Christmas Journal 2010

I must admit that although I knew that preparation was key to the success of this project, I had probably underestimated just how much preparation was needed!  After the few hours spent last week cutting and sticking together the pages and the covers, today I inked all the edges - both sides, crop-a-diled all the holes in the pages and covers, and very scarily, I cut up 90% of my Basic Grey Wassail papers - eek!!!  This project had better be worth it or I shall cry at the vandalism of those beautiful papers!

I also sorted out a box full of specifically Christmas bits and bobs so that everything is together for D-Day (who would have known just how much Christmas stash I would find?)  However, as Wassail, although beautiful is quite "grungy" a lot of my embellishments are a bit clean and won't look right, so I very well may end up making a lot of my own - luckily I also made a pile of appropriate dies!

So, after all that tedious work, I felt the need to be a little bit creative, and what better to get me excited about the project again than the cover of the journal?  Good timing too, as I have all those delicious off cuts of Wassail to use!

I'm loving the gorgeous chunky bell that I found last week while out to lunch (a snip at 65p) and I just had to add it on already!  I shall be working on this to get it even more ready for 1st December ...

I also made my Christmas Pudding and steamed it for the required 6 hours today, so that is ready to go now too.  Is it too early to be feeling Christmassy?!!!

Hope your weekend was crafty too!

Carole x