gossamer blue :: december memories inspiration blog hop

November 30, 2014

gossamer blue :: december memories inspiration blog hop

Hello! Are you December Memorie'd out yet??? This kit is so amazing and versatile that I doubt that's possible, especially taking into account the range of different styles of my talented teammates. I don't imagine you've seen 2 of the same anything...and I actually am not doing a December Memories album; I used my kit to make an Advent Calendar instead.

In the tradition of the idea behind life pages--which is to maintain your memory keeping with ease and simplicity--my calendar is not flashy nor overdone. I've kept most of the designs minimal and streamlined, number one, so I wouldn't make myself crazy, and number two, to stay on-point with quickly-made December Memories/Life Pages spreads. There are already so many things happening at this time of year that I didn't need to add to them with heaps of embellishments or time-consuming techniques.

Are you ready to dive in?

I did a preview post last week where I photographed different elements of the kit, talked a bit about both the kit and my approach to the calendar, and gave a few sneak peeks of my treats. You can read about that here. I chose to use a different "container" for each day so that I could mix things up a bit, have a little more freedom, and stay with the eclectic vibe of the DM kit. You've noticed, I'm sure, that the kit is both modern and traditional, which is one of my most favorite things about it. That's how I styled my calendar, also.

The other thing you should know is that this calendar is full of treats for me, not my kids! We actually have 3 other "traditional" Advent calendars this year so I'm not being completely selfish. And let's face it, the only person in my family who's truly going to appreciate these pretty packages is me! (FYI: I have a 4 year old son, a 21 month old daughter, and a tech-gadget-loving husband, so...)

What are my rewards? Crafty bits like glitter stickers, bottle brush trees, and rolls of washi tape to use throughout the month and beyond; notebooks--because I'm a little obsessed with making lists; gift cards for coffee, movie, and retail therapy breaks; and a few other goodies you'll see throughout the post.

The very first gift is a snowman ornament that I bought because it reminded me of my mother. She passed away last year but it's the kind of thing she would have picked up for me as a season opener.

Gift cards! Small $5-$10 increments for a bit of frivolity mid-month when things get pretty busy. And for the 5th I put nothing inside the little "happy pocket" because I'm giving myself the day off from working to spend time with my family.

*A tip: I wanted to hang the wood bulb ornament from the wreath so my husband found his smallest drill bit (1/16") and drilled a tiny hole through the loop of the bulb. It's the perfect size for a piece of thread.

Because making this calendar didn't even come close to using up all the contents of the kit, I thought of some other ways to use it, one being sending some happy mail to a few folks. I know I won't get around to doing a Christmas card this year, but a few quick notes on the backs of the 4x6 journaling cards will do just fine. I tucked them into December 12th's glassine bag which will remind me to write them.

With very few exceptions, I made my calendar using only the GB December Memories kit. Aside from the bags and boxes which house my treats, the only things I added were thread, twine, and a smidge of glitter glue. And because this kit is meant to coordinate with GB's Get Happy collection by Allison Pennington, I borrowed the "happy pocket" and a few wood numbers from that. (I also borrowed a few wood numbers from one of the October kits.)

I won't lie--this mix and match style of gifts was a lot of work! I had to create a new concept for each day--25 in all, obviously--and once I reached 15, my brain was a bit fried! But the nice thing about this style is the freedom. I didn't have 25 of the same-sized container so wasn't restricted by that. I didn't have to use the same exact embellishments (or even close) for each package so I had fun using anything at all that I wanted from the kit contents. I didn't even have to stick to a color theme, aside from what was in the DM kit, but if you've seen it, you know that just about every color in the rainbow is represented here. The freedom was grand!

Each day is different and so is each treat!

The 24th is, perhaps, my favorite package. The minty card and the gold sequins make me swoon. It's been on display at my work table ever since I made it and I probably won't want to open it when the time comes!

And this could be my 2nd favorite...I stitched the vellum circles paper to a pink and orange striped card, filling the middle with some sequin stars. I love how it turned out so bright and fun! Aside from the Noel acrylic piece and sisal tree, it's not Christmassy at all. That makes me think I'll certainly be using remnants of this kit long after the holidays have passed. (There just may be a future post about that and all of the other things I've done with this kit...just maybe.)

If you're on Instagram, you can see more photos of my packages daily, as well as those other projects I made using the kit throughout the month of December. (@thurston_post) There's so much to be done with this that one blog post just doesn't cover it all!

That's all for me today but you're moving on to the lovely and always-inspiring Tara Anderson next. No doubt she's got something amazing to show you. I've got the entire list of designers with links here but if you get lost, you can always head back to the GB blog for all the blog hop information. Cheers!