We’re back to share some special Document December preparation ideas from our team of talented guest contributors who we are excited to work with our Document December 2019 Kit and add-ons this year! Let’s take a look at how Stacie Chandler, Jen Wong, Victoria Calvin, Neela Nalam, Lisa Varshine, and Leigh Ann Odynski are getting ready to record their holiday memories:
Stacie | It’s the most wonderful time of year again! I love the holiday season and memories that we make during this time of year. I also love to document those memories in a mini album. This will be my tenth year doing a December album and every year it is one of my most favorite projects to do. There is just something about having all of the memories in one easy place to look back on.
This year I have decided to create a 3″ x 8″ album and I’m excited for the change and creative challenge this size will bring. While I don’t create foundation pages, I love having all of my supplies together and sorted in one place for easy access. I group like supplies together so I know where everything is and don’t waste time looking for a specific type of embellishment.
While I don’t create foundation pages I do start my album with an embellishment page and then a December calendar. I love having the calendar at the start of the album so I can easily add important events to it.
I also add my “reason why” page. My “reason why” page is something I like to put thought into so that I can look back on to see what I was thinking during the season.
Once December starts that’s when I let the creative process take over to tell my stories. I can’t wait to see what you create!
Supplies | Document December 2019 Kit, Very Merry Phrase Stickers, ‘Tis the Season Wood Veneers, Christmas Shapes and Dots Puffy Stickers, Hand Drawn Acrylic Christmas Hearts and Stars, December 2019 Gold Acrylic
Jen | Documenting December is one of my favorite projects but actually documenting during the month of December presents its own challenges because it’s always so busy! To set myself up for success, I try to do some prep work ahead of time and find this makes the process smoother.
The first thing I do is organize my supplies and have them easily visible and on-hand. I’ve taken my Document December Kit and add-ons, along with inks and other basic supplies, and added them to a divided container on the top shelf of my IKEA rolling cart. I need to be able to see my supplies to remember to use them, but I also search for things based on type so this organizing method works for me.
The second thing I’ve done so far is made a few starter pocket tags. I will be working in a 6″ x 8″ format this year, which I love. I find that starting with a few simple, embellished tags helps me get into the holiday creating mood and familiarizes myself with the supplies I have.
I can use these cards “as-is” which is great for those super hectic December days, or add to them if I want to! I’m so excited for another season of December documenting!
Supplies | Document December 2019 Kit, Good Cheer Acetate Die Cuts, Christmas Shapes and Dots Puffy Stickers, Wonder Puffy Stickers, Acrylic Christmas Words, Large Jane Alphabet Stamp — Solid
Victoria | Hello everyone! Can you believe that Christmas is right around the corner? This is my favorite time of year! On that note, I am so excited to share how I am getting ready for holiday storytelling. I like to kick off the season with a bit of prep and planning!
First, I like to prep all of the materials that I plan to use for my holiday storytelling in advance. This includes purchasing new supplies and organizing holiday-themed elements from my stash.
My supplies are organized in a festive container and will live close to my crafting desk for easy accessibility. This year I am using a divided wooden box that I purchased from Michaels in 2018. All of the elements are organized by category: stamps, pocket cards, stickers, tags, etc.
Next, around the first week of November, I start building the pages that will go into my album. I like using a 6″ x 8″ album for my Document December project. I start by creating an introductory page, then I arrange several 6″ x 8″ pocket page projectors, varying the style and orientation. To the pocket pages, I add 3″ x 4″ and 4″ x 6″ pocket cards, along with elements that I might use for each page. While I love prepping my pages in advance, I leave room to change the design of my pages when I am working on this project in December.
Lastly, I make a list of all of the stories that I want to document during the holiday season. This allows me to work more efficiently, enjoy the documenting process, and to have story ideas at the ready! Prepping and planning in advance is the way to go!
Supplies | Document December 2019 Kit, 25 Wood Veneer, Hand Drawn Acrylic Christmas Hearts and Stars
Neela | Document December is one of my favorite projects that I love to work on. This is pretty much the only project I am determined to complete every year. It has been a very special project for me over the years! My first step for prep was to unpack the kit so that I can see all the elements and I will be leaving the containers on my desk at all times during the month of December, making them easily accessible. The goal is to make the process easy and simple.
