December Daily™ 2010 | Intro Page & Binding

Yesterday I took some time to finish up the last couple of things left to do with my December Daily™.

First up was figuring out what I wanted to do for the binding. On hand I had rings that were 2 inches, 2.5 inches and 3 inches (ordered from Amazon).

Here's a look at the 2 inch rings. They worked fine but I wasn't totally satisfied. I tried the next size up (the 2.5 inch rings) and they just looked way too big (the one in the middle is missing because I was hunting for it and couldn't locate it).

Here's a look from the side - you can see here that it's pulling a bit on the top and the bottom.

Other than the ring binding, I also wanted to try running some baker's twine and a piece of ribbon through the holes to see if I liked that better.

I did.

It takes a bit longer to get the ribbon + twine through all the pages but in the end I liked that option better.

Here's a look at what I did with the intro page:

In Photoshop I created a new canvas that was 2 inches wide x 4.25 inches tall at 300 dpi.

From my photo management program (Aperture) I dragged and dropped the images I wanted to use into Photoshop.

I re-sized them to either 2 inches wide or 3 inches wide and layered them one on top of the other to create the strip.

I printed them here at home and adhered it into my album. The intro page was a free download available here.

Again, thanks so much to all of you that participated this year! For those of you who are continuing to work on your project, you can do it!

Look for information about December Daily™ 2011 to begin sometime in October.

You can view all pages about the December Daily™ project here.

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87 thoughts

  1. nicole says…
    01/09/2011

    your book looks amazing. I like the twine

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. Michelle (from KY) says…
    01/09/2011

    Nice to see the finished book! And I really like the simple bakers twine idea. I need to try that sometime!

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. Betsy says…
    01/09/2011

    Finished mine up this weekend and was sooooooooo happy with the result! The best one yet. I really liked the consistency of the daily page and the clear pages. Thank you again for the inspiration for this incredible project.

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. Arlyna says…
    01/09/2011

    My album is also almost done but have also been having a bit of problem with the binding... I have now ended up of getting rid the binder cover I used in the beginning and settled on a fabric covered chipboard and 3" rings. But have problem similar to yours... With the twine approach you finally settled on, is it easy to flip thru the pages? Does your pages lie flat? How taut did you tie the twines?

    Thank you so much!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      01/10/2011

      They do lay flat - I gave it "room" so when you turn the pages they are able to lay flat. It's definitely not tight.

  5. Alison Day says…
    01/09/2011

    Love the twine! I had to go to 3" rings because it got so thick and I'm not totally happy with it. The holes ae slightly too small for that size of rings so it's pretty cumbersome to turn the pages. Maybe I'll try the twine idea too. I'd put it on a shelf and was hoping to forget about it for awhile though. Maybe in a couple weeks I'll be ready ...

    Thanks again Ali. I LOVED this project and will definitely do it again next year!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Beke says…
      01/10/2011

      you mean this year? :) :)

  6. Nancy Wyatt says…
    01/09/2011

    Love it! Did you use a needle to feed twine through holes? Thanks for sharing your DD with us and taking us along with you on you OLW! I'm taking your class :) hugs from Conroe, TX

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      01/10/2011

      I didn't but I thought about it :). I think it would have made it easier.

  7. lisa truesdell says…
    01/09/2011

    loving this - i'm not digging the binger rings, so i might have to give this a try!

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. LisaZ says…
    01/09/2011

    Still plugging along with my December Daily.
    Love the way yours turned out. ~Pino

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Tweets that mention December Daily 2010 | Intro Page & Binding | Ali Edwards -- Topsy.com says…
    01/10/2011

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ali Edwards and Crazy Daisy. Crazy Daisy said: ♥ this project! Hope 2 do next yr RT: @aliedwards Last post is up! December Daily 2010 | Intro Page & Binding #decdaily http://bit.ly/hTDlgV [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. TracieClaiborne says…
    01/10/2011

    I finished up my 2009 album this past week and I just started 2010! LOL I have Page 1 done. I have all the pics printed and the journaling done and I even have it all sketched out and the papers/embellishments pulled. I'm keeping it simple so I think I can knock it out this week. I'm glad to see you post this - it helped me know I'm not alone on finishing mine up!

