Project: Christmas Ornaments for work

Project 12 Scrapbooking: December

Photos:

1. Chilly
2. Gift
3. Hug
4. List
5. Shopping
6. Favorite Decoration
7. Looking Up
8. Something Silver
9. Somrthing ROund
10. Little Hands
11. Christmas Cards
12. Tradition

Layout Prompts:

1. You:  a story you remember from Christmas when you were a child
2. Holiday:  Take a group of pictures of one of your favorite Holiday treasures
3. Places:  Scrapbook your place of worship
4. Everyday Life:  Create a layout about something "mundane", something that you do everyday.  Making the bed, unloading the dishawasher, etc....
5. Rituals:  Scrapbook a daily ritual...getting ready for bed, work, etc...
6. People:  Santa Claus, what does he mean to you, what traditions does he partake in, etc..
7. Inspiration:  Pinterest -- how does it effect your life?
8. Personality:  Scrapbook a toy and it's owner, young or old.  What does it say about them?
9. Things:  Take pictures of your Christmas ornament.  The oldest, your favorite, the ugliest, etc.....  What traditions do you have around your tree ornaments?
10. Family Stories:  What story from 2012, will you be sharing in 2022?
11. Seasons:  DOcument one aspect of Winter that you have been looking forward to.
12. Fun:  Use wrapping paper on your layout.

Cutting the Crazy Out of Christmas: Christmas Recipe Memories

Most of us have five senses - sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. I found it funny that you can have your mind on something and be totally pre-occupied with a task, but then out of nowhere your nose smells something wonderful, and before you know it, you’re walking down memory lane reminiscing about the moment you last remember that smell.

Well today, I want you to think of Christmas smells…those smells that just make you feel all warm, fuzzy, and (for today’s project) HUNGRY. We’re going to be focusing on the Recipes and Menus section of our planner. Do you love the smell of fresh out-of-the-oven gingerbread cookies or the smell of the breakfast quiche cooking as you open presents on Christmas morning? I want you to ponder these memories as you start compiling your cherished Christmas recipes to add to your planner.

Now that your stomach is grumbling, let’s get started with our Recipe Memories!

Step 1: Gather your Christmas recipes by finding your cookbooks, recipe boxes, or files that have the recipes you use during the holidays. Don’t worry if you don’t have them all – remember the beauty of our planner is that we can always add to it! If you run across a recipe you forgot, you can easily slip it in later.

Step 2: As you start pulling together your recipes, grab some sticky notes and jot down the feelings and memories that come to you as you see each recipe. Stick that to the recipe and move to the next one. If nothing comes to mind or if you find yourself saying, “I can’t stand that recipe,” put it aside in a separate pile.

Step 3: To start your recipe section, type your recipes on your computer or copy them on a copy machine and insert them into page protectors. OR write them on one of the cute recipe cards available. Note: You will probably want to print out extra Recipe cards for future use.

Step 4: Now rewrite the recipes that bring “good” emotions onto your Recipe pages. If possible, try to keep your recipe on the front side of the page so that it is easy to follow as you cook.

Step 5: Before I give you the next step, I am adding this disclaimer: I realize you may not be able to accomplish this project right now – maybe not even this year. But it can be completed over time. In this step, I would like you to find pictures you have taken that show the special recipes (like photos of your toffee or photos of you baking cookies) and keep the photos with your Recipe Cards. Now you see our need for the disclaimer first: I don’t want you cooking and photographing each of these recipes now just to be able to finish this step of instruction. Remember – we want to Cut the Crazy!

Step 6: Here’s the fun part – we’re going to journal (no moaning!). I want you to record the reason this recipe means sooo much to you, why it’s something you insist on cooking each year, or how you remember the precise way Grandma cooked it. This is where those sticky notes you scribbled on are going to jumpstart your journaling creativity. Each recipe reminds us of precious memories that we want to preserve and document.

Layout on Back: Keep your layouts very simple. By placing the recipe on one side and the scrapbook layout on the back. By creating your layout on the back you have more room for pictures, journaling, and fun Adornit products.

