December Daily® Catch Up and January OLW

Worked on some archiving today.  Not much to say (because I feel like poo), but I wanted to share. The fruits of my labor:

Clean and simple days 16, 17, 18 in the December Daily.

The start of One Little Word 2017

December Daily® Day 15

Day 15: Keepin' it real.  This day discusses the life of a teacher before Winter Break.

Journaling: This shirt was a “must-have,” especially during the “most wonderful time of the year.”  Kids can be a little insane at this time of year for several reasons.  For some that I teach, the prospect of being home with family is not attractive.  School is a place with food, heat, and a general lack of chaos. For others, they are excited for the break from school and the prospects of gifts Santa will bring.  So, this was my shirt choice for today-- a warning to all my little minions. When I came home, I made up a Boboli crust for Scott and I.  The cheese was not what I expected, but the company was delightful.

December Daily® Day 14

For December 14, I decided to create a spread based on the weird December weather.  It was also time to insert the third and last divider for the album.  I used the InstaWeather app for some pictures of the season (left side).

I used StazOn Opaque white and a rotary date stamp on the photos.

 I used several word strips, some from Ali Edwards, some from Simple Stories.

The #struggle stamp was from one of Ali's Story Kits, as was the story tab.  The i just can't sticker is from Simple Stories as well.

Craftiness Over Winter Break

Apparently, I like to craft like the apocalypse is nigh when I have Winter Break.  I think my brain realizes that school has been pushed back, for now, and there are creative juices flowing.

Several things led up to this first project:

• I started a Pinterest board on Traveler's Notebooks.  They intrigue me.
• I have read and researched and followed creative as well as efficient people who have used Traveler's Notebooks.
• I have seen several people who have made their own covers.  This post is one I used to guide my project.
• I purchased several Midori inserts and a binder.
• I have watched countless videos on hand lettering (a passion of mine since I was 12).  I have purchased brush pens and printed practice sheets. (whole 'nother Pinterest board)
• I joined Cathy Zielske's Fit 2017 class.  In that class, she gave an option for documentation via Traveler's Notebook.
• I decided I wanted to try making my own "Fauxdori" Traveler's Notebook cover.
• I am a VERY novice sewer, so you are about to witness something that took a lot of stitch ripping, cursing, and machine instructions reading to get done.

I ended up using the suede side of the leather.  The flipside did not enjoy being sewed many times.  Leather is not as forgiving as other fabric.

I currently have two inserts that I use regularly in the "Fauxdori."  One is my Fit monthly journal and the other is my small group journal.

I got these trinkets at Michaels.  A constant reminder for me.

And these Heidi Swapp marquee letters were another project. I had started messing with these a few months back, then they went on the back burner.  When I finally had time to set the up, I found the "S" lights had a short in them, so I bought a new strand (Lord knows where a receipt was for that original purchase).  Not super impressive with a dark photo, but my son really likes them and wants me to make him one with his name. :)

December Daily® Day 13

Day 13 focuses on the joy I get when crafting with students.  On the left, I used the back of my bokeh tree shot from Day 12.  Most of the page was pre-made, and I just added my photo with one of Ali's 12 Gifts of Christmas images.  Indeed, there is "so much love" when I cut 20 circles each for 22 students.  They LOVE the finished products, and that is enough for me.  The finished product was highlighted in last year's DD.  On the right side, I used a Simple Stories page protector that had two 4 x 4 spots and one  2 x 8.25 spot.  I set up a strip in Photoshop and placed 2 x 2 pics in the strip.  I decided to number the pics (number stickers from one of Ali's kits) and talk briefly about each one in my journaling.

Journaling: Crafting makes me incredibly happy.  When I get to craft with children, it is a festive occasion, no matter what season of the year. Christmastime seems to lend itself well to crafting.  

1 | The Silhouette template for the yearly icosahedron ornaments.  A labor of love.

2 | Cutting out 20 circles for 22 students.  Good times.

3 | My student teacher’s mom bought a ton of things at Michaels for us to craft with the kiddos.  A snowman was this student’s choice.

4 | A star ornament being glued with care.

5 | Some students decided to use a variety of available embellishments.

6 | The Yule Log on You Tube is a must when crafting during the holidays.  No warmth, just a “fireplace feeling.”

December Daily® Day 12: Oh, Christmas Tree!

Happiest of New Years to all!  How hard is it to believe it is 2017?  Especially when it will be my 30th high school reunion this year.  Oh my.  Tonight (NYE), I worked on December 12, which I dedicated mostly to our Christmas tree.

I used the back of the 12-up, 6 x 8 protector from Day 11 to showcase some of the ornaments we "found" when moving.  Some had not seen the tree in a couple of years, so there were some fun discoveries. The twinkle sentiment is from Ali's Digital December Daily Christmas Phrases files.  I picked a green from an area on one of the pictures.  

The journaling was on a 3 x 4 card layer. I am not sure how well you can tell, but the journaling is layered on a picture of our tree. Here's the digital image so it is a little easier to see.

I used a Recollections Clip and Snap-In Tab (first time).  I added a middle hole and stapled it down with the mini attacher.  On the flipside, I used more paper from last year's DD kit. 

I intentionally took pics of the tree reflecting lights off the window in the AM and in the PM.  I created a tab from Ali's AM/PM Story Kit digital elements.  I clipped these two layers together (I was mainly worried about the small card getting bent over time) with a tiny gold-painted clothespin.

There's gotta be a bokeh pic, right?  Here it is.  I had this matted page ready, so I printed a nearly 6 x 8 pic, layered with one of Ali's 12 Gifts of Christmas files (alas, no longer available) that I recolored and made slightly less opaque.