December Daily - Part 1 - Graphic 45 Style!

Edited to add: blog candy winner announcement has been moved to HERE.

Welcome to December! My blog will be filled with goodness this month - projects, blog hops, and all sorts of crafty goodness! Now, for what you've been waiting for....my Graphic 45 inspired December Daily!

Part 1: Let's Get Started!

Each year many crafters create a "December daily" journal. Some of us want a journal with lots of space in which to write. Some of us want a journal with lots of space for photos. But, some of us want a journal that is more of an art piece, a decoration for our table. We want to add journaling and photos, to be sure! But we also want to be able to have a beautiful "coffee table book" to enjoy each year!

I love vintage items and enjoy making my own "vintage" pieces. This year I decided to make a December Daily in a vintage theme, using Graphic 45 papers. I wanted a journal that covered the entire month of December, since there are times when we have events, parties, and celebrations that happen AFTER December 25th! I also wanted something that would sit on my table each year; I wanted something pretty and festive! And I wanted YOU to be able to make a journal, too!

Take a journey with me each week, for the next four weeks, as we make this one-of-a-kind mini album! Visit me here on my blog, for step-by-step directions, according to the following schedule.

Today, December 1st: gathering your supplies,
binding techniques,

instructions for creating the covers

December 8th: instructions for creating pages 1-10

December 15th: instructions for creating pages 11-21

December 22nd: instructions for creating pages 22-31

Each week, the Graphic 45 Blog will remind you to visit me to get the next set of directions for your project!

Gathering Your Supplies

I hope that each of you will "shop your stash" as much as possible to create this mini album. I will tell you what I've used, but don't feel you must follow my list to the letter! In some cases, the products I've used are from my own stash and I have no clue where they came from or how old they are! Part of the fun of creating this type of journal is in digging through your stash! See my specific supply list at the end of the post.

I created my album out of chipboard, packaging, and other odds and ends. Don't feel that you have to BUY an album unless you choose to. If you do not have access to a sturdy hole punch and binding supplies, you may wish to purchase an album that has at least 19-20 pages, including covers.

Graphic 45 Papers:
Christmas Emporium: A Christmas Carol, Toyland, 'Tis the Season, Christmas Emporium, Joyous Noel, Merry and Bright, Happy Holidays, Special Delivery, Santa Express, Believe!
Christmas Past: The Holly and the Ivy, Christmas Wishes, Jolly Old St. Nicholas, Deck the Halls, Victorian Greetings, Letters to Santa, Christmas Past Tags
Le Cirque: Wizards of Wonder
An ABC Primer: School Days, Bedtime Stories, Calico Kids
Fashionista: Buttons a la Mode, Perfumeries, Vintage Cherries

Graphic 45 Staples:
Ornate metal door plate, number stickers, Christmas Emporium chipboard, Christmas Emporium stamps

Album Supplies:
2 heavy chipboard covers, 5x8 inches
10 thin chipboard pages, 5x8 inches
3 tags made from Graphic 45 packaging (you can trace a tag onto thin chipboard or heavy cardstock)
1 invitation size envelope
3 pages from a Graphic 45 Kraft Envelope Album (or similar)
1 page from a Graphic 45 Black Policy Envelope (or similar)
1 mini file folder (Pinecone Press)

General Supplies:
Numbers 1-31 (stickers, chipboard, die cuts, etc.)
Journaling blocks
Stamps and rub-ons in a Christmas theme
Embellishments in a Christmas theme
Paint, ink, glitter, mist
Trims and ribbon
Adhesives: wet and dry (a hot glue gun is a plus)
Tools: Hole punches, die cutting system or circle cutter, binding system or binding rings, paper trimmer, scissors, sanding block

Binding Your Finished Album

I make sure that I decide on my binding method BEFORE I make the first page of my album. I do not want to have one of those "slap your head" moments when the pages are finished and then I cannot bind the album.

I wanted to be able to display my album in a "fan shape" and I wanted the binding to be snug. I chose to use an O-wire system (We R Memory Keepers Cinch). My album will never close properly or lay flat, as my binding is too tight, however the album sits nicely on the table, as shown. I was able to use the Cinch to punch my binding holes and crimp my wire binding.