Step 7: Now, insert each of your Recipe pages into your planner. If you have a stack of recipes that you put in the separate pile, decide whether they are recipes you want to keep with your Christmas recipes, and if they are, that’s great! You can put those into page protectors as well; you just don’t need to go to the work of adding photos and journaling to them.

Your Recipes & Menus section is now an archive and ‘scrapbook’ that you will refer to each holiday. This section will make your planner an heirloom that will be treasured by the whole family.

Journaling About Christmas

Use this list when you are stuck, or when you need a new perspective.  It is geared towards Christmas but can be easily adapted for any holiday or celebration.

1. A favorite Tradition:  When did this tradition start?  How do you prepare for it?  Why is it your favorite? Is it a family, friends or culture tradition?
2. Do you have a tradition related to ornaments?  Do you buy a new one every year?  Does the kids have their own stash already?  Take a picture of each family member with their favorite ornament.
3. How do you decorate or celebrate with lights?
4. Is your tree real or artificial?  Why?  Does it hold a place in front of the window for everyone to see? Or is it in a corner somewhere?
5. Holiday Cookies:  Are they homemade?  Do you give them as gifts? DO you have favorites that you make or buy every year?
6. Presents:  Is there a theme this year?  Have you been shopping all year? Or are they last minute?  Where do you shop for them or are they Homemade?
7. Holiday Parties:  Traditional?  Work or Organizational related? 
8. Celebrations:  Where are they held?  Who is there?  Is it traditional? orlast minute?
9. Holiday Movies:  Which are your favorite?  Do you have ones that you "have" to watch every year?  Why are they a part of your celebration?
10. Meaning of the Holiday:  is it culture or religious?  Is it family or friends? How do you express the Holiday?
11. What brings you Joy?
12. Do you write a Christmas letter every year?  What do you include?
13. Who do you spend the Holidays with?
14. If you work on the Holiday (police, fireman, hospitals, etc....) How do you celebrate?   Or do you take a treat basket to those that have to work on the Holiday?
15. What is your Holiday Card this year?  Why did you choose it?
16. Holiday Symbols:  What are the items that you place out every year that reminds you of the Holiday?  Traditional? Personal?  How did you receive this item?
17. Stockings:  Do you hang them on the mantel with care?  Does everyone in your house have one?  How was that particulat stocking choosen for that particular individual?
18. What are the colors of your Holiday?  Do you celebrte with a theme or is it hodge-podge?
19. Food:  Traditional?  New?  Themed? 
20. Holiday Clothes:  Dressed Up or Casual?  How do you decide?
21. Seasonal Activities:  What are they?
22. Holiday Reading:  Do you read a particular book every year?  Do you read the newest Seasonal novel?
23. What type of gifts do you like to receive?
24. Are there Community based activities for the Holidays?
25. How do you get ready for the Holiday?  How far in advance do you prep?
26. What about the Holidays get you excited?
27. What is your favorite Holiday treat?
28. What is your favorite activity during the Holiday?
29. What brings people together at this time of year?  Unity?
30. How do you bundle up?  is it to keep warm or to cool off?
31. Do you have a favorite Holiday Character?
32. How does music play a part in your celebrtion?

31 Days of December: Things to Do

I found this list on the internet and am planning on using it for an advent calendar for this year. Our family like to take the calendar on on Thanksgiving Evening. We then compare schedules, write in all the planned activities (recitals, school & work events, etc...) Then on the days that are blank, we fill in a fum and simple activity for us to do.


