December Daily Ruminations

This is my first holiday mini book.

December Daily 2011 cover. Size 4 by 6. Pages- 40.  I will include random past memories and all 31 days of December.
Sand? I shot this at the local park's sand box- it was the only human-less spot available!
MATERIALS: Crate Paper Peppermint 6 by 6 paper, Fancy Pants filter paper, Crate Peppermint chipboard pieces, Prima alphas, American Crafts alphas, Ormolu tag, Ranger Distress Stain "Picket Fence".

Yesterday I struggled with my need to fake the photos.
Pose Lola with the tree. She didn't want to be there.
Give her a lollipop and nix the flash- she hates it most of all.

For the "project"- force Dave to help me lug the carriage into and out of subway stations and into crazy crowded places where we argue- where I actually say SMILE DAMN IT!
What kind of holiday tradition is this?
What's next- force a crying Lola onto Santa's Lap a la "A Christmas Story?"
NOPE. Not this momma.

We literally did this 30 times till Miss Thang happened to look in the general direction of the camera.
My husband is frowning behind the lens- he questions the sanity of this project- questions it mightily.

Doesn't the one NYC holiday destination a day encourage fake memory making?
I would never visit the 14th street Christmas market with Lola in a stroller otherwise! You have to struggle mightily to get there then battle all the other holiday memory makers to get 1 angry family shot. What. is. the. point?
We are making a memory- the memory should be: We happened across this lovely market and LOOK I found THIS.

Clove smiley face ornaments!! They smell GREAT! They are soo cute! LOOVE!

It should NOT be: We went to Union Square specifically to take a family photo and bickered the entire time and Lola almost got sat on 50 times since she was in the stroller.
And one lady came up to me and asked:
WHY ARE YOU TAKING THAT BABY INTO THIS CROWD?
She used a very superior tone.
I had no answer.

Like salmon going up stream.

This is a great shot- thank goodness- everyone is glad to be headed home!

So it's time to refocus.
What about December 2011 do I really want to preserve?
Do I want to drive my husband crazy with all the trips and directions?
No he's not interested. He's really not. Christmas to him is listening to the carols and watching holiday cartoon movies INSIDE and WARM. It's dinner with family. It's watching Lola pick apart the ornaments. It's hugging his completely bananas wife.
When did I become Christmas photo psycho?

Angels singing- Aaaaaaaaaa! Light bulb!
A realization!

Do I want to risk crowds, my marriage and anxiety attacks to get this "story"?
I'm doing this for me.
It's for Lola. To make her smile.
NO. more. angry. family. in. crowded. holiday. settings.
I haven't given up entirely- there's got to be a way!

One of the random pages- this was 2009's outfit- the photo was actually take in late February 2010.
I never got around to that traditional family Christmas shot.
MATERIALS: Basic Grey paper, alphas and brad. American Crafts tape, Fancy Pants banner sticker.
Cosmo Cricket word stickers

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

ACK! It's DECEMBER! A True Xoxo page

It's that wonderful time of the year! CHRISTMAS!!! The radio plays annoyingly cheerful muzak all day. The streets and subways are packed. The stores full of clueless temps who would rather you fall headfirst down the nearest escalator than help you. Your mailman is away on vacation so your packages get "lost".
Oh how I LOVE Christmas in the city!

Here is the December prompt for True Xoxo Girls:

It's me and I am.
Materials: Me and My Big Ideas paper, Ormolu tags, spots and pin, Sassafras Lass journaling tag and piano border strip, October Afternoon Brown Bag and Buttermilk mists, Technique Tuesday stamp.

First of all I must apologize for being away. I am a woman sans mojo. No motivation, no ideas, no NEED to communicate. Everything I touch falls apart. See?

The mojo has taken an extended vacation. Just so you see- I'm trying. 

I've been watching movies and sulking all week. I saw the new Conan movie- whoa that actor is HOT! I also saw Benicio (my main MAN!) in "The Wolfman"  which was awesome. And I got to introduce Miss Lola to Batteries Not Included (she LOVED IT) and Annie (meh- for now). Somehow I haven't been able to put a single thing together so instead of freaking out I will write about it.

