A Christmas Carol(e) - The Final Installment

Ta - Da!!!

Here it is at long last ... my completed 2012 Christmas Journal.  It wasn't easy.  It took a long time.  But ... I LOVE it, as I always do, this being my third complete Christmas Journal :)

The last few pages:

a double page layout for Christmas Day.  So many photos not much room for the patterned paper, so just a little bit of bunting!

I considered doing a double page for Boxing day, but when I worked out which side of the page the journal would end on, I stuck with a single page :)

Having loved my earlier pocket pages, I couldn't resist including some more!  (I am SO looking forward to starting my own version of Project Life with all of those lovely pockets to fill!!!)

It wouldn't have been right to complete a journal without including all our pets, so here is Pickle's page.

A really simple page, again for a day when I failed to take a photo :/

Tilly's page (even though she has actually appeared in the journal previously!)

New Years Eve.  I don't like New Years Eve.  Never have.  Having said that, it hasn't been too bad in recent years, so therefore even though we didn't have plans I wasn't dreading it like I have done previously.  However, this New Years Eve had the potential to be the worst ever when we had a health scare with our lovely old dog Ollie.  Luckily, although the problem is still unexplained, he seems fine for now.  Well, as fine as a nearly 14 year old large dog can be.

Not really a page about New Years Day, more a page of reflection and hopes for 2013.

So, that is it for the pages of my journal.  I had a little bit more to do, namely the inside front and back covers:

A very simple inside front cover, from a poster art pin on Pinterest (love this).

Another simple layout for the back cover, including a photo taken on New Years Day 2013.

Thank you for looking and for bearing with me!  I am so glad that I stuck with it and kept my determination to finish my favourite project of the year.

Right!  How do I do 12 x 12 scrapbook layouts again?!?!?!  It seems like so long ago that I last did one I may have forgotten how to :(

Carole x

A Christmas Carol(e) - Days 22, 23 and 24

A few more pages of my journal ...

Another page without a photo, but I was extremely busy!  Love the little heart charm which was on the bow round one of those delicious Lindt chocolate teddies :)

A couple of new things tried on this page - a full size (6x4) photo and writing on the photo itself (done in Picasa) - quite like both!

Christmas Eve.  My Mum and stepdad arrived to spend Christmas with us, and very importantly, they brought with them, their cute new puppy - Holly.  She is so cute, but we discovered that it is extremely difficult to get a good photo of a black puppy!  She does have eyes in there somewhere I promise!

Carole x

A Christmas Carol(e) - Days 18, 19, 20 & 21

The next installment of my Christmas Journal!!!

Quite like how this one turned out (isn't it funny how some pages are like that and others that you start off with high hopes for don't turn out to be your favourites?)

A little Christmas baking (and not before time!)

Life all got a little bit busy and very tiring and I found that I had forgotten to take any photos, so had no choice but to try a page with no picture ... and it isn't as bad as I feared!

This page might just be my favourite of my journal so far!  I have resisted using snowflakes throughout my album because we simply haven't had any snow, but since I was featuring my wooden snowmen I went for it!

Carole x

A Christmas Carol(e) - Days 14, 15, 16 & 17

I'm not quite sure what is different this year to previous years, as in the past I have managed to more or less keep up to date with my Christmas Journal.  Not this year.  Not a chance!  I don't know why.  What I do know is that I WILL finish this album.  I have to.  I LOVE this project.

I apologise for the quality of the photos, but if I wait for good light to take photos of my pages then it could be months!  So I took them on my desk in my lovely new craft room which hasn't been used nearly enough recently!

I love Yankee candles!  Not just at Christmas either ... and luckily for me, we have started stocking them at work too YAY!

Since we haven't even seen a single snowflake during December, I found a way of including a snowscene on this page!

It was such a good feeling to get all my wrapping done (and I had so many rolls left from previous years that I decided to mix and match this year and use them up!)

I started early with my Christmas preparations, and still somehow got late (especially with sending out my Christmas cards, although I was still in time to catch the last posting date for 2nd class).