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. Kelly G says…
    01/10/2011

    This was my first year completing a DecDaily album and I am so pleased that I'm nearly finished (considering I didn't decide to start unitl 1st Dec!). I end my album on the 26th Dec as that's when we had our extended family celebration. Would it be possible to for you to do a 26 title page just for me please? :)

    This has been such an inspiring ride, Ali. Thank you!

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. Kelly G says…
      01/10/2011

      Thanks for your response Beth. I did buy the layered template pack. I'm after a 26 for the title page. Are you saying that you made your own 26 title page using the template pack?

    2. beth lo. says…
      01/10/2011

      hi kelly g,

      if you bought the december daily 6x8 pages from designer digitals, the whole month of dec. is included: dec 1-31. i did a page for the 26th too-one of my out of town girlfriends and i always get together the day after and i really like to include that.

      hth,
      beth

  12. Angie Blom says…
    01/10/2011

    I love the twine ribbon mine is just beyond huge.. I will have to try this to see if it is good for mine, I am getting pulling with my rings too! Thanks for another great year.. I so love this project!

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Brooke says…
    01/10/2011

    Hi Ali,

    I bet it feels wonderful to have it all done! Just one question though, will you post a "reflections on the process/what I learned" like you have in previous years? It's one of my favourite things to read once your album is done.

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. Michele H. says…
    01/10/2011

    This looks fab Ali! I only have 9 pages to go and am definitely going to make this a priority:)

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. Laci M. says…
    01/10/2011

    I'm wondering the same thing as Arlyna comment #4 would like to know if you can still flip through the pages just as smooth as using binder rings. I've got 3" rings right now but they're not big enough and I'm only half way finished with my album. Might have to the twine thing and next year not go so big!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      01/10/2011

      Not sure it's as smooth - but mine was not really feeling smooth with the rings. You do have to handle it differently - a little more carefully most likely. It does lay flat - I gave it enough "give" and extra space to make sure it could open just fine and lay flat.

  16. Tere (Marie) says…
    01/10/2011

    Looks great. I was waiting to see what you used for binding, mine is so thick.

    This was my first and I am almost DONE!! still have some time to put into it. But as I reflect, I need to write down what worked and didn't work for next time. For example, wanting to type on a page after I have adhered the paper and picture and it's hard to roll in my typewriter when it's thick. Or when I tell my story, sometimes I'm not consistent in whether I'm talking to the person in the picture or to the reader. I got confused sometimes. And lastly, I have 4 children...I need to make sure that one of them doesn't dominate the pictures more than the other.

    Do you take time to reflect for next year?

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. Kathy says…
    01/10/2011

    It looks fantastic and it's lovely doing a project that so many people are doing at the same time even if (i) I don't personally know them and (ii) I will never meet them. I'm just waiting on the supply of photo paper from the shop to come in to finish printing my final pages. I only got half way through completeing mine last year even thought I took photos and notes everyday. This year doing your digital template helped me keep up in what seems to be a busy month. Thanks for leading us to complete a timeless piece of history for our familes. Kathy, Brisbane, Australia

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. Susi from Germany says…
    01/10/2011

    With this post I want to say "Thank you!" This was my third December Daily, but without knowing, it became a very special one: My spouse, and Dad to our two kids (5 and 2) suffered a heart attack on January 2nd. After the docs had almost given up on him (chance to survive: 5%), he made it. He is now comatose, being on the ICU right now. They do not how, whether he will recover, neither in which state he will be. We're going baby-steps. This December Daily now is a photojournal of our last regular family month. It is so sad on the one hand, but I am so glad and thankful I have this evidence right there.
    I wanted my word for 2011 to be "serenity". I think it has changed to "forward".
    Thank you, Ali, for your inspiration.