My next step has always been to make the title page of my album. I know that if I don’t do it in advance, it will never happen during December, as I am busy at the end of almost every day documenting that day! I decided to keep it very simple with a white background, wood veneer, the December 2019 White Acrylic and puffy stickers. I mounted the white cardstock on the red 6″ x 8″ patterned paper for the necessary pop of color!
Another favorite way I like to prep my album is to create a pocket page, which usually holds all the cards that friends give us through the season. I cut one of the 6″ x 8″ patterned papers along an angle and added glue along the edges to attach to a white cardstock background. I cut red strips from one of the 4″ x 6″ tags from the Document December 2019 Kit, and added them as borders again for a pop of red. I then decorated the pocket with wood veneer to complete the look.
Doing a little bit of prep in advance will go a long way to make things easier during the documenting of the season. Happy documenting the joyous season of December!
Supplies | Document December 2019 Kit, December 2019 White Acrylic
Lisa | I can’t believe it’s almost December! I’m a big believer in the saying, “The days are long, but the years are short.” Documenting December is by far my favorite memory-keeping project of the year. In fact, this project was my first adventure in scrapbooking. I made my very first scrapbook page (for my December album) in October of 2016. This project will forever be close to my heart.
This will be my fourth year documenting December and one of the main things I have learned is that if I can’t see it, I won’t use it. This year I’ve emptied out one of my small storage units from Stamp-n-Storage and I plan to use it to store my cards, stamps, and other embellishments. The dividers are movable and I’ve worked out a good configuration. All of my smaller embellishments are in tiny stackable containers that came from the food storage section at target. I love that I can stack those when they aren’t in use to give myself a little more space.
This set-up keeps everything visible and easily accessible and I think that will be the key to my success as we get closer. My plan for this year is to use a 6″ x 8″ album. I’ve contemplated going smaller, but full-page photos are a must for me and I just can’t make the switch. Another thing I’ve learned over the past few years is to be realistic about my expectations for this project. So far, I haven’t finished any of my albums in the month of December or even January. The first year, I was really upset about it. But, I’ve found that having pages leftover in November of the next year is a really great way for me to ease back into holiday documenting. And in all honesty, it works really well for any creative team projects I have since products always release in October! I’ve never created foundation pages (with an odd exception here or there) and greatly prefer working on projects when I have stories to tell. Of course, I reserve the right to completely change my mind about that in the future!
I can’t believe how gorgeous the Document December 2019 Kit is and I am chomping at the bit to get started. Only a few more weeks to go!
Supplies | Document December 2019 Kit, 25 Wood Veneer
Leigh Ann | Hello friends! I am so excited to be documenting December this year with Elle’s Studio! The Document December 2019 Kit is amazing, and I can’t wait to participate with the storytelling and paper crafting community! This December, I want to utilize a simple approach to telling stories and capturing photos when I can.
I made a distressed toolbox into a farmhouse caddy to hold all of my Document December supplies for embellishing pages. The front sections store my die cuts and shapes as well as stickers, acrylic and wood veneer and the large back section stores puffy stickers and stamps. Having everything divided by type helps me locate it quickly. Keeping my supplies out and easily accessible helps the project along with a dedicated place for everything.
The second container holds all the base supplies: 6″ x 8″ paper, 4″ x 6″, and 3″ x 4″ tags from the Document December 2019 Kit. I divided the 3″ x 4″ tags into two sections: journaling tags on the right and filler cards on the left. I divided up the cards based on the way my mind works, and the way I use these supplies.
With my containers gathered together, I can play with the Document December products from left to right. First, my 6″ x 8″ album with pocket pages inside, then the container of base pages, then the tool caddy of embellishments. Having the products out and visible helps me to stay on track. You could also add a notebook to track things you want to journal, or note that in your planner like I do!
Supplies | Document December 2019 Kit
What great ideas from each of these talented designers! Be sure to follow their feeds to see how they are using their Document December products to record their holiday memories and share how YOU are preparing for this awesome, jolly project by using the hashtag #EllesStudio on Instagram!