Carey Bridges here, and today I'm bringing you a little Christmas in July! Yes, you read that right...Christmas. Being in the heat of the summer in the middle U.S. makes me think of the cooler days ahead and how quickly the Holiday Season will be upon us. Plus, all of the sneaks peeks from the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) Summer Conference and Trade Show have been tempting me with the gorgeous winter and holiday releases.
Since 2007, I have set out to capture my Christmas Season through daily documentation, whether you call it a Christmas journal, December Daily or Project Life. I've gotten anywhere from a completed journal (all the way through January 6th, the Twelfth Day of Christmas), to just notes on my phone and photos awaiting time to scrapbook them, to fizzling out after a week.
As I look back over my various attempts and look forward to planning for Christmas 2013, I realize I’ve been successful at completing albums when I adhere to the following tips.
- Keep it simple. I love decorating my pages, but when I give myself permission to keep it simple and just move on, the project is much more manageable.
- Limit the choices. Generally by staying with one line and a few coordinating embellishments to repeat throughout the album, I spend less time looking for or picking out products and more time scrapbooking. Using one line also gives the album a more cohesive feel.
- Prepare in advance. This is probably the most important key to success. I’m an “in the moment” kind of scrapper, and I love to play with my newest acquisitions. But for a big project like this, I prepare page bases beforehand that can be reordered in the album to fit the daily topic. I leave the embellishments and finishing touches for during the season. This keeps me from feeling too restrained and gives me the ability to change it up when I’m adding the photos and stories.
- Don’t stress about falling behind. The Holidays are busy, and I do fall behind in documenting and creating. I set myself up for success by having page bases ready, by making sure I at least jot down a few notes each day, and also by telling myself it’s OK if I’m not caught up. I know my notes and photos are there for when I do get time to scrapbook them.
When I look through what I’ve captured from past Christmas seasons, through the various stages from notes all the way to completed albums, I am so happy to have those fleeting memories recorded!
How do you plan to capture your Christmas 2013?
