December Daily 2015 Day 21

Welcome to Day 21 in my December Daily album! For my story today I chose a couple of photos I have taken over the last few days. We have been baking cookies, just a few at a time. I am beginning a new tradition for us as a blended family in which I am hoping we can sit together as a family on Christmas Eve, enjoy our cookies (leave some for Santa, of course), and just enjoy each other’s company.

Here is Day 21 as it was for the Foundation Pages:

Because I had worked with the Pretty Little Studio transparency on Day 20, I decided to repeat that element across the page.

I chose some photos that had been taken at different times on different days, some were taken by me on my phone, and others were taken by my husband on his phone. I alternated photo/transparency across the layout to bring repetition and unity.

I moved the number 21 to the left side. I added a few stamped elements to the photos, and another circle tag from Pretty Little Studio on top of the transparency.

On the right hand side the same alternating photos/transparency, plus journaling in a flip-up pocket.

The top photo flips up to reveal the journaling for the day. I used one of the pages from the logbook that was part of the Main Kit while supplies lasted. Definitely worth buying the kits early to get one!

My journaling spilled over to the back side too.

The bottom pocket is actually 4×6, but I treated it like it was two 3×4’s to keep consistency. The transparency is slightly wider than 3×4, so I adhered it to the photo by that overlap.

It was important for me, with this layout, to document how far our family has come. We have been a blended family for 4 years, and when we began this journey no one told me it would take 2-5 years for the rough parts to begin to smooth out. No one could have prepared me for the intense emotions that joining two families would bring, to each and every one of us.

Part of the reason I participate in December Daily projects every year is because I want to record the journey we are on. Not just to say, look here’s what we did, but to process and discuss and reflect on the significance of the events as they happen. This story today could have just been photos and journaling that just said here we are baking cookies, but I took time to process exactly why these photos were significant.

We weren’t just baking cookies. We actually spent some time together starting a new tradition of togetherness, and we actually got along. No hard feelings came along, no attitudes, no anger or hostility. I cannot tell you how hard each and every one of us has worked to be able to do that, and that work has been messy, at times nasty, and sometimes the worst of humanity.

Of course we still have miles to go. More to process. More difficult feelings to work through. More paths to follow. But this month, in this album, I am celebrating the progress we have made. I wrote the other day how these are the Christmases our children will talk about for the rest of their lives. I’m so happy that those conversations will be merry and bright.

Here is one more look at the layout outside of the album:

I hope that you, as you are documenting your own family events and photos, will also take time to explore why the photos are significant to you and your family. I hope you are inspired to go, do, and create today.

See you soon,

~Theresa

**December Daily is the creative brainchild of scrapbooking genius Ali Edwards, and is a process of documenting December memories by photographing and writing stories each day. To learn more about this project, and find links to shop for products, please visit her website here.

Occasionally in my projects I use items that, sadly, are discontinued or no longer available but they still deserve attribution. The label stickers I used are old Simple Stories labels from several years ago.

The transparency, vellum tapes, deer circle tag and cookie banners are from Pretty Little Studio. Her lovely shop can be found here.

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