December Daily Days 23 - 27

After taking a week off, I got caught up on December Daily today. I've loved this project! Keeping embellishments to a minimum and having a kit has streamlined this project and made it doable.

Day 23 - I found an Elegant Collection Carly dress from LuLaRoe. I searched for Carly's for sale on instagram, got into a consultant's group on Facebook, and ordered the dress. She was able to get it for me before Christmas!

Day 24 - We had our annual Christmas Eve dinner at Mom & Dad's house and invited my aunt and uncle this year. We had a great time and used some photo props to create a fun picture. Although we accidentally left Dad out of the photo at the table, someone on Facebook combined 2 photos into 1 for me so I could include everyone! How generous of her!

Day 25 - we had our own Christmas at home, then went to Mom & Dad's, then went to Joe's parents house. I introduced his parents to Snapchat filters and fun was had by all.

Day 26 - I took the day off from work so Mom and I could go shopping. I woke up feeling kind of sick and almost skipped it, but I took Tylenol and some stomach meds and went anyway. So glad I did!

Day 27 - I began thinking about 2017 and making lists!

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December Daily Day 21 and 22

We went to see Rogue One on Day 21. We wanted to go this past weekend when we got back from Pigeon Forge, but waited too long to reserve seats. The movie wasn't crowded on Wednesday though! I used the blue and white label to cover up the word "IMAX" under the movie title. No real pics, but I included the movie ticket.

Day 22 was my last day off before Christmas - so I tied up all the loose ends I had and got ready for Christmas! I used cards from Feed Your Craft's Calm & Bright set, 2 Pam Garrison mini kit cards, and a couple of other random cards. I like to mix it up!

Are you ready for Christmas?

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December Daily Day 20

So I treated myself to these new slipper socks and let me tell you - they're awesome! They're the warmest, most comfy slipper socks I've ever had.

I wanted to use this house paper from the Pam Garrison kit, since I'll only get to wear these socks at home. I love it! The little pink chipboard says "cozy"!

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December Daily Day 19

Joe and I were talking the night of the 19th... doesn't it seem like Christmas is on its way and then all of a sudden BAM it's here?! And you still have stuff on your To do list??

I don't remember where I got these snowflakes from, but I got to use 3 on this layout!

Are you ready for Christmas?

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December Daily Days 17 & 18

We were still in Pigeon Forge, TN for day 17 and part of day 18.

On Saturday, we drove up to Gatlinburg, shopped at NOC, went back to Dollywood to ride the rides (it was freezing last night and they were all closed), and then went out to dinner. I had noticed a little hibachi and sushi bar across the street from our hotel and the online reviews were great. We shared a gyoza appetizer and 3 sushi rolls. SO GOOD!

On day 18, it rained. All day long. We waited too long to get good seats for Star Wars, so we'll have to go another day. We just drove back, went to Walmart, did Christmas stuff, and had dinner. Quiet day!

Did you have a good weekend?

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December Daily Day 16

We spent day 16 at Dollywood for the Smoky Mountain Christmas festivities.

We looked at the decorations and my favorite building is the chapel. I tried to catch the beautiful pink sky behind it, but there were too many people there. This pic still turned out pretty!

I cut a page protector up the middle to make a small insert and added more decoration pictures on the front.

On the back of the insert, I put my favorite picture from the new "Parade of Many Colors." It's a serious upgrade from the past Christmas parade!!

We have only been inside the Dolly Museum a couple of times but it's always fun. There are tons of her awards and outfits on display.

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December Daily Day 15

YES!! I'll admit, I've been hoarding these super cute ugly Christmas sweaters since last year and I was SO GLAD to finally get to use them!! They're delightfully tacky, just like Christmas sweaters! Our facility had a Christmas sweater and free breakfast day yesterday.

I added these embellishments to make our outfits even more festive!

Do you have any ugly Christmas sweaters?

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December Daily Day 14

I documented my love for random, uncoordinated wrapping paper on Day 14. I like how it looks, but I could never just choose 1 or 2 papers to use each year. Mom and I like to go shopping right after Christmas and get fun paper for next year - especially from Target!

I sacrificed a very small 3x4 piece of this vintage looking Santa paper from last year. There isn't much left!

Do you pick 1 or 2 papers and use them for the year? Or do you pick a bunch of random ones like I do??

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December Daily Day 13

On day 13, I documented making my Christmas card list and the 2 cards I'm sending out this year. I love this journaling card from the Calm & Bright set from Feed Your Craft!

Do you send out Christmas cards?

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December Daily Day 12

So I found out that a certain present isn't going to be here for Christmas. Not gonna lie, more than a few tears were shed. It's so disappointing! I'll figure something out though!!

I love Joe's timing on buying a heart eyes emoji ornament though! We send that emoji frequently in our texts. I couldn't photograph it without a reflection or glare, so we embraced it and purposefully got a selfie in the middle of its face.

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December Daily Day 11

Day 11 is when we put up the Christmas Tree! We usually wait a week or so into December, and when I got home from work on Sunday, it was time!