Today, I did sneak into my craft room again, but had to make some cards as January and February are very busy months for me.  I used to love making cards.  Then I discovered scrapping!  Enough said?  I made 6 ladies birthday cards all of the same style, two important male cards (my new brother in law and my father in law), my 10 year old nephew and a congratulations card for my cousin who got engaged at Christmas :)  Hopefully todays card making session will see me through until the middle of February then I will have to make some more!

Back soon with more pages from my journal (currently I am up to Christmas Eve).

Carole x

A Christmas Carol(e) - Days 10, 11, 12 and 13

Not sure what is different this year and why I'm not managing to actually do a page each day, but I am kind of keeping up in a funny kind of way!  Today I did another four pages, taking me up to yesterday, but by the time I finished this afternoon, the light was rubbish so I will have to take pictures when I can.  I do love how these little pages come together quite quickly though :)

I am happy to say that all my Christmas preparations seem to be back on track now, Alex and I even spent a couple of hours in the kitchen this afternoon (my only day off this week) where Alex made a batch of delicious chocolate chip cookies and I made two batches of mince pies, one for eating now (rude not to!) and one in the freezer ready to go nearer the big day :)  This makes me very happy!!!

Carole x

A Christmas Carol(e) - Days 8 & 9

For these two pages, I tried something different.  I tried something that I had a feeling I would love.  I tried something that I have been wanting to try for ages.  I used pocket pages :)  I love little clear pockets!  I have been thinking about buying and doing Project Life for well over a year.  On Black Friday I very nearly crumbled and purchased the whole lot until I saw the final bill.  I am going to have to do something similar because the thoughts and the feelings just won't go away ... so watch this space!

Back to my Christmas journal though, and little pocket pages:

I knew that I wanted to fill one of the pockets with Christmassy confetti, so that I did first.  I sewed the pocket shut so that the confetti stayed in place and decided to sew the title/kraft strips on at the same time. I had to work out how to incorporate some patterned paper, and also to keep the kraft theme going too.

The end result?  Two pages that I am really pleased with :)  Think I am going to love doing my own version of Project Life!

I have been naughty today, and instead of writing the rest of my Christmas cards, I have been playing catch up on my journal, and am up to date!!!  I am sure that it won't last long though.  Hopefully the light might be better tomorrow and I can get some good photos of days 10, 11, 12 and 13.

Carole x

A Christmas Carol(e) - Day 2

Not liking this running behind with my Christmas Journal business, but hey?  What's a girl to do?  Never mind, I am still loving this project and WILL finish, one way or another!

For this page, I thought I would mention the weather (as us Brits love to do!) just in case we don't get any snow during December (and although parts of England today have had snow, we haven't down in the south).  Still hoping for a white Christmas though!  Fingers crossed!

Carole x

A Christmas Carol(e) - Day One

I have had a nightmare with this wonderful project so far this year :(  It is only because I so love doing a Christmas Journal that I have persevered.  Imagine only being able to do day one on 3rd December?!

My problems started when we moved almost all of our bedrooms around this past week, and consequently, we also moved my Crafty Corner upstairs into the new spare room.  So, on 1st December, my entire stash was stacked up and inaccessible.  Never mind, after a lot of sorting I had a lovely new craft room, this time with windows (my craft space before was under the stairs and dark) and a larger work surface (less storage space was the only down side, but after much sorting, it all fits!)

Once that problem was sorted, my next problem presented itself.  Printing photos.  In my previous two journals I have printed photos onto ordinary photocopier paper, but this year I wanted better quality photos. Earlier this year I inherited a little Canon photo printer which prints really good quality prints.  Perfect!!!  But, no.  I have stocked up with cartridges and paper and was ready to go.  I have taught myself how to create photo collages so that I can print smaller pictures more suitable to the size of my journal.  All good.  But, no. It turns out that there are two problems, (1) it is impossible to install drivers so that I can print directly from my computer and (2) even by uploading the collage picture back to the camera, the camera then won't read the file and print it :(

So, I have no choice but to get my photo collages printed every few days wherever I can.  So very frustrating.  Looks like I will be running a good few days behind in the whole journal.  However, I am very determined that I will finish.

So, after much stress, here is Day One:

Self explanatory really, my OH has been growing a moustache for the Movember charity and both he and I were very glad to see the back of it!  Makes a change from my usual day one of the advent calendars though!

I hope to be back soon with some more pages to share!

