Kim Kesti
I imagine many of you have seen various versions of the December Daily Album around the Internet. The basic concept is to document a month in your life in a mini book format. Many artists choose December since it’s a month ripe with photo taking opportunities. Some of my favorite artists to check out are:
All of them are working on their own version of the December Daily Album. For the first time, I’ve decided to join them. Call me crazy, but I think I can keep up because I’m following the “Keep It Simple” rule.
I started with choosing a base for my album. I wanted something sturdy and small. After digging around a bit in my studio, I found this abandoned box of blank flash cards. Eureka!
With over a half a box full, I easily had enough for my 31 days of December. I punched holes in the corner of each card with my handy dandy Crop-A-Dile (love that it goes through so many layers at once). Next, I pulled out 4-5 coordinating patterned papers and a couple of solid papers.
Since I’m keeping it simple and really wanted to put together most of my album last weekend, I used a QuicKutz die for my numbers. I die cutted multiple copies of the numbers, then adhered them to white punched out circles. A larger circle punch provided the lime green mats for my numbers.
I cut one-inch strips of patterned paper and adhered one strip to each flash card – super quick and easy!
Finishing the cover was also fun and easy. I chose one of my patterned papers and added a simple bookplate frame with my title underneath. I couldn’t resist adding a little piece of polka dot ribbon.
I finished the first page yesterday – it documents my first purchase of the holiday season. I plan to print a small photo each day, adhere it to a plain black mat and pop it into the album. I’m really looking forward to see my album at the end of the month.
So, what are some of your daily traditions for this month? Online shopping? Baking? Caroling? Now is your chance to create a little album and preserve those precious memories. Tell me what traditions you honor in your household and I’ll pick one winner to take home Close To My Heart’s chipboard album, their Reminisce stamp set and some holiday papers. All comments must be received by midnight (MST) on Thursday, Dec. 3.
One lucky winner will take home this fun prize package!
Cheers!
Kim Kesti,
Paper Crafts Go-to Gal
P.S. It’s time to announce the winner of Kelly’s Meet Becky Oehlers post!
Tanya (Nov. 30, 9:46 a.m.)
Congrats, Tanya! You’ve won five of Becky’s Holiday Cards & More cards! Kelly will be contacting you shortly to get your mailing address. Thanks to all who left comments for Becky!
Super cute idea! Thanks for sharing ;o)
Just love to hang out with the family eat and have a great time! Thanks for the chance to win!
I REALLY love this post. I have thought about doing December Daily, but it just seems like more work than I can handle…this version is so much simpler and I could probably get it done!! Thanks for the inspiration.
As far as traditions…I love baking cookies and making Christmas cards. Now if only I could find time to do either!
You have made a great start on your little album–it is darling. My favorite tradition is hunting for the perfect stocking stuffers for my adult kids. I am so excited that year that I found a couple of really nifty ideas: A gnome in a box, and Paris in a box. There are just small little boxes that open up and contain miniature items. These are little family inside jokes but just so perfect for my ds and dd. I can’t wait till Christmas morning.
oh how fun! i love to be with my kids…making the magic happen all around! today we’re working on a couple of batches of cookies…yum!!
We have many traditions. This year I asked my family what their favorite traditions were. Among the must do list are: watching Christmas Vacation, going to the local nursery to look at all the decorated trees and picking a new ornament, and Christmas eve church service. The other night we watched the movie. One down…
PS Love the flashcard idea!
How clever! Thanks for the flashcard tip.
One tradion our family enjoys is the FHE phantom……a poem, some goodies, ring a doorbell and run like mad.
~Shari R.
Love the flash card project..super cool!.
my fave traditions…baking cookies,giving it out to friends in lovely handmade packages and hosting a dinner on Christmas eve.
We just moved and it’s just the three of us, so my husband and I are looking forward to starting some new traditions with our son, who is 2. He still doesn’t get Santa Claus, but he sure does understand presents!
One of my holiday traditions is making Coconut Bon-bons with my son. He is now in college and we have been doing this since he was little. This is his favorite candy!
Cute album!! Great idea! A tradition in my fam is making cookies all together. My favorite are Cream Wafers….sooo tasty! Unfortunately we aren’t going home for Christmas this year so i’m hoping to start this tradition with my three year old! we’ll see how it goes!
this is such a great idea!
