December Daily 2010 | Finding Time, Making Time, Trading Time
QUESTION FROM DEBORAH | I have been following along each day with your preparations for this year's December Daily. I am so excited to begin even though I haven't had a spare moment to throw my album together yet. And that, is what concerns me. I know that you are super busy, that all your fellow December Daily doers are super busy. But, this project is important, and it really isn't a matter of finding time -- because that extra 25th hour just doesn't exist. I think it really is about trading time -- doing December Daily pages instead of doing...? And so, I was wondering if you'd consider asking your readers what they find themselves giving up/letting go of/setting aside in order to have the time to take part in this project. It would be so helpful to get some perspective about how other maxed-out moms reorganize their priorities during this time of year. I've already cut down on the workouts, set up the Tivo, closed-off all non-essential bathrooms, dug out the slow cooker…I am in need of some ideas to gain some scrapping time.
AE | I'm looking forward to reading the suggestions and thoughts in the comments today. In the past I've done a variety of different things - worked on my pages in the evening, in the morning and in the afternoon - whenever I could find/make/trade time. Sometimes I put my page together as soon as I come across the story I want to tell - such as something that happens at breakfast. I snap a couple photos, upload, print, add journaling, and get it in my book as soon as I have a chance. Some years I've been more artsy so it's taken longer. This year, I'm really going for simple. In all the years I've done this project I almost always focus on telling just one story per day - I don't attempt to document everything minute by minute for this project. I pick one, tell it with words + photo(s) and stick it down. Then I go about life until I choose a story on the following day.
I'd love to read your thoughts on this today. What do you find yourself giving up/letting go of/setting aside in order to take part in this project?
This is my first year of doing the December Daily and I'm really looking forward to it. However, I wonder if anyone has any ideas for me - because I work full time, 5 days a week and I travel to work in the dark and go home in the dark, therefore I have very little time - and opportunities - to take photo's, apart from weekends. Does anyone have the same problem and if so, how are you getting around it? Hoping for some inspiration!
Hi Liz, I work full time too and hate driving home in the dark.
I use a Speedlite with my camera to get well lit photos indoors in the winter. I also take pictures during the day like at lunchtime or in the office. Or I use a tripod. It's a little more challenging but worth it.
Here's a link to my Flickr gallery from a December photo a day challenge: http://flickr.com/gp/christispadoni/86wnJv
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Thank you, everyone for all the great ideas. I was thinking the same too...where to find the time? I am going to use a whole bunch of these ideas. They are great!
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i work on it every day usually for no more than a half hour. i keep mine simple and my stash close by so that saves time too. i'm with some of the other ladies. use tivo and skip all those commercials! you'll get a half hour right there. i use the crock pot a lot too. try to keep things simple and focus on what's important. the bible talks about mary and martha. martha was the sister in the kitchen doing all kinds of work while mary was just listening to Jesus. i am particularly focused on being a mary instead of a martha this season.
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Sometimes for me getting organized is more daunting than actually putting together the scrap page. I keep just a few essential tools: scissors, tape runner, black pen, and a glue stick in a little make-up case. Then I can ignore the mess at my scrap desk and go in another room to capture a few minutes of work time. :)
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While you don't want to miss out on the season, it is nice to find a way to keep up. This year, when Ali mentioned http://ohlife.com/ , a few months ago, I signed up. You get an email every evening asking how your day went. I use it as a journal, and try to write every evening or the next morning. It's been great reference for my Project Life,which I'm doing for the first time. And I'll use it for December Daily too.
The other suggestion I have (I apologize if I'm repeating myself as I haven't read through all of the previous comments) is to download and sort photos daily, even if you're not printing them right away. I started a December Daily Folder, and made sure I didn't leave any photos in there that weren't dated. I don't always have to match up photos to dates, but I prefer to name each photo by date for easier reference.
For Project Life, I have gotten into the habit of loading photos into a 'PL to print' folder every Sunday evening, transfering it to a flash drive, and printing my photos at Sam's most Monday mornings. I'll do something similar for my December Daily, probably printing photos for both. I expect to print more than once a week during December. I do have an HP printer at home, so I tend to combine photos printed at Sam's with those printed at home.
I go all the way through to the end of the year and find it more difficult after Christmas, simply because we're usually not home. That will be the case this year. I may or may not travel with the actual DD, but I will have my computer, so the journaling will be done, and the photos will be ready to print when I return home.
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TV for sure!! That is such a HUGE time waster. Plus you would be amazed what you can do in an hour each day. Sometimes I get up an hour earlier or go to bed an hour later to work on my book.
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This is a fantastic question, because truthfully, we have to trade our time anytime we choose to participate in a hobby.
This will be my third year of DD, the first being in 2008, which I fully completed and I CHERISH that album so much. (As do the kids!) Last year I started with the greatest of intentions, put the album together, took photos, but I became so sidetracked about having a "Gorgeous" album that I forgot the most important part. The memories and the words. I never finished the album and it sits half finished on my bookshelf.
This year I'm reminding myself that the "Pretty part" comes last. This year I'm focusing on gathering the memories first. I printed a Dec. 2010 Calender with a section for notes and I taped it to the inside of one of my kitchen cabinets (the coffee mug cabinet, where I'll be sure to see it!) I also hung a ziploc bag there too so I can gather the ephemera that will go with my stories. I'm preparing this year to capture the little things, the receipts, the tickets, etc...
One thing I've realized in my DD experience is sometimes life happens and we forget to take a picture for the day. If you're a perfectionist like me, that can derail your whole creative process! Last year I had quite a few missing pictures and instead of freaking out I used the missing picture days to document the kids' favorite holiday movies, or my favorite holiday drink from Starbucks, or The Holiday books we love to read every year. Just a quick google image search and I had my photo for the day!
