More pages

Well, I've decided to put all the pages here, from day 13 to today - day 17.

Day 13 remembers how we used to hand out the presents - and my dad only opening one present an hour, this used to drive us mad, but one year Pauline and I decided to buy him a pair of slippers - and wrap them seperately! He still waited a whole hour wearing one slipper!

Day 14 is about christmas songs - love them or hate them - i really like to hear them, been listening to Angelis and they do a couple which sound really good.

Day 15 is about visitors - me! I'm visiting my mum & dad for christmas then we'll visit Pauline & Alistair, and I'll visit my friends too.

Day 16 - being grateful, i'm grateful i was able to get almost 2 weeks off work to come home, means I'll be here for my Dad's 70th birthday on tuesday and I'll be here for christmas. I'm also very grateful that an old friend dropped in to my mums today with a christmas card - she didn't know I was here and it was such a lovely surprise, so we're going to meet up while i'm here - if you ever read this Angie - it was so lovely to see you!

Day 17 - perfect presents, I hope this will be perfect - I made a triangle minibook at my first scrapmates crop - hello Anne(mafswife)! and thought it would be perfect for my friend Judith.

Well that's it for tonight - need to stay caught up!

Things change...

But not in a bad way - day 12 prompt I decided to look at what's different this christmas.

This year Pauline and Alistair are living in Kilbarchan, last year they were in Linwood.

This year it'll be just Mum, Dad and me for Christmas Dinner, instead of Pauline, Alistair and the girls too. Not a bad thing really - means more room at the table! We'll still see them on Christmas morning even if it mean having to drag Heather out of bed - my niece really does love to sleep!

Our artistic challenge for the journal entry today was to use something from our stash that I thought I'd never use - so I used the chipboard curly brackets, inked with silver and stamped very lightly in green.

Oh Christmas Tree

Day 11's prompt is about christmas trees. I don't have a proper christmas tree - the one I did have was just too big so I threw it out. I wanted something that wouldn't look out of place and didn't take up too much room. I found the perfect thing in Wood Green, silver branches with silver baubles wired on. I put then in my red glass vase, which I stood in a christmas dish surrounded by other silver christmas baubles, this is on one side of the archway into the kitchen, on the other side I have my branch lights that I've hung icicle decs from.

On my dining table I have my christmas runner mum sent me, with another vase with silver branches that look frosted, and hanging from these I have my microscope slide ornaments and my basic grey blitzen baubles I made last year. The photos on the journal page are a close up of one of the microscope ornaments and smaller pics of the others. Large photo acts as a pocket for journalling tag.

Catching up - again!!

It's all been a bit manic lately so have been very neglectful of keeping my blog up-to-date and I'd fallen behind with my christmas journal.

I'm now in Kilbarchan, Scotland at my parents where I've hi-jacked my dad's pc! Arrived here on friday morning, had a lot of last minute things to do before leaving so now that I'm feeling more relaxed I've had time to catch my breath.

Journal prompt 9 related to family christmas traditions, I've journalled on a couple of stamped vellum tags and put them in a vellum envelope on my page, journalling about the changes our family christmases have gone through - Pauline & Alistair moving to Islington and we'd go down to London so that we could see Heather & Lorna. Now they've been back in Scotland for a while and it's me that's down in London so I travel up to see all of them!

Prompt 10 was about wrapping presents - I saved a piece of wrapping paper from a present last year because I loved it so much, has a very vintage collage feel.

It's starting to look a lot like christmas

Christmas shopping done today, only a couple left to do. Hopefully can pick them up tomorrow during my lunchhour - my weekend to work.

Todays journal prompt was to illustrate how things change for christmas, christmas lights etc. I don't have a proper christmas tree but have some glittery silver branches that I've decorated with baubles and my Basic Grey deccies.

Christmas - time to get organised

Couldn't get in yesterday to update blog. Wasn't in such a good way anyway - been to the dentist for the first time in years and had 2 teeth out. Wasn't too bad but jaw a bit sore afterwards.

Yesterdays prompt for Christmas journal was to help get organised, include a Christmas shopping list, this came at just the right time as I'm planning to do the last of my shopping today so I can take my list with me! I created a pocket from some artist canvas on a roll, stamped and distressed edges, I like the sort of aged look. 2 vellum tags in the pocket, one listing presents still to buy, the other my to do list and journalling

Christmas Memories

Todays journal prompt was to remember good and bad christmases. I can't really say that any christmas has been really bad, the only one that came to mind was 1995, I wasn't that long out of hospital after an operation for an ovarian cysts and was on hormone injections which made me feel really strange, had terrible mood swings and couldn't go out on my own because of dizzy spells, I can look back on this now and laugh -this was just so not like the normal me!

The best christmases where when all the relatives used to get together, the house would be full of cousins and the neighbours, and sometime members of the Scottish netball team! We did have a white christmas one year when my uncle was visiting from Australia.

Decided to treat myself today, went to the hairdressers and she gave me a deep moisture treatment and a head massage - bliss!

Advent

Shimelle's prompt for today relates to Advent calendars or the countdown to Christmas. Being so disorganised this year I don't have an advent calendar so I suppose my journal is my countdown! I might pick up one if I get a chance...

Used a picture of an old door from an ATC pack with some glitter stuff from my glasspainting days, wasn't sure if it would work but turned out OK. Behind door is a a paperartsy stamp. Stamped 3 journalling blocks together and folded into concertina.

December 4th, Dream Christmas

A 12hr shift today at work, but in between I managed to download the prompt for todays journal entry so I could get it done when I got home.

Couldn't find any of my own photo's that summed up my dream christmas so found one on the net. My dream christmas would be having all the family together - like it was when my sister and I were young and all the cousins came over.

Caught up

Well, I've managed to catch up with Shimelle's class! Got all three pages done, but have had to scan in as my batteries are all drained - put some on to recharge but still the camera won't power up. Think I might need to get some new ones. Anyway, hope that I can keep up now, have gone for a small format because i'll be travelling home to Scotland on the 15th so I can be there for my Dad's 70th birthday, then i'll be staying for Christmas. So it has to be small and all i'll need to take is a few stamps, a couple of inkpads and a pen (hopefully!)

Journalling Christmas

I signed up to do Shimelle Laine's Christmas journal class. Even though I don't seem to have time do get things like christmas cards made I thought i'd do this. The intention is that each page should only take around 15 mins - but i'm already behind!! Well, I do work shifts and went to a crop on saturday! I have handcut and inked all my pages and done the manifesto page so I am catching up. Intend to get the next 2 entries done today too.

Manifesto: Noun. A declaration of one's intentions.
Starting December first, I will keep a Christmas journal. In it, I will write something every day to reflect on the holidays of my past, enjoy the holidays of the present and dream about the holidays of my future. To some, this will be a stack of papers and trivial scribbles, but not to me. I am taking back my Christmas, I am letting it be something I relish and, most importantly, I am giving at least fifteen minutes every day to myself no matter how crazy this season becomes. I hope you will share, encourage and understand as I make something with my own hands, my own words and my own memories.
I may post some or all of my entries here. Other artists are doing this with me, and you can see their work here. Or you may join us

Above all: enjoy the season. I will.
Yvonne (inkyfingers)