Love your album. I made my first one this year as well. I’m excited to see it fill up with our memories of the season. Some of our favorite traditions include the advent calendars for the kids and baking lots of cookies and delivering them to friends.
We always get new matching PJs on Christmas. It may be silly, but it sure is fun!
At our house, we always have spiced cider and cookies on Christmas Eve. The cider is simmered for several hours in my crockpot, so it makes the whole house smell WONDERFUL!
we have several traditions for the holiday season – the biggest one is going to a tree farm and cutting down the Christmas tree. we make a big day out of it. another is having the fridge stocked with lots and lots of egg nog – it’s a family fave! I also keep the makings for a wonderful cranberry and o.j. punch around to drink while we watch our fave Christmas movies each night of the month.
love this little album. how clever to use the flash cards!
A Christmas Tradition that we have always had and that I want to carry on with my children one day too is each year we get a Christmas decoration for the tree that corresponds with that year, what we did, accomplished, liked we try and find something that captures that year. Then when we move out we have a bunch of Christmas decorations to take with us that hold many memories. This year I got a Christmas tree decoration or my niece of Bob the builder because this past year she loved it. This is only her second Christmas so the tradition is only starting with her.
every year I make ‘harvest bread’ for several of our friends as a gift- last year was the first year my daughter was really able to help- she’s 4 now- so it will be even more fun & hopefully a tradition we continue together!
Each year we get a new ornament with the current year on it, decorate our church sanctuary, attend Christmas Eve services, and spend the day with family. Beyond that, it’s a crazy, fun, season that always brings surprises!
Every year we do soup and chili on Christmas eve. We invite family and friends and have a nice warm meal. We all know that it’s crazy on Christmas Eve but at least we know we will have a yummy quick meal and the company of friends and family. This is our 14th year and hopefully we will have many many more.
some of our household traditions include advent calendars, handmade cards, making Greek cookies to mix into holiday cookies and hosting a gag gift Pollyanna party for my office each year.
What a cute and simple album. Each year my daughter (and whoever else wants to) get together and make chocolate covered cherries and lots of filled candies for the Christmas season. Of course some don’t last that long because everyone wants to become an official taste-tester! But this is a tradition my mother got me started on and I hope that we never have to stop carrying on the tradition.
Love your album Kim, and your first purchase for the season = ) I’m also giving the December Daily a go this year. I failed miserably last year, but am following Ali’s “just get it done” theory this year.
This is my son’s second Christmas so we are making all kinds of new traditions. Can’t wait to take him to the Santaland train in a local department store. He’s going to love it.
Every year our family goes to see either the Rockettes in the Christmas Spectacular Show at Radio City Music Hall or The Nutcracker performed by the NYC Ballet at Lincoln Center. Last year we were lucky enough to see both! It’s one of the big highlights of our holiday season and I feel like a kid again every time I go!
We read a portion of a story every night this month – the story concludes on Christmas day. It is the story of a little boy back in the time of Jesus, and some adventures he goes through.
Thanks so much for the giveaway!
What a nice idea, I have seen this on Ali’s blog. I don’t really know if we have any real traditions, except decorate, make cookies, etc. The stuff everyone does. IT is a fun time of year and I could probably come up with some cute ideas if I chose to do this album. Thanks for a chance to win.
I have two traditions I can’t do without. Decorating my home (like a Macy’s store window) and baking cookies!
Blessings,
Christine
Each year we add to a family recipe book that we have been working on since 1995. Every member makes a dish, and then brings copies of the recipe with them to share. With 20+ people, our book has grown quite large! I look forward to this each year.
What a cute daily album and I love the holiday purchase!! One of my favorite traditions is sending out photo cards of my two girls. We had our “photo session” this past weekend and they were super troopers and I got some great photos!
That’s a great gift. I bake. Mostly fancy sugar cookies, but do some Carmel Apples and breads.
I love the simplicity of your album!!!! My tradition every year is a mom/daughter trip to a bed/breakfast. My mom and I go to the same B&B the first weekend in December. It is the town’s Christmas Walk and the trip really sets the mood for the rest of the season.
