December Daily

Hello November. Time to start thinking about December :)

I've been following the awesome Ali Edwards' blog for over a year. I've "oohed" and "ahhed" her concept of December Daily and the albums she has created.

To quote Ali, "December Daily is an album project that documents the 25 days leading up to Christmas. Many people start their documentation earlier and many people go longer. I have found that 25 days is just right for me.

One of the keys to success in this project is getting an album structure set-up in advance of December so that during December you can enjoy the season & enjoy the process of documenting your days without having to be putting the entire thing together at the same time. It is not meant to be stressful. It is meant to be a way to creatively celebrate the season and document you special holiday memories in one album. "

You can see different takes on 2008 December Daily albums in Ali Edwards' Flickr gallery.

So why am I posting about this?

I've decided that it's time to step off the sidelines and play in the game! I'm going to create my first real mini album.

I'm in Ali's stage 1 of the process. Gathering materials. After much deliberation and consulting my scrappin-n-chattin' friends - I've decided to go WAY outside my box. I'm going to make a paper bag album.

I took 3 paper bags that measued 15" tall by 8" wide. I alternated which way they opened and laid them on top of each other. I had a friend sew down the middle and my hubby used his drill to make 5 holes through them.

Here is the bare cover.

Not including the covers, there are 10 8" x 7" pages. I have not decided on whether or not I will glue down the bag end flaps or use them as mini pages or hidden journaling.

The tops of the bags open up on the sides to insert more pages and memorabilia.

I'm so excited to have a base for my project! I love how it is a standard size, but I can make it 3D and chunky if I want to, with many interactive elements.

Now, the fun begins. Embellishing!

As promised, I've updated my Etsy store for the holiday season and will be featuring "December Daily Dollar Deals!"

Are you making an album this year too? I'm going to be making multiple sets of some of the things I'm cutting and featuring in my album - and offering them for $1 !

These are the letters I decided on for my album. 2 other fonts available in your choice of red, green, black or white. Check them out here.

Can you tell I am excited about this project? I would love to hear if you are doing something similar, please comment and leave a link so I can check it out. If there are any embellishments, die cuts, or custom made titles etc. that you would like made for your album - let me know, I love personalized orders!