Things I did to bring on the mojo:

Read blogs- only made things worst as I now have idea overload

Shop for more scraps- suicidal- I know.

Read catalogs- refer to the above plus the awful feeling that I will always be too poor to have space for  a cushy sofa and a window with actual light- ironic! Maybe less SHOPPING???????

This- life risking exercise billed as an innocent hike. Trail name? 

Breakneck Ridge- shoulda KNOWN!

• Talk to David about what a looser I am. Dave has zero pity party license. I was told to shut up and MAKE SOMETHING already.
• Put up the Christmas tree. Lola tried her BEST to bring it back down again.
• Cut up 4 x 6 papers for my inevitably disastrous "December Daily" project. My "theme" is Christmas in NYC- all the main attractions will get hit. Feel sorry for me- it's 1 a day with a 2 year old and 65,000 other humans for 31 days. I will start today with a photo of Rockerfeller Center- I feel the crush of the crazed crowds already.

Here's a quick close up up of the page:

I ordered some Ormolu items as a lark and now they are my favorite brand
(after Sassy- I'm a sucker for unrequited love)

The December True Xoxo challenge is based on this quote which I DEEPLY disagree with.

Women do entirely too much apologizing for keeping it real. As a result, we tend to resort to behind the back talking which I despise. I will tell you up front what annoys me about you- repeatedly. I will often disagree with you- in public- loudly. But it doesn't mean I disrespect or intend to hurt you- people need and deserve space to be themselves. I also feel truth is more important than politeness. To quote Jerry Maguire- "YOU think we are arguing. I think we are FINALLY communicating!"

GRATUITOUS cute baby shot!!!
11/25/11 Grateful for  a Friday full of family and laughter- not commerce and stress.

Not for nothing but opposable thumbs are one of the features that make us human. 

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Template and Hexagon Madness!

I have been keeping a secret from you.
I am a hex fetishist. Read it again please.
I love me some HEXAGONS.
I started a pinboard here. I can add you to the board so I have helpers in the search for beautiful mathematical creations. Let's share the hex love!

I love that Studio Calico hexagon print paper but it's everywhere right now so I decided to save it for a little longer and try my hand at some quilting templates I found online. I really like the "hand made" mistakes galore quality of this page:

Hexagon experiment 1 (This was the December True Xoxo Girls Challenge page but I made another you'll se SOON)
MATERIALS: Lily Bee Memorandum paper, Crafter's Workshop templates- Tile Texture and Chevron mini, Studio Calico Fab Rips and Mister Huey in Atmosphere, Calico Cream and Lemonade, Maya Mist in Green Apple, Gauche Alchemy punchinella, Basic Grey mini alphas, Sassafras Lass woodgrain alphas, Mis Tape from American Crafts, finger die cut from Pink Paislee and Prima wood heart button.

Am I crazy for liking it? Please help me- where did I go wrong? Perhaps I needed a less contrasty photo with colors that blended in a little more?

Yeah- I messed up the journaling.

I like how this page looks but it doesn't hold together. Into the '"first draft" file it goes.
Also.... I MUST give credit where credit is due. The acrylic bubbles, the smudged pencil borders and molding paste are ALL part of someone else's style- Mija- of MadebyMija.blogspot.com. I am trying to find a way to use them and not reference her work so closely. Check out Mija's blog- she is a pure artist- me? I'm just started to find my way there.

I feel like I'm right on the verge of something cool-
 just not quite hitting the mark,

Using Maya Mists was fun. I haven't bought them because they are sooo expensive but a few stores are having early "Black Friday" sales so I finally got to play with "Green Apple". Once again I'm in LOOOOVE! Totally worth the crazy price.

I know this week is hectic so if I don't post again till friday- have a Happy Thanksgiving weekend!!!

SMOOCHES MI GENTE!!

Lily Bee Design ROCKS!!!