Some of our traditions are putting up the tree together along with the outside lights. We also bake Christmas cookies while listening to the “Muppets Christmas” (even though my kids are all adults now!) My kids also like to sleep under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. Again, they are grown and they still love these things – just goes to show that traditions are important!
Wow! I would love to win this prize! I also love the design of the cards. It does make it seem simple, but very, very cute.
Traditions aren’t big at our house, but we do open gifts on Christmas Eve. This year we won’t even have a tree. Lots of work going on in the living room!
I love the whole concept of the December daily album – I’m trying hard to stay with it this year. Every year my dad and his grandchildren do the sugar cookies that they roll out, cut out, and ice. It’s amazing to see my dad with all his grandbabies and the mess that they make.
My wife makes cookies to give to friends, family members, and neighbors. I hope that I win….
Our fammily tradition is to celebrate our anniversary in November. We all gt gifts, not just mom and dad. We get a night out to ourselves then let the kids pick a place for them to go out with us another night. I make or buy a cake for us all to share and DH and I make each other cards. Fun for everyone!
We always decorate our house and put up our tree in early Dec. Ever since I can remember, my mom has made what she calls a Swedish Tea Ring for Christmas morning breakfast…oh, and we listen to Handel’s Messiah (especially the Hallelujah Chorus) all through the month.
Our family Christmas Traditions start the Saturday after Thanksgiving by going out and cutting our Christmas tree. Next is the decorations and lights for the house. On the the next weekend we decorate the tree and then take a ride around town to see other people’s lights, come home and have hot chocolate and cookies that have hopefully gotten baked already. The only one not set in stone is the cookie making. That gets down when it gets done. Love this time of year!
Definitely going to look at Christmas lights with our friends is a tradition we look forward to – the kids have a blast!
Thanks for the fantastic idea, Kim!! Your album is looking super cute! My husband and I take an annual 4 day ski trip to Snowmass with a group of friends every December!!! It’s always tons of fun!! My husband and I also have a tradition of snowshoeing on Christmas morning!! It’s so peaceful and beautiful—-we love nature and being out on the mountain trails among the snowy pines and aspen is pure bliss!!!
I have baked for years. Mostly its cookies to use as gifts. In one record year I managed over 200 dozen cookies. Tradition is different here as we are Jewish, so there are foods cooked in oil like doughnuts and latkes, lighting the menorah and gifts each night for the children.
This year’s Christmas is going to be the hardest for me, harder then — when it was my first Christmas away from home. This is the first Christmas without my Grandmother, she passed away only a week and a half ago. So the usual tradition will not be there in site by her baking goods, and sweet presence, but in spirit. But her traditions will not be forgotten and passed on, I think the family will all feel that something is missing.
That album is sooo cute!! And I love how you kept it simple cause heaven knows making something complicated at this time is a no go for me, thanks for the inspiration!
I love the December Daily album idea. The prize pack looks great!
We have some various traditions that we try to keep up with at our house this time of year and though they may not be on a daily basis, we try to do them when we can. One of our traditions is to put our Christmas tree up on Thanksgiving Day. My husband and I also celebrate our anniversary in December, so another tradition is for us to get a sitter for the children, and I purchase one of those gingerbread house kits for them to put together that evening while we are away. My children LOVE doing this!
One of our family traditions is to always spend a day baking goodies to take to some of our close neighbors. It’s fun to spend time in the kitchen together and then share our yummies.
I have a lot of traditions. Decorating the house inside and out. Making all kinds of cookies, fudge, caramels, and sending out cards with a yearly letter.
Although Christmas isn’t my favorite time of the year, I do love all the carols and family gatherings.
We celebrate Christmas Eve with midnight Mass and are reminded of how lucky we are to live in this great USA.
What a great prize to win. It would certainly be put to good use.
Thanks for the inspiration as well.
shopping like crazy
We have an annual Christmas party the first week in December inviting all our friends from ever. We have people who drive 9 hours every year just for our party. People come from up to 4 or 5 different states. It’s our way to keep from losing touch with people. Most of them only know each other from the party, unless they were both at the same prior job or school with us. Just taking a break from the party prep now. This is the 27th party. We do a summer one too, that includes all the kids. It gets my house clean ;- )
We have to make sugar cookies every year. I’m in charge of decorating. Funny how the jobs haven’t changed.
lisa a.