1. Everyone tapes their Christmas wishes to the refrigerator.
2. Make homemade decorations
3. Visit a bookstore and buy a special book to read as a family.
4. Get dolls and teddies groomed for Christmas, or train set ready.
5. Visit a Christmas store and buy each family member a special ornament.
6. Make candy or cookies and freeze for later.
7. Let Grandma (or other relative) take the kids shopping for parents gifts.
8. Go see the lighting ceremony at your church or city.
9. Go ice skating.
10. Go see a Christmas play production at the community theatre or high school.
11. Let children visit Grandma’s, etc for lunch and wrap parents a gift.
12. Make a craft together
13. Have a music night, sing carols, play bells, triangles, etc.
14. Pop popcorn and watch a special Christmas video.
15. Go to the tree farm and cut down your own tree.
16. Have a tree decorating party with hot chocolate.
17. Read a special story book. (see #3)
18. Go see the decorated boats, if you live by a marina or beach.
19. Visit Santa.
20. Have a birthday party for Jesus. Your gifts are promises of service.
21. Drive around town and see the decorated homes.
22. Read the nativity story and set up your own nativity.
23. Deliver Christmas treats to friends and family.
24. Open one gift on Christmas Eve – perhaps new pajamas for everyone.
25. Celebrate Christmas Day.
26. Put together a puzzle as a family. (Maybe a new one you received for Christmas.)
27. Read a book or play a game you received for Christmas.
28. Have children’s friends over, each bringing a new game to learn.
29. Have a take down the tree party.
30. Put promises for the New Year in the stockings before putting them away.
31. Have early dinner out with kids – toast with 7-up.

Cutting the Crazy Out of Christmas: Writing a Christmas Letter

My goal for this class is to help you create a memorable, meaningful holiday letter – without the stress!

Let me repeat that: NO STRESS.

How many things on your holiday list are pure fun, no agony attached?
I guarantee you that by adjusting your expectations, you can make this an exercise in creativity, not torture.

Let’s start here with a few ground rules:

Rule #1: Edit.
Just as you cannot include every photo you took in the past year on a single layout, you cannot include every activity your family took part in from the past year in a single letter. It is impossible! If you were going to create a year-in-review layout for your photo album, you would pick and choose, limiting the photos you select. The same is true for your holiday letter… you will need to pick and choose the events you select for inclusion.

Rule #2: Pick what is important to you and your family.
This letter is going to be a reflection of your family. If the biggest thing that happened to your four-year-old is that he learned to tie his shoes, that fact is worth including. It doesn’t matter if it pales in comparison to your cousin Avery’s daughter who is in advanced Calculus at age nine. This is about you and those you love, not impressing relatives you see once a decade. To make it fun, honest, and meaningful, you have to start with what matters.


Rule #3: Don’t be afraid to add a little personality.
My favorite holiday cards and letters are the ones with character – the ones with imperfect photos or quirky details about how the family all dressed up in costume to go see the newest Harry Potter movie. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Your family isn’t boring; your holiday letter shouldn’t be either!

Rule #4: Think outside the box.
We all have preconceived notions of what holiday cards, photos, and letters look like. Forget all that! Start from scratch and pretend you’ve never seen a holiday letter before. Freeing up expectations and boundaries is what is going to allow you to create something your family will love and your recipients will cherish.

Okay, now that the rules are out of the way, let’s get started!

Grab a piece of paper and a pencil and a gingerbread latte, and let’s get going… it’s time to make some notes!

Step One. Make a list.
Get out your day planner or calendar and write down everything your family did over the past 12 months. Ha-ha! Just kidding! You and I both know there is no way to complete that task. And you know what – it doesn’t even matter! Your holiday letter should not be a blow-by-blow account of what your family ate, wore, and did for 365 days. If people wanted that level of detail, they’d just watch old reruns of Jessica Simpson’s and Nick Lachey’s reality TV show.

Really, what people want to get in the mail is an entertaining and CONCISE glimpse of your family. They want a letter that will make them feel like they know you a little bit better when they are done reading it.

When you create a scrapbook page, there is typically a theme, a hook or angle of some sort, a unifying message that ties the page and its elements together. The same is true for your holiday letter; you want to identify some kind of focus around which the letter and its details revolve. So your first step – yes, even before you break out the calendar – is to brainstorm your hook or theme.

bigtip:
Think of your holiday letter as a scrapbook page – you will be making choices and editing your possibilities just as you would for a layout to go in your family’s album.