My scrappy friend Cheryl of And Handmade Too! turned me onto Lily Bee's weekly sketch challenge. I've loved each sketch they've put out but have never managed to complete a page in time to enter the challenge- well not THIS week!

Ha HA!!!!!

Go Go GO!
MATERIALS: Lily Bee Memorandum paper and card, Studio Calico stripe paper and Fab Rips, Mister Huey- Atmosphere and Overdue, Ormolu Dots and spots tags and Go! button flair, EK Success binding Edge punch

I LOVE circles and hexagons! I was going through my Pinterest boards the other day and wondering WHY hadn't I used them in a page yet. I was waiting for some kind of template or a patterned paper to "help" me make them. Well to HECK with THAT!
I googled "hexagon template" and found that the quilting community is huge and just as willing to share as us scrapbookers- YAAAY!
Watch out- you might loose me to the sewing on FABRIC set!

Hexagons, grids and circles- siiiigh!!

I also found this wonderful dreamland called Ormolu- that sounds like an exotic French cosmetics brand right? It's paper! Gorgeous modern PAPER! Teeny tiny color embellies perfect for ATC or December Daily projects.
I. AM. IN. LOOOOVE!
I think my favorite were the negative die cut kraft tags- check them out in this SNEAK PEAK for my December True Xoxo Girls Challenge page:

I'm also glad I finally used my Lily Bee Memorandum line papers. I LOVE the subtle colors and patterns. I wish I had sprung for the alphas as well but I have so many letter stickers at this point I passed them up- for now. I made 3 pages in one 2 hour sitting! An unprecedented first!

To get these small mist dots I used an expensive mascara brush from way back when.
The pin is from Ormolu, the teeny silhouette is from Pink Paislee's Nantucket die cut pack.

So I've been busy busy busy with family stuff and looking for work- hopefully I will get back to my regular 3 posts a week schedule. I hope you have a GREAT weekend!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

A Thankful page- Daily Grace Project

This week has been a little crazy schedule-wise. I've been trying to avoid Facebook (and more importantly- Pinterest!) so I can concentrate but like Al Pacino in take-your-pick gangster flick- I keep getting drawn in!

I managed to make a page:

2011 Daily Grace (Project) It's like a December daily but without the STRESS!
MATERIALS: Sassafras Lass paper, Pink Paislee Nantucket die cuts, Smooch Spritz in magenta, green and dark blue, American Crafts Elf woodgrain and Sunrise magenta alphas (MUST HAVE MOOOORE!) and kraft butterflies (ditto!!!) K and Co alphas.

Fave scrapper Sasha Farina posted this Pinterest image in her blog as part of a mini hop she participated in. I gladly surfed along since I will do anything Ms. Sasha suggests (fangirl!! stalker!!!)

Why not try it? LOVE the modern typographic design.

I suggest you swing by- the work by fellow fave bloggers Diane Paine, Emily Pitts and Kimberly Neddo is not to be missed. 

And I found a new (to me) fave- Mandie of http://lemonstolimes.blogspot.com/

Mandie is hosting a give-away with some great scrap goodies if you make a page using the illustration above.

Oh MAN!!! I really wish I had used an AC Slick Writer from the start!

How does my page relate to the illustration? I should've had the writing crawl down to each image... oh well. I'm not gonna front- it's far from the original but I credit the vaguely triangular placement of each photo to the illustration- I was going to make a simple grid layout but it just didn't seem "me"- I liked it messy and random. ;)

The Daily Grace project is now back in gear. Here are some recent additions. Another page is soon to follow.

11/13/11 Grateful for: getting to live this... 

11/14/11 ... AND this.

11/15/11 Grateful for: Apples in general

Before I forget- I've had 3 images published over at Scrapbook News and Reviews Magazine. If you have a moment swing by to check it out (you need to subscribe to see the magazine I believe) Here's a link:SNR Travel and Vacation and here: SNR Fall and Thanksgiving.
What do you give thanks for?

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Michelle