Stories of December | Carol Chastain

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and might I add, the busiest (at least for most of us). I have documented December for the past 4 years and I have done it the traditional way - photos and stories, from the first of the month until Christmas Day. This year, surprisingly I am taking another path (slight gasp), I'm choosing to just insert stories and photos into my album as the month progresses- No "day one" , "day two", etc.  The kit is such a blessing to have because it isn't restrictive- in fact, there is so much festivity included that the possibilities are endless.

My title page is the lovely vellum paper cut into 2x2 squares, and I adhered the letters of our last name as well as the year we are in. Just a touch of detail with that stag head (I had considered making festive earrings with them, but resisted).

I reused that red bag adding some stamping to the label and popped a flair on there for dimension. I also used the tiny star stamp from the "No Peeking" set to add a pattern to hole re-enforcers. This is something I plan to repeat as the month goes on. I stamped the "Dec. 25" banner on the calendar and added the thin washi tape for a pop of color.

Here's a look at some of my pages so far.

I loved the fluffy white string and decided to add it as an edge for this photo insert. I plan on doing the same with the others later in the month. Texture is such a simple way to help inserts stand out.

So... yes, there is a huge QR code there. It features a video I posted of my daughter on Instagram.  To do this, you need to add the link to a QR code generator (easily found by a quick google search). You can then print the image as large or as small that you need. Now to watch the video you need a QR code scanner app on your phone (again, I found by searching in the app store and there are several free ones.) I know that over time our technology will change, and this  may not work in the future, but for now, it sure is a fun interactive piece of my December album.  I used the wooden alphabet (so bold!)  with the hashtag, as sort of a nod to Instagram.

For some festive sparkle, I added the snowflakes on top of the page protector and added the "S" and the asterisks to help tie the pages together.

Can't wait to see what y'all do with your kits! I will be back sharing the rest of my album on Christmas Day- Have a very merry season!!!!