Quick – take five minutes and write down the things your family likes to do, however seemingly insignificant or silly. In fact, the more unusual, the better! Don’t forget hobbies, activities, destinations, food, games, events, television programs, etc. Everything is fair game!

Step Two. Interview your family.
Flip to a new page in your notebook and take an informal poll of your family members. Ask them their highs and lows for the previous year. What memories, trips, or events stick out most to them? What were their biggest accomplishments and failures? Don’t edit at this point – there will be time later for removing any embarrassing or inappropriate comments. And refrain from editorializing about your kids’ or spouse’s choices; this is their chance to say whatever comes to mind.

bigtip:
Don’t forget small children and other non-verbal family members! What would Sparky the hamster say was his proudest moment? What family trip did your two-month-old enjoy most? Put yourself in their mindset and get creative!


Step Three. Put it together.
Take a look at your two documents. It’s time to make some creative connections. Was “Grandma and Grandpa’s 50th wedding anniversary cruise” at the top of everyone’s list? Did all the kids make note of the time Dad fell in the swimming pool as their most memorable event of 2008? Take a highlighter and circle anything that stands out to you as particularly significant.

Step Four. Begin concepting.
This is the really creative and fun part of the whole exercise. Based on your lists, you can generate a number of different possibilities for your family’s holiday letter. To illustrate your point, I’m going to go through my family’s list and show you how to translate these interests, memories and annual highlights into a unique holiday letter. I’ll give you several ideas for each one to get your juices flowing!
Remember that these are all lenses or windows through which you can share the highlights of your year. None of them is meant to be complete – nor should they be.

Sports:
Create a “top ten” list of sporting events attended with a short sentence about each and why it made the • list.
Write the letter using sports terminology.•
Write the letter as if you are a sports newscaster or as if it’s a recap of a game or meet. (“In the third • quarter, Johnny drove to the hoop and scored a perfect 1600 on his SATs!”).

Ice Cream:
Document all the places you’ve eaten ice cream this year – and why you were there.•
List what ice cream best describes each person’s year (Rocky Road for someone who had a lot of ups and • downs; Bubble Gum for someone whose year was exciting, etc.).
Books:

Create a list of everyone’s top books for the year. •
As with the ice cream, choose a book that represents each person’s year (“A Tale of Two Cities” with the • classic “best of times/worst of times” line; “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” for a mom-to-be).

Write a fictional account of your family’s year using a famous children’s book format (Dr. Seuss is a fun and • fairly simple one to emulate!).
Icing on the Cake (this is our family’s favorite bakery!):
List of times we went there to celebrate a big event in our family’s life.•

Our favorite things to eat.•
What we like best about our town. •

Church:
For us, the church is the center of a lot of our social life, so we could create a list of all the things we • celebrated there (new births, weddings, the kids moving up to new Sunday school classes, volunteer work, etc.).

Travel:
All the places we’ve traveled this year and why.•
Statistics about plane trips, miles traveled, hotel nights, etc.•

YouTube:
Our favorite YouTube videos, including ones we’ve posted of sporting events, scrapbooking, etc.•

Movies:
List of each of our favorite movies.•
Contrast list of “now and then.” (Before we had kids, we used to go see grown-up movies at the theater a • few times a month, and tickets and popcorn cost under $50. Now we go to see one “kid” movie a quarter, and it costs us $100.)
Like with the books and ice cream, choose a movie to sum up each person’s year.•
Have each person write a review of the year from the point of view of Siskel and Ebert (or whoever those • movie reviewer guys are now). For example: “I’d have to give my year a double thumbs-up,” says Ben. “The action sequences on the ball field were particularly well filmed.”

Computer:
Make a list of each person’s favorite websites (Ben: ESPN.com, gaming sites; dad: MSNBC and weather.com • for the locations he’s traveling to; Callie: Sesamestreet.com; Mom: Bigpicturescrapbooking.com – of course!).
List what each person is doing on the computer (Dad: Work presentations and creating the batting order for • the next Little League game; Ben: California Missions report and gaming sites; Mom: Updating her blog and writing articles).

