living artfully

december album foundation - part 2

It's getting so close to December! I'm extra excited for my album this year because I'm following Journal Your Christmas and December Daily!

Yesterday I posted the first half of my December album. Today, I'm excited to show you the rest...

 
day sixteen: cream patterned paper (My Mind's Eye), journaling spot (Making Memories), 16 (Elle's Studio)

 
day seventeen: polka dot paper (My Mind's Eye), journaling tag (Katie Pertiet for designerdigitals.com)

 
day eighteen: green graph paper (Basic Grey), date overlay (Ali Edwards for designerdigitals.com)

 
day nineteen: polka dot paper (Basic Grey), journaling tag (liv.e designs for jessicasprague.com), santa (Making Memories), 19 (Elle's Studio)
day twenty: green patterned paper (Making Memories), journaling spot (Making Memories), 20 (Making Memories)

 
day twenty-one: brown hounds tooth paper (Making Memories), journaling spot (Making Memories), 21 (Making Memories)

 
day twenty-two: ledger paper (Making Memories), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), scalloped circle (Making Memories), 22 (Making Memories)
day twenty-three: snowflake paper (Making Memories), date overlay (Ali Edwards for designerdigitals.com)

 
day twenty-four: sheet music paper (Little Yellow Bicycle), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), 24 (The Girls' Paperie)

 
day twenty-five: polka dot paper (Making Memories), journaling tag (liv.e designs for jessicasprague.com), 25 (The Girls' Paperie)

 
day twenty-six: reindeer paper (Basic Grey), journaling spot (Making Memories), remember this tab (October Afternoon), 26 (October Afternoon)
day twenty-seven: green patterned paper (Little Yellow Bicycle), journaling spot (Autumn Leaves), 27 (Elle's Studio)

 
day twenty-eight: reindeer paper (My Mind's Eye), journaling spot (Making Memories), 28 (Elle's Studio)
day twenty-nine: snowflake paper (Making Memories), journaling tag (Katie Pertiet for designerdigitals.com)

 
day thirty: sheet music paper (The Girls' Paperie), journaling tag (liv.e designs for jessicasprague.com), 30 (Making Memories)
day thirty-one: green patterned paper (Little Yellow Bicycle), journaling spot (Making Memories), 31 (Elle's Studio)


I'll be watching my inbox for the first prompt from Shimelle!! See you in December!

 

december album foundation - part 1

With the long holiday weekend, I finished the foundation to my December album. Now that the album is set, I can't wait to get started on filling it up! This year, I'm following Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas class, with Ali's December Daily added in, too!

This will be my third December album and I learned a lot about the process and my personal preferences from my last two albums. Some key things for me this year...

cohesive color scheme = trying to go for a color scheme and style that makes the album come together despite having so many different supplies.
unified page shape = the last two years were an assortment of shapes/ sizes/ edges. It was fun in a way, but I'm ready to try something different.
journaling= larger journaling cards so there's plenty of room for words.
flexibility = everything is only lightly adhered at this point, so I can still move items.
room to grow= I'm using temporary jump rings so I can still add full-page photos and other items all the way to the edges. The Zutter binder rings won't be added until December is over.
more pages= the biggest change for me this year is that I've got pages set up through the 31st. With the JYC prompts, I want to be ready to keep going after Christmas in case I'm still inspired.

Here are the foundation pages for the first half of my album. I'm excited to share the second half with you tomorrow...

 
cover: acrylic cover (Zutter), reindeer paper (Basic Grey), calendar (Jenni Bowlin), journaling tab (Creative Imaginations), border sticker (The Girls' Paperie), alphabet (Basic Grey), 2010 (October Afternoon)

 

 
day one: green patterned paper (Little Yellow Bicycle), journaling spot (Making Memories), 1 (Making Memories)

 
day two: cream patterned paper (My Mind's Eye), snowflake paper (Making Memories), journaling spot (Making Memories), 2 (Elle's Studio)

 
day three: brown hounds tooth paper (Making Memories), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), 3 (Elle's Studio)

 
day four: polka dot paper (Making Memories), journaling tag (liv.e designs for jessicasprague.com),  4 (Making Memories)
day five: sheet music paper (Little Yellow Bicycle), journaling spot (Making Memories), 5 (Creative Imaginations)

 
day six: snowflake paper (Making Memories), date overlay (Ali Edwards for designerdigitals.com)

 
day seven: reindeer paper (My Mind's Eye), journaling tag (Katie Pertiet for designerdigitals.com)

 
day eight: green patterned paper (Making Memories), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), 8 (Elle's Studio)

 
day nine: reindeer paper (Basic Grey), journaling spot (Autumn Leaves), 9 (Creative Imaginations)

 
day ten: green patterned paper (October Afternoon), journaling tag (liv.e designs for jessicasprague.com), 10 (Basic Grey) 

 
day eleven: green patterned paper (Making Memories), journaling spot (Making Memories), 11 (Jenni Bowlin)

 
day twelve: polka dot paper (Making Memories), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), 12 (Elle's Studio)
day thirteen: sheet music paper (Little Yellow Bicycle), journaling spot (Making Memories), 13 (Making Memories)

 
day fourteen: reindeer paper (My Mind's Eye), journaling spot (Making Memories), 14 (Elle's Studio)
day fifteen: green patterned paper (Little Yellow Bicycle), date overlay (Ali Edwards for designerdigitals.com)


Just two more days until we get started!! Are you making a December album? Please share links if you are; I'd love to check them out!

