decorations, like the following candle holders I did last night. I used some Partylite Express It! luminaries, a $3 strand of fall leave garland from Walmart, some old pumpkin spice candles I had and that was it. I don't think I used even $1 worth of the leaves, actually.
  

• Thanksgiving -- right now I plan to drive to NJ and spend it with my parents, sister and whoever else will have me, but if I start having a few bad days right prior, then I probably won't but have friends here to enjoy it with.
  
• Holiday cards I made & sent
  
• Holiday cards we received
• Favorite Christmas music, movies
  
• Christmas decorations including putting up/decorating the tree, new ornaments for this year, a list of the ornaments I put up(?)
• Christmas dinner -- especially if I wind up hosting this whole shebang -- and maybe even the grocery/meal plan list, recipes, or the ever-present to do list (actually, I might add to do lists from all during the month since that's one of my trademarks)
  
• Christmas gifts received
• Holiday lights -- last year we went to some of the displays, maybe this year hubby will be up to it again (one of them gives a CD as part of it which would be cool to include if we do that one)

Anyways, that's just a start to the list. I've completed the covers and cut down some pages. I've used 8x10" canvases for the covers, ribbon that I've had for who only knows how long, same with some snowflake embellishments... The wrapping paper that has been used for the last two years has made an appearance in the book, so far, along with cut down gift bags (one of which will be holding the cards we receive) and 8x8" page protectors cut down to approximately 6x8".

Here's a quick step-by-step photo array of the cover process:

1. Drill holes in 8x10" canvases.

2 & 3. Use Mod Podge or another adhesive to adhere ribbon. Then, adhere wrapping paper over top of ribbon. Mod Podge over entire interior.

4. Use die cuts to create masks and paint over them to create a skyline. I created this as though the covers were one canvas, not two.

5. Stamp tree (Techique Tuesday) & stickle. Stamp snowman (Studio G), color with markers, stickle & use snow accents on hat. Adhere chipboard & foam snowflakes; also use snow accents to go over some of the masked flakes from step 4. Apply glitter glue (Studio G) over top of snowflakes. Apply snow accents to the bottom of the canvases to create a snowy feel to it.

Holidays in Hand Class

I just signed up for this class:

It's free. You can try out her classes without loosing ANYTHING. You don't have to "show up" at a certain date/time. The information gets saved in your account. Really...win-win. Which is totally why I signed up -- this all and did I mention it's free?