Done & Documented: April

So, I got the December Daily done last month -YAHOOOOOOO!!! I am sure I have mentioned it before but its worth mentioning again, I am not good at finishing a project. Any project. I have high hopes & good intentions but usually get overwhelmed or bored in the final stage & just walk away long enough that by the time I get back, there is no interest at all in finishing so I bag it up & put it in my unfinished project bin. Is that sad? So anyway, when I actually follow through with a project to the finish line, I am super stoked. So far, its only these little books & Tim's first hog hunting book that are finished.

So then next on my list is 2009 Christmas & Labor Day Weekend chapters in my 12x12 books.  I cannot wait to have them complete as that will mean that I finally have a whole year complete. UNHEARD of for me!! (or many scrappers, I hear)  Here is a collage of the first bunch of Christmas pages I completed following the December Daily in March.

top left to right:

1. the first 2 are a set from a Close to my Heart workshop I attended.  We had them constructed complete just waiting for photos & even after I trimmed the photos on the left page to fit, I was unhappy with it so I pulled the pieces off, reassembling in my normal non-linear, off kilter, clumped up way of scrapping & fell in love again.
2. the next 2 may not sit in that order in the book, but they are all the photos snapped in one session-out takes & all :) was pretty excited when I used those 3 pink love themed pieces from Elle's Studio, that are gathered together because they were the final pieces I still had from an old 2009 collection & happy to toss the empty packages.
3. middle row left side pair will NOT be across from each other but they were each an odd page scrapped so put them together for the collage. the left is a fancy die cut shaped paper that I had been hoarding for a bit & only wanted to minimally embellish it so I didn't take away from the paper itself.
4. the right one is a collage of me w/the nieces & nephews (at the time-remember this is 2009 & we have added another since then;)) Scrapping Christmas on brown was a little odd for me but then it just seemed logical when I tried pairing the photo w/other more 'Christmas-y' papers. Inked the chipboard letters to spell 'Aunt'. These photos are from the many they took when they were sharing the camera.
5. back to the left, bottom 2 are a pair that will sit across from each other in the book.  I had the die cuts leftover from a pack & pulled the matching papers out of a different pack & was amazed at how well it all fit together.  needing some texture, I used foam squares behind some of the die cuts, & white fuzzy yarn around some. The important parts were the photos & the journaling yet, I just couldn't stop w/a flat page.
6. the last set will also be together. These papers & die cuts came together in a pack (this is the pack the die cuts from the previous set was from).  More of the same as the previous set, fuzzy white yard & foam squares for texture, keeping the interest on the photos & journaling. 

1. this group of pages was created before the 12th when Mom & I went to a fundraiser crop for her birthday.  
2. Top 1 & 2 are going just like that in the scrapbook. They are using great Christmas papers & embellishments I have been hoarding for a while.  I love scrapping great 5x7s & thats what these pages use.  Some chipboard, metal & buttons, oh my!  
3. Bottom 1&2 are going like this in the book as well.  For some reason, I didn't enlarge any of J's family to a 5x7 when I ordered so I 'fixed' it by stacking 2 4x6s instead. Totally works for me.  More of the same cool paper collection, chipboard, tags, & some Close To My Heart metals.  I also designed these pages around the stamped images I received at a a crop a while back ('Joyful Tidings' & various stamped ornament embellishments on the pages).  
4. The Top & Bottom #3s are a matching set.  the bottom one, you saw in the collage above, but I felt the need to share it again when I shared its match.  another paper collection but lots of variety of goodies. 

the only other 4 I completed in April:

1. the top 2 are a set -the red on the right is really more red than pink as it shows-funky lighting when I snapped the shot.  Mom got all 5 grandkids felt cowboy hats & puffy painted their initials on them. HUGE HIT! 
2. the bottom 2 are also a set, some new Hobby Lobby goodies + some really old stuff. love the collages as a quick & easy way to get a lot of photos scrapped together.

ps. where did April go??????

you can see my January, February & March reports here.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Done and documented is series of monthly posts that highlights Jess's progress completing unfinished travel albums from years past. I will be following along by doing my December Daily 2013, then plan to finish 2009 (2 chapters) & start a new year. Feel free to play along!