A Christmas Journal ...

~* Edited Picture 12/1 *~

So, this is going to be a totally "scrappy" post (so if scrapbooking does nothing for you, well, I'm sorry you feel that way, you're missing out :P and you can just come back tomorrow) ...

Today as I was "blog hopping" ... you know you've done it, been on one blog and clicked on one of their blogs, and on and on. Well, I was on my friend Andrea's blog and then hopped over to her friend Chrisanna's blog, which I often check, and then from there over to Chrisanna's sisters, Jen and Sara. Now, please don't think I'm a weird blog stalker, I just know that all these gals love scrapbooking and I think they're all cute as can be and okay, so I like lurking into their lives ;). Anyway, Jen had a post about Christmas Journals, which prompted me to photo (and blog about) the one I created last year.

Last year, my favorite of favorites "big wig" scrapbooker, Miss Ali Edwards introduced the concept of a Christmas Album/Journal. I loved the idea ... in such a busy time of year it's so easy for it to whirl by only to be forgotten, creating an album helps us slow down, breath and remember all the crazy happiness going on around us. The concept focuses on simplicity. Create a template and carry it throughout the journal. In fact, the way I did it last year, it could all be done before hand, pictures and journaling added at the end of the holidays. Here is a link to the album Ali created last year.

And here is the album I created, very much inspired by Ali ... I did the "12 memories" of Christmas, instead of the "12 days" and added pictures and journaling from throughout the month. I LOVE this album and I love that in a few years I'll have a basket of albums like this to look back on!

This year, one of the amazing garden girls over at two peas in a bucket, Erica Hernandez (who also was the designer of all of the USPS Christmas mailers ... pretty cool if you ask me), created an awesome advent calendar/journal. I think I'm going to do something similar. A simple format, more journaling, maybe some recipe cards, a pocket to hold all of the Christmas cards we receive, etc. I've got the album, a cute green 9x9 Heidi Swapp, now I need to get everything together ... like soon, because tomorrow is December 1!!!! Good thing I can jot down journaling now and add to my album later.

Hope this inspires you to do something to preserve the memories your creating this season ... it all seems to slip away way too fast!

Happy Creating and Happy Thursday!!

(P.S. Please forgive all typos ... I get really excited by all of this and sometimes my fingers can't keep up with my mind ;) )