Food:
A menu with each person being a different “dish,” described in a way that fits their personality. (Callie, my • pre-schooler, would be a sweet dish of ice cream with little chunks of peppermint candy for spice. John is a sirloin steak, predictable and hearty. I, of course, am a fruit salad.  )
A list of the various restaurants we’ve been to over the year, from fast food to sit-down dining for special • celebrations.

As you can see, there are a number of ideas you can work with here – some better than others! Yes, some are specific to our family, but the point is to get you thinking outside the box. You do not have to recreate your family’s calendar for the year. In fact, tell yourself right from the start that you will NOT OT do that. Instead, force yourself to think creatively – many of these suggestions can work for any topic.

bigtip:
Don’t stop with the letter – carry your theme into your family’s picture! For instance, if you decide your “angle” is sports, have everyone dress in sporting gear or jerseys for the family photo. Doing the book thing? Everyone can hold up their favorite book from the year. Make it fun and memorable!

ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS
But what if I can’t think of a theme? Or what if I’m too nervous to try something wild and crazy?
Well, I know this can be a little scary. Change almost always is. But even if you like listing family highlights in a more traditional format, you can still mix it up a little bit and have some fun with it.

Try one of these ideas:

A letter to Santa• from your family, where everyone gets a paragraph to justify whey they’ve been a very good boy or girl this year.

A top-ten list• of your family’s accomplishments.

A “by the numbers” letter• where you share statistics that tie in with your family’s highlights (hockey goals scored, number of miles driven on carpool, hours on homework per night, etc.).

A crossword puzzle or word search• where the answers tie in to your family’s top memories (see the resource list for online puzzle generators).

A matching quiz• where you invite recipients to match the accomplishment or event to the correct family member.

A game of Mad Libs• where key parts of speech are omitted from your letter and the recipient fills them in him- or herself (see my example in the extra downloads).

A recipe booklet• where you all share your favorite recipes.

A family newsletter• where each person writes and illustrates (with pictures or drawings) an article.

Won’t this take a lot of time?

No longer than digging through your kids’ old piles of homework, trying to think of something to write about! Once you choose a theme and then give yourself permission to actually leave some things out (gasp!), you’ll find your letter falling together on its own. The hardest part is knowing that it’s okay not to include everything.

Won’t my relatives think we’re weird because we’re not doing “the same
old thing?”

NO! They will bless you for it! I cannot tell you how many people tell me they look forward to our family’s holiday letter every year because it’s always something different, something to look forward to.

You don’t have to go as far out as we do (in fact, few people do!).

The whole idea is to pick something that fits YOUR family’s style.

I guarantee you that your holiday greeting will stand out from the pack and leave your friends and relatives with a smile on their faces.

Final words.
Especially at this time of year, we need to move beyond the idea that there is one “right” or “perfect” way to complete the tasks on our to-do lists. After you’ve worked through the steps above, you’ve likely come up with a letter that is truly a reflection of your family. It won’t be perfect – and it shouldn’t be! Take it for what it is – an attempt to connect with your friends and relatives and share a bit about you and your loved ones.

And isn’t that what the holiday season is all about?

Project: Wild Thing Baby Album

This album uses the Mr Benjamin Photo Album Tutorial from Paper Phenomenon and was created for a dear friend and her baby to be. 

I used "Wild Thing" paper pack from Paper House via Amazon and 2 copies of the actual book.  As I could not find enough variety of designs that I wanted to use.   It is completely made from scratch, cover and all.

I had to take a deep breathe with each page of the book torn or picture cut out.  But I think it turned out pretty amazing. And if it wasn't for such a sweet family, I would have kept it.

Pages are a little mixed up.  But I hope you enjoy.

Project: Wild Thing Baby Shower Decorations

One of my goals this month was t o help a friend to create something special.  

With the help of my Silhouette Cameo, some HTV & printable HTV, and the heat press,

the following is what she created.