Essentially, I'm going to let the album itself come together when I can. This will mean less facebook time, less time on message boards or browsing blogs, but I'm making it a point this year to write it all down so I can save the memories. My kids aren't going to care if I took three hours to perfectly mist a piece of paper, they are going to want to read the memories of their childhood.
Tomorrow is December 1st, I don't even have a single piece of paper cut for my album, but I'm not stressed. I have my camera and my calender and it'll come together from there when it can!
Emily
Emily--love these tips! I am going to hang some paper in the cupboard now!
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The #1 thing I did was go digital. Never thought I would, didn't think it would be the same, but for me...it was. (Even more than that it actually happened!) All the cute paper in the world doesn't compare to the feeling I get when I look at my finished book from last year! Because I was digital, I had a fair amount of foundation pages done...but honestly I just did a lot day by day. I used templates, and occasionally if I had extra time I made my own creation. Every evening after my daughter was in bed, with a cup of cocoa, was my scrapping time. I don't make time for it much throughout the year--but giving yourself permission to do it one time a year makes the holidays that much more special in my opinion. I can't wait until tomorrow:)
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Laundry? Who does that anymore. LOL! :) Seriously... I digi scrap, so I sit in front of the computer in front of the TV after the kids are in bed and do a few pages. It's not every night, as we are out of the house a few nights a week with activities. But I get what I need to get in each week. I will type in the story and e-mail it to myself each day though to remember the stories. I'm having my kids keep a december journal this year, so we can do it together.
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I give up tv and a few hours' sleep each week. It's totally worth it, and there is time enough to sleep in after the holidays are over.
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I'm really not giving up anything. I'm just making it a priority to document in photos and journaling on a daily basis starting tomorrow (Dec 1). I figure if I preplan a few ideas each day, snap the pics and jot down my thoughts, even if I don't scrap that page right away I have what I plan to use for it all set and ready for when I am in the mood to actually scrap it.
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I actually either stay up an hour later or get up an hour earlier, if I need to "create" more time for whatever the reason, I enjoy the peace and quiet of those hours too.
If that's not an option in your life I would opt for writing everything down each day and then making a note of the photo i wanted to include so that when the free time presented itself I didn't have to think about what to write or what image to use.
Failing that I would give up laundry !! specifically ironing !
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[...] Finding Time, Making Time, Trading Time [...]
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This is my first attempt at doing this project. I snapped a couple of photos and emailed myself "the story". The subject line is "Dec 1" and I'm planning to save them to a December Daily folder ms print one a week.
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I have never done a DD before, but all of your comments are great and I want to try this for next year. Yes, that is right not 2010, but for 2011 so hopefully I will not get lost in having a year to complete my base.
So why 2011, well this year hubby is recovery from a recent heart attack and bypass surgery. I have two bad knees waiting for a double knee replacement surgery which was scheduled for November 16 but my doctor fell off a ladder and fractured his back. So I do not know when my surgery will happening. I already have more on my plate than I can handle some days right now so I will do what I must to get done what I must do. We had planned to go to Alaska for Christmas to spent it with our son, DIL and grandkids, but now that will not happening until Christmas time next year. Hubby is in cardiac rehab and I am just hobbling along.
I plan to go before Thanksgiving and stay until after the first of the year in 2012. Hubby will come for two weeks at Christmas because he still works. It will be the perfect time to do this project with my DIL that is also a scrapbooker. We had a great time scrapping together two years ago when I got to stay with them over the same time frame. She and I are good friends as well as DIL and MIL; just another of God's wonderful blessing in my life.
I want to start on the base and work on it starting after New Year until I get it done. I will have plenty of time, just hope I will not forget and let it get undone.
Hopefully some of you can also start next DD much earlier in the year and have time to finish a base that is more detailed and to your liking. Just a suggestion.
I will have fun working on this project. I also want to pre-make some 12x12 kits including handmade embellishments for the Thanksgiving, Christmas and the winter season. I just love making embellishments using my Cricut Expression, my Quick Kutz, my Cuddlebug with all kinds and brands of cutting dies and embossing folders plus wonderful free clip art found on the internet along with Photoshop Element projects. All of these are too big and heavy to carry to Alaska with me.
I bought my DIL a Cuddlebug and dies last time I was there, plus the HP 4x6 photo printer and a HP photosmart printer for larger prints. This year for her November birthday I sent a large box of Cuddlebug dies and folders that I got at Big Lots for $2.00 each, what a find. I have also order her a Cricut Expression with cartridges for her Christmas. We will have these to work with and she will have them to enjoy and use all year long.
Good luck to each of you on your December Daily album and the best of the season to each of you. Merry Christmas to all.
Nanarie
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[...] Making Time, Finding Time, Trading Time from Ali Edwards [...]
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This is my first year doing the December Daily album. I premade my pages by putting patterned paper, date circles and photo mats in the page protectors. I'll put the layout together when I have the pictures printed and can lay out the orientation.
My scrapping time is right when I get home from work. I need that down time to switch gears from "work mode" to "comfort mode." Creating keeps me sane! I don't watch much TV, so I guess I'm giving up housework time to scrap. There are a ton of things that I need to do before my fiance moves in, but I also need time for me. I guess it's all a matter of priorities "at the moment." I feel that my creativity was stifled when my ex-husband was around and now that I'm marrying the true love of my life, I feel that I can be more free and creative and he supports me all the way! So, when the creative bug bites, then it's "me" time!
I hope to get some pictures printed out this weekend and slide them in the page protectors to get a head start. I journal every night and now I'm adding on a section for the December Daily entries so that I don't forget any details. I'm looking forward to putting this album together because the holiday season is a magical time for me and my family! Thank you so much for the inspiration!
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