I'm so glad I had used the divided 2x2 square page protector on Day 10 so I could highlight some of my favorite ornaments. 

I used the app TrueBokeh to take this photo, then added the "Merry Christmas" in Rhonna Designs.

This embellishment is from Pam Garrison's mini kit and I love those spiky, retro ornaments!

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December Daily Day 10

So what do you do when there's no clear story and you haven't taken any photos that day? I decided to tell my day through emojis and simple words and phrases.

I used a white background in the A Beautiful Mess app and selected Tect to so I could add in my emojis. I added 4 emojis per 4x4 photo. I then printed the pics and cut them apart into 2x2 squares. 

I used a Studio Calico chipboard circle and some wood veneer for embellishment.

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December Daily Days 7, 8, 9

I've been keeping up with making my album, but got a couple of days behind on blogging.

Day 7 - rest, Christmas shopping, a photo shoot for a local clothing boutique (so random, but so fun!), and a quiet night at home made Wednesday a great day!

Day 8 - Joe and I went and volunteered at a distribution center in Pigeon Forge. It's a place where people affected by the Gatlinburg wildfires can get clothes, food, and more. I'm so glad we were able to do this!! Along with volunteering, we plan to make a donation to Dolly Parton's My People Fund. She's giving $1,000 per month for 6 months to families that lost their homes. We drove up the Spur toward Gatlinburg and saw some burned areas. The damage wasn't as bad on this area as I had expected... but the worst hit areas aren't open yet.

I tucked our wristbands behind this card.

Day 9 - the first snow flurries of the season! Although the snow didn't really stick, it was pretty to look at as I drove to work. These cards are from a Kelly Purkey kit from a year or 2 ago.

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Fall Book Report

In September and October, I continued reading and working toward my goal of 30 books this year.

I finally got to read Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. It's been on my list for quite a while and it did not disappoint! It's about 2 young people that marry and the book follows their life. You get to hear both sides of the story and I couldn't put it down.

I first heard about The Girls by Emma Cline from a reading list someone posted on the inter webs. It's about a young girl that gets swept away into a cult like group. She spends most of her time with the group, but goes back and forth between them and her mother. Overall, I liked the book but it was somewhat unsettling.

I listened to When I'm Gone by Emily Bleeker because it was another free Amazon book. It's about a family with kids and the mom passes away. The husband gets letters from her after her death and can't figure out who they're from. It was pretty good, but I should have read it instead of listening on Audible. Again, I realized I prefer nonfiction audio books vs fiction.

I really liked I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. A mom and her little boy are walking home when he runs out in front of a car and is killed. It's a hit and a run so the book is all about tracking down the guilty party. I was shocked a couple of times!

Another book that's been on my list for a long time is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It's set during World War II and follows the stories of a blind French girl and a German boy. Her father works at a museum and is entrusted with carrying a very valuable item (or one of its 3 copies) when they have to leave France. So good!!

Another nonfiction book I listened to on Audible was A Return to Love Workshop: The Basics of A Course in Miracles by Marianne Williamson. Another amazing read from her! It's about letting go and letting miracle happen. Loved it!

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Christmas Cards part 2

We used stamps on the rest of our Caring Hearts cards.

This is from an Illustrated Faith stamp set. It's so cute!

I used gold embossing powder and Mom's Spectrum Noir markers to make this card.

I finally used this stamp set and I love it!

Mom created these 2 cards in slightly different color schemes. She used a variety of stamps and I LOVE how the pattern turned out!!

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December Daily Day 6

Day 6 was short and sweet - it's all about Christmas music! A few XM/Sirius Radio stations started playing Christmas music on Monday afternoon. I've been listening to some while working on my December Daily. My coworkers and I love listening to pop hits and country versions  at work too.

Do you have a favorite Christmas station you like on XM or Apple Music? Or a favorite album?

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December Daily Day 5

Today I documented my "Gifts" list on my iPhone. Through the year, I add things I notice or hear people say they like. When Christmas (and birthdays!) roll around, I check the list and see what options I have.

I even ordered something off the list for Joe today! ;)

How do you keep up with gift ideas?

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December Daily Day 4

On Sundays when I'm off work, Joe and I usually have breakfast and run errands. Today was no exception, but we did try one of the Starbucks holiday drinks - caramel brûlée latte. We thought it was SUPER sweet and I prefer the chestnut praline latte I had last week!

I wanted to use stars since you collect Starbucks stars when you make purchases there. I layered the red star washi from Pam's mini kit on top of one of the cards.

This little paperclip has been hanging around for a long time - today was the day it got used!

Which Starbucks holiday drink is your favorite?

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December Daily Day 3

We took a day trip over to the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. No spa visit this time (dang it!) but we hung out in the Great Hall in front of the fireplace, had lunch at Edison's (best grilled cheese ever!), and saw some of the National Gingerbread House Competition winners.

I cut the bottom inch or so off the brochure, attached a little tag to it, and slipped it behind the 6x8 page. It peeks out just enough for you to know it's there.

Still loving my numbers :)

How cute is this card?

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