    Reply 7 Replies
    1. Susi says…
      01/11/2011

      Susi, I am also sending prayers for your husband's recovery as well as comfort, support and strength for you and your family.

    2. Ali says…
      01/10/2011

      Sending you you a ton of love and peace as you begin to move forward.

    3. Michelle D. says…
      01/10/2011

      I don't usually read through Ali's comments section but I did today and spotted this...and I am praying for you and your husband and family right now.

    4. Heather Smithson says…
      01/10/2011

      My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Thank you for the reminder that it is a treasure to record our ordinary moments together.

    5. iowajewel says…
      01/10/2011

      Susi,
      my heart hurts for you and please know that even though i am half way around the world, my thoughts and prayers are with you!

    6. RobynS says…
      01/10/2011

      Susi - Sending prayers to you and your family during this difficult time. Keep your faith and hope strong for your husband. He knows you are there. Forward is a beautiful word. God Bless.

    7. dawn says…
      01/10/2011

      Susi,

      I'm sorry to hear about your husband. Sending out prayers,strength, hugs for you and your family.

  19. zewa says…
    01/10/2011

    I can't believe you'll start your DD in October 11...oh my gosh, that's really early. Have you ever considered preparing/designing your dd right after finishing the current year?

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      01/10/2011

      That's just when I start thinking about putting it together. I think starting ahead is what makes the project do-able throughout December.

      I never start on next year's right after December - I am so DONE with the project at that point. But give me another 10 months and I'll be excited and ready to go again.

  20. dawn says…
    01/10/2011

    Hi Ali, so glad you had this post today. My album is done and is being passed around in our family/friends. Just want to thank you again for this idea and sharing it with us. This is now my favorite album and it was so fun to make. Will you be doing a post on your thoughts for next years album, I love reading those you've done in the past. I've actually made a list of what I will do and not do for next years album. I love the twine that you used, cool idea.

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. Dorothy F says…
    01/10/2011

    Your album is beautiful, Ali. Thanks for all the inspiration and sharing of your life. I have finished my first December daily and am so happy with it. I also liked your advice of packing it away with Christmas and will enjoy seeing it again in a year. Can't wait until next year to start a new one. Just curious, won't the bakers twine come undone with handling? It just looks like the rings are more secure.

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. Joy G says…
    01/10/2011

    I did Dec Daily this year for the first time. I ended up buying your templates and doing it as a digi album (that's just easier for me right now, having some of my stuff packed away due to lack of space, and I can just save and come back to it if my two little ones need something). All my pages are done, I just have to get them printed. I'm not necessarily in love with each page on its own, but I love the memories from the whole album put together.

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. Ali says…
      01/10/2011

      I totally know what you guys are saying :). I always feel the same way each year - it's the whole of the album that I love.

    2. Heather H says…
      01/10/2011

      Joy, I feel the same way about my pages. I used a lot of the digital templates, and at heart I'm just not a digital scrapper. Learning to love my book as a whole entity, rather than for each page. I'm sure that will come easier in the years to come. :)

  23. Dawn Nikol says…
    01/10/2011

    Thank you so much, Ali. This was my first year participating as well and I looooved it. You were absolutely correct about the House of 3 binder getting way overstuffed!! Even in my attempt to keep it very simple, it ended up being so full, that I have it tied with a big piece of fabric for safe keeping! :) It's probably my favorite album I've ever made though! October should be fun!

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. madeline St onge says…
    01/10/2011

    OK Now I think I like the string/ribbon for binding mine instead of the rings. Need to see what I have here to do that. Thanks Ali

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. Angela H says…
    01/10/2011

    This was my first time with the DD and I love how it's turned out, Thank You for your inspiration. I've got about 3 pages left to finish and every time I walk away from it someone in my family starts flipping through and looking at it. I think one of the things I love the most is having a place to put all the little treasures I collected through the month.

    Will definitely have to try the twine the original rings stopped working, and the 3 in ones don't turn as easy.

    Reply 0 Replies

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