If you want your album to lay flat, I suggest you choose a D-ring system. You can buy large rings at your office or home supply store. You will need a hole punch, such as a Crop-a-Dile, to punch your holes. My finished album is approximately 3 1/2 inches thick!

Creating Your Covers

1. Cut heavy chipboard to 5x8 inches.

2. Cover the front of the chipboard with Graphic 45 A Christmas Carol paper (5x8 inches). Sand all edges and distress with white pigment ink or white paint.

3. Using small chipboard letters, spell out "December Daily 2011" on your front cover.

The chipboard set I used did not come with numbers so I used a backwards "s" for the "2" and an "o" and two "l's" for my zero and ones. My chipboard was "raw" so I inked and sprayed it to be a sparkly burgundy color. It appears more purple in the photos, but it's more on the red side in person. If you chose, you may decide to use another year, or leave the year off altogether.

4. To create the center of the album, paint a Graphic 45 Ornate Metal Door Plate with burgundy and white paint. Use a dry-brush technique to make sure some of the original metal shows through the paint. Allow to dry.

5. Add two cranberry brads to the door plate, and then hot glue the door plate to the center of the album. I used hot glue to make sure the plate was sung on the cover.

6. To create the flower, cut a 1x24 inch strip of white felt, and then snip the felt every 1/4" with scissors to create a fringe. (You can buy felt in most fabric stores.)

7. Roll the felt, with the fringed side up, as shown.

8. Glue with hot glue every few rolls. When you reach the end, glue the tail of the felt to the flower. Puff the flower with your fingers and decorate as desired.

9. Glue glitter leaves, berries, and pin heads to the flower center with hot glue. I used wire cutters to snip the stems from my pins before gluing them to the flower.

10. Trim an image from Graphic 45 Santa Express paper, distress edges, then attach to the door plate with foam squares.

11. Cover the inside of the front cover with Graphic 45 A Christmas Carol paper (5x8 inches). Sand all edges and distress with white pigment ink or white paint. Attach a ticket embellishment to the center of the page.

12. Punch your binding holes.

13. Cut heavy chipboard to 5x8 inches for the back cover.

14. Cover the back of the cover with Graphic 45 Joyous Noel paper (5x8 inches). Sand all edges and distress with white pigment ink or white paint. Set aside. The inside of your back cover will be Day 31 of your album and we will decorate that later. Do not punch your binding holes yet. Mine are shown punched, but wait until we decorate the inside before you punch yours!

Come back next Thursday, and we'll decorate pages 1-10! See you then!

 
Gloria's Specific Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin Up!, Unity, Stampers Anonymous
Journaling spots: Sandy Lion, Cosmo Cricket, Teresa Collins, Making Memories Bo Bunny, Echo Park, Maya Road
Embellishments: Miss Cutiepie Inspirations vintage Christmas tickets, envelope, Teresa Collins brads, felt, Prima leaves and berries, Maya Road pins, Fancy Pants buttons, bottle caps, charms, Jenni Bowlin stickers and bingo cards, chipboard, mini clothes pin, K&Company epoxy numbers, American Crafts glitter numbers, Maya Road Jonathan mini alphabet
Rub-ons: Marrah Johnson, Daisy D's, Little Yellow Bicycle
Inks and paints: Deco Art white acrylic paint, Making Memories evergreen, Bordeaux, shopping bag acrylic paint, Clearsnap Smooch Spritz wine berry, ice rink, vanilla shimmer, ginger ale, green olive mist, Clearsnap Colorbox frost white pigment ink, Clearsnap Colorbox Decades dark cashmere, antique moss, triumphant red antiquing ink, Clearsnap Colorbox popcorn, chestnut roan, dark brown, creamy brown, warm red Fluid Chalk ink
Glitter: Ranger star dust, silver, gold, Christmas red Stickles, German glass glitter, other glitter
Trims: Really Reasonable Ribbon
Adhesive: Inkssentials Glossy Accents, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L foam squares and tape runner, Scotch 3M tape runner, Glue Dots adhesive dots, white glue, hot glue
Tools: Zutter Round-it-All, Spellbinders Grand Calibur Die Cutting Machine, Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circles Large and Standard Circles Small, We R Memory Keepers Cinch binding machine and Crop-a-dile hole punch