I'll be back tomorrow with the second half of my December album :)

 

happy thanksgiving

 

We were blessed with another wonderful Thanksgiving this year. Two dinners, time with our families, and lots to be thankful for! I hope yours was just as wonderful!

I love this time of year and am looking forward to all that the holiday season has to bring. With the long weekend, I'm finishing up the base to my Journal Your Christmas album. I'll be back soon with pictures!

 

pumpkin scones

I love pumpkin, probably more than is humanly possible. My list of pumpkin addictions includes Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks, pumpkin-scented candles, and now these scones...

 

So yum. If you love warm fall spices, these are the perfect item to bake. They're great for breakfasts or as an afternoon treat with coffee; and the good news is they really are easy to make! My grandmother is always adamant with me that scones should not be frosted. But I snuck on a little cinnamon ginger glaze for sweetness. Sorry, Grandma!

 
Makes 8 scones

for the scones
1 cup cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 tablespoons butter, cold
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

for the cinnamon ginger icing
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

 
to make the scones
1. Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut the butter into small chunks and place back into the refrigerator to keep cold.
3. In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, salt, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, heavy cream, light brown sugar, and vanilla. Place bowl into the refrigerator to keep cold.
5. Place chilled butter chunks into the bowl of dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the flour, using either a pastry blender or your fingers. The mixture should become very crumby.
6. Remove the wet mixture from the refrigerator and combine at once into the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened; be careful not to over-stir. 
7. Pour the dough mixture onto a counter or cutting board. Knead gently just until the dough sticks together. The dough will become sticky if you over-work it.
8. Shape the dough into a circle and flatten to about 3/4 of an inch thick.
9. Using a knife, cut the dough like a pie, into 8 pieces.
10. Place pie-shaped pieces onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced about an inch apart.
11. Bake for about 14 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from oven and place on wire cooling rack.

to make the cinnamon ginger icing
1. Whisk together the confectioner's sugar and milk until smooth.
2. Stir in cinnamon and ginger, adjusting the amount of spice to your personal taste.
3. Brush icing onto the tops of the scones; or pour/drizzle icing over the scones.

 

Not enough pumpkin for you? I also baked with pumpkin last fall!

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
pumpkin oatmeal cookies
pumpkin and cranberry oatmeal bars
pumpkin walnut brownies
pumpkin ginger buttermilk bundt cake

I wasn't kidding when I said I love pumpkin! What's your favorite way to eat pumpkin?

 

green + cream

So excited to have my papers and color scheme for my December album...

 

Last year I used red and kraft; and I really liked how focusing my colors made the album feel cohesive. So this year I'm going with green and cream.

Left to right:
- Basic Grey jovial - nordic
- Making Memories noel - green snowflake
- Making Memories noel - brocade
- My Mind's Eye holly jolly - reindeer fly
- Little Yellow Bicycle christmas delight - christmas morning
- Little Yellow Bicycle christmas delight - merry mint brocade
- Making Memories paperie - geometric window greenhouse
- My Mind's Eye lost & found - cherish
- Making Memories mistletoe - icon dot
- Making Memories houndstooth
- Making Memories noel - green glitter dot

 

For accents, I'll be using die-cuts and journaling spots from the new Noel line from Making Memories, plus green journaling spots from last year's Noel line from Creative Imaginations. And of course, lots of other things I have on hand.

The one thing that has me truly stumped is how to do date labels. Last year, I found about 4 different sticker sets that had number stickers for days 1 - 25. This year, I couldn't find any in the stores, and just one option online: Elle's Studio vintage number tags. Thank goodness they're cute because they might be my only choice! How are you doing your dates?

And I have to say thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on album classes for December. You're very convincing! I'm all signed up for Journal your Christmas and can't wait!! 

 

christmas classes

Christmas is still on my mind. Early last week, I was dreaming about Christmas decorations. Well, I just couldn't resist temptation. So yesterday, I enjoyed a peppermint mocha from Starbucks and this went up...

 

Too early for most people, but feels perfect to me :)

The other holiday item I've been thinking about is my December scrapbook. In 2008, I followed Ali Edwards' loose December Daily structure. And in 2009, I followed Jessica Sprague's free Holidays in Hand class. I really liked how my 2009 book turned out, having prompts to follow... especially for those days when we didn't do anything especially holiday-like.

Without a question, I'll be making another December album this year. They are so much fun to pull out and remember the details of the holiday season, which otherwise could blur together year after year. And with a little prep in November, they can be totally manageable in December. So my dilemma? Which class to follow this year.