Carole x

A Christmas Carol(e)

Finally, I have decorated the cover of my Christmas Journal :)  Surprisingly, it turned out quite like I had imagined it might and had planned in my head:

Also, I cut into some of my brand new "Holiday Style" papers - a scary moment, because I love them so much, but I am really looking forward to using them and making a lovely Journal to treasure.  Love that pom pom trim and that glittery paper that I cut the star and snowflakes from - it's glossy and smooth and not like sandpaper (it's actually a sheet of wrapping paper that I found in John Lewis so there is loads of it and I intend to use it a lot throughout my journal!)

What do you think of my title?!  There is no point in having a Christmas themed name (even though I was born in April!) and not using it (well, just this once anyway!)

So, I think I am nearly ready to go.  I will make my pages as I go along, sometimes kraft based and sometimes patterned paper - so exciting.

Can't wait to see what everyone else has done so far/will do as we go through December :)

Carole x

Christmas Journal 2012

* spoiler alert *  - warning - this post contains information regarding my Christmas Journal, so if you don't want to know look away now ;)

Today was the much anticipated day when I started my Christmas Journal 2012 :)  I have been mentally planning what I want to do this year and made a start today by making all the numbers.  I was hoping to maybe tackle the cover of my Journal too, but the numbers took most of the day, so will save the cover for another day (and it gives me a little bit more thinking time too!)

I was planning to use up bits and bobs of Christmas papers that I already have in my stash ... until I went to Daphne's for coffee and fell in love with a collection of beautiful holiday papers and just HAD to have them :)

I love how they remind me of Christmasses when I was a little girl, and I love the fresh yet vintage feel to the papers - slightly more modern colours for me too!  So, this is the collection I will be using, along with a kraft A5 binder from Paperchase.

So, my numbers.  I took a look at how I had done the numbers previously and wanted something a bit more detailed this year, so had a look on to our shared CCCCCCK board on Pinterest and found some inspiration (I have set up a Facebook group for anyone interested in doing a Christmas Journal, and we also started a group board on Pinterest for shared inspiration, so if anyone reading this would like to join too, then let me know!)  Since my journal is kraft and there may well be some kraft pages too, then I thought that my numbers should also be kraft.  So after much Cuttlebugging, here they are!

I selected and punched/Cuttlebugged a few more elements ...

then a few more and I was ready to start assembling:

Getting there:

Just a few final tweaks - snipping the ribbon ends, sewing through them all and adding a bit of bling and here they are:

and just because I love seeing them altogether:

While I was searching through my stash looking for bits, I was popping anything that I thought might come in handy into a box all ready for December 1st

I am now feeling decidedly excited about this years journal, and can't wait to make my cover and do a little more prep!

Carole x

London Mini Album

As you know, Phil and I went away to London to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.  In the days following our trip, I put together a little book of the weekend.  It could be described as a "Smash Book" but it's maybe more of a journal with lots of ephemera included!  Whatever it is, I loved putting it all together and gathering bits and bobs for it during the weekend.

WARNING : Photo heavy (wasn't sure whether to do several posts or just show it in it's entirety today, but am going for all in one go!)

I cut up a London Underground map to use as the background for the title to get a feel for London from the cover.

I bought a couple of postcards to include in my journal, and although I bought them on Saturday morning, by the end of the weekend, I had actually seen everything featured on the postcard!

I used the "Do Not Disturb" door hanger from our hotel as another page ...

I kept all the entry tickets and leaflets from the things we did and included them.

(even popped the chopsticks wrapper in to lend a Chinese feel to this page!)

I used one of my new favourite glassine envelopes to pop The Lion King tickets into, along with the advertising leaflet.

So, there you go.  My first very photo heavy post - sorry!  Normal service will be resumed shortly.

Just in case you are interested (and haven't already seen enough photos), the basis of my journal was this:

I deliberately bought "buff" index cards, but in typically Carole fashion, didn't like them nor the letters on the tabs, so covered them in my beloved brown parcel paper!  Well, it is my book, and I wanted to use things that I love.  I didn't use too many embellishments, only a few bits of patterned paper, instead letting the leaflets and ephemera add the colour and interest.

Hope you like it - please leave me a comment.

Carole x