More pages for the journal again

I have had a great time this afternoon playing with my Journal. I have finished a few more pages so thought I might as well upload them. I really should resize my pictures and upload to Writtendown as well, so might try and find a bit of time this evening to do it.

Almost year end! and still pages to do in the Christmas Journal

We have wild and windy weather again battering the shores of our island, so Doug has gone out windsurfing! That's my boy - loves whatever the weather throws at us, as he has an outdoor hobby to fit them all!

Suits me, as I can continue with my Christmas Journal, particularly as I am so behind with it. Still I have managed a couple more pages, and made the front and back covers, so if the worst comes to the worst I can give up knowing it is at least a book!! (Naughty Jennie for thinking of giving up!!)Seriously I must do at least til Christmas Day!!
Here are the front cover and inside it anyway. Thanks for looking.

On the 7th Day - - -

The prompt for day 7 was about Christmas Shopping so this is my entry.

More pages for the journal

Another day spending a little time catching up with my journal. It is coming along nicely and I am pleased with what I have done so far, though I am still behind with the prompts. I am enjoying the process very much, though I have included a page here which isn't part of the prompts . It has to be included in the journal though as it was the Christmas present from Lydia, my eldest daughter. Two tickets to see Tony Hadley, formally of Spandau Ballet, on his new tour. We had a great evening, the atmosphere was brilliant and he was so good: much better than I expected him to be as he really is a good singer, and his performance of "standards" was excellent.Thank you Lydia, this was a lovely Christmas Gift!

Christmas Eve in Spaldrick Cottage

I am stealing a few minutes to update my blog on Christmas Eve. I have been quite busy today, but it has been a peaceful day and I have got everything done now for the big day tomorrow. All my parcels are wrapped and under the tree.


The house is clean and tidy and now all I can think of is Clement C Moore, and his poem Twas the Night Before Christmas.

- - When all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in the hope that St Nicholas soon would be there.
And mama in her kerchief and I in my cap
Had settled ourselves for a long winters nap.

I love everything about Christmas, especially this poem, and this is to be my entry in my Christmas Journal for today. All is collected together - but not put together a s I am so BEHIND with my journal. I hope to be able to complete the pages during the Christmas break.

Almost our last day in school

Tomorrow is the last day of term and in the afternoon we are having a "collapsed timetable" - (I always have a mental picture of the the date and times falling over in a heap):) :)
Anyway - to get back to tomorrow - Christine, Julie and I are running a Crafty Christmas session in the library, and this is one of the items we hope to do. I would like to thank Shirley Toogood for allowing us to use her design, as published in Scrapbook Inspirations Magazine.
Christine is going to show them how to make a little mouse with a candy cane tail and we have lots of card blanks to make Christms cards as well. Hope its fun for them - if they like it enough maybe we will start a Scrapbook/Card making club at lunchtimes in the New Year.

Logs to Burn

This is one of my favourite verses for this time of year. I especially love it now that we burn logs in the cottage. Having a real fire is one of the joys of my Christmas. I do intend to use this in my Christmas Journal in some way - but don't yet know how.

Logs to Burn

Beech-wood fires burn bright and clear,
If the logs are kept a year:
Store your Beech for Christmastide,
With new cut Holly laid beside.
Chestnut's only good, they say,
