Today I am going to share with you a new to me approach to Document Your December.
December is a busy month and while it is important to me to document all of the memories, I don’t always have time to be super creative. I have learned, after a few years of incomplete DYD projects (insert sad face), that simplicity is what works for me. This year, I am following a simplified approach to the Document Your December concept by using lists. I am a note taker and a list maker at heart. If it weren’t for keeping lists I wouldn’t be able to remember all of the things that need to be done in my daily life.
Earlier this year I found a community of listers. Yes! I am not alone. There are others that “love to list” as much, if not more, than myself. I have been “creatively listing” everything from the grocery list to wish lists ever since. Fast forward to June, when I was introduced to a monthly challenge by The Reset Girl called ListersGottaList. I have been in lister heaven! When the challenge for December was posted, I knew right away that this challenge was going to translate into my version of Document Your December for 2015. The best part is that there are not really any rules. There are prompts, but they are just suggestions, and there is no need to feel any obligation or pressure to follow the prompts. I can be as creative as I like, or simply just write a list. I feel a great sense of relief over having incorporated this freestyle version of documenting into my busy month.
The album is an 8.5 inches x 11 inches kraft paper cardstock cover that is folded in half. There are 8 sheets of blank printer paper tucked inside the cover, that have been trimmed down to 8.25 inches x 10.75 inches. The binding is a single stitch down the center of the middle of the pages. I chose not to complete the album cover. I will save it for last because it tends to take a lot of abuse as well as get bulky.
Since this is a holiday album, I have created most of it using products from the Document Your December category. For example, the opening page was created using a calendar from Little Butterfly Wings.
Aside from digital products, I also used washi tape, cardstock, and various embellishments from my craft stash. One of the most time saving tips for me was to print the prompts in advance. I also printed some of the answers to the prompts in advance. This helped reduce some of the assembly time.
Here is a closeup of the tabs. Hint: You may recognize these from the recent Project Parade post.
I hope this helps you conquer the fear of tackling a large project such as this. What are some of your tips for sticking to a long term project? Let us know in the comment section below.
LoriB says
Oh – I’m liking this type of documenting December! Thank you!
Kristina Lee says
Well… glad I checked out this post. An hour later, I have list prompts downloaded, and a bajillion MORE ideas in my head. Lol! Great post, Trista! Looking forward to seeing more of this one!
MelanieB says
Such a brilliant idea, Trista & thank you for introducing me to ListersGottaList!!!