Ali Edwards is again taking us through her December Daily approach. There is no fee, so all you have to do is visit her blog for inspiration and tips. Generally, December Dailys involve designing a page per day with photos and words in mini-book format. There's also an active Flickr group for sharing your pages. Even if I follow prompts from a different class, I think I'll still be borrowing inspiration from the December Daily concept.

 

I'm also looking at Tracy Clark's class for Big Picture Scrapbooking, Picture the Holidays. This class gives you daily photo prompts for all 31 days of December. The downside is that there isn't as much of a focus on words, but I do like the idea of being challenged to photograph the holidays in new ways. Instead of capturing nearly the same images as last year, I think Picture the Holidays could really help me see things in new light.

 

And of course, I'm also looking at Shimelle's Journal your Christmas class. I've never spent money before on a class to organize my December album. But I do like that once you enroll in Journal your Christmas, you have permanent access, including access to years past plus all future years. This class gives you journaling prompts as well as a photography focus = best of both worlds! And in addition to the prompts, there's the message boards, a digital kit, an online party, a workbook for bloggers... gosh too much to even list! Go read about it :)  As you can probably tell, I'm super tempted to join in, but the practical side of me is saying I can make this album without paying a class fee. What to do?!

Any recommendations? And did I miss any other great holiday classes? I would love to hear how you're approaching your December album as well as your suggestions!

 

celebrating blog friendships

I blog for fun. For the inspiration. And for the creativity. When I started blogging in the summer of 2009, I didn't realize that I'd also keep blogging for the friendships!

I have met the most amazing ladies through Shimelle's class, Blogging for Scrapbookers. A year has passed since class, so in celebration of blogging friendships and the one year anniversary of BFS, we're having a party!

Today, I'm celebrating the talented ladies I've met who live all across the world. My jam-packed Google Reader proves that there are far too many to be able to name each individually. But it really does make my world feel so much bigger and happier to think of bloggers like Lee in Canada, who is a wonderful and honest memory-keeper who shares the best links. And Mel in the UK, who is funny and warm-hearted and rocks her Project365. And Sian, also in the UK, who is really one of the most engaging and talented writers you'll ever read. And Amy in Australia, whose style I love and who reminds me to choose scrapbooking embellishments with care. And of course, the ladies much closer to home, who I am so happy to have met through BFS, like Melissa, Nancy, Meghann, Deb, Rinda, and Alissa. And, gosh, hundreds of other bloggers who I met and so enjoy visiting. Thank you to all my BFS friends, who inspire, share their stories, and make us smile!

To celebrate blog friendships, Jo and and Lizzie have some amazing prizes in store for you! If you are playing along in the giveaway game, the letter you need to collect from me for the prize phrase is:

e

And that's not the only fun, because all these fabulous ladies are celebrating, too! So please check out their blogs to keep the party going...

lizziemade.blogspot.com

jennifersjumbles.blogspot.com

ispeakmelsh.blogspot.com

overatourplace.blogspot.com       

creatingpaperdreams.blogspot.com

gallorganico.blogspot.com

libertycottage.blogspot.com

scrapadventure.wordpress.com

chattycraftyartypig.blogspot.com

mypaperview.blogspot.com

lifebehindthepurpledoor.com

clearingthebrambles.blogspot.com

fromhighinthesky.blogspot.com

rachelbsworld.blogspot.com

sunlight-simplicity.blogspot.com

journalofcuriousthings.blogspot.com

enjoytheridetoday.blogspot.com

thelinarstudio.typepad.com/embracelife

sharyncarlson.typepad.com/living_artfully - you are here!

paperturtle.blogspot.com

amysoto.blogspot.com

snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com

scrappyjedi.com

mayadahan.blogspot.com

kbwalker.blogs.com

melissagross.blogspot.com

xnomads.typepad.com/blog

debs14.blogspot.com         

curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com  

 

i'm dreaming of a green christmas

It never fails. This time of year, my mind always skips ahead to Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I love Halloween and I love love Thanksgiving. But Christmas always feels so magical to me and I can't help but think ahead.

I am not one of those people who minds seeing Christmas trees in the stores in October. Bring it on. Love the inspiration. Instead, I'm the girl who needs to take down the holiday decor as soon as we pass New Years.

Last year, we had a white Christmas. We weren't planning on any changes to our decorations for this year, until a walk through Michaels last week led me to the most gorgeous light green ornaments. Immediately, my mind was racing with ideas. I would love to keep our white theme going, but add in some more touches of green.

 
(brennaball)

 
(aesthetic oiseau)

 
(good housekeeping)

Besides using green ornaments, there are some goregous ideas out there on how to incorproate other green touches.

 
(good housekeeping)

 
(good housekeeping)

 
(country living)

We love having our tree up for Thanksgiving, which means I only have to wait for another 2-3 weeks before I can start decking the halls! I can't wait!

So what about you? When do you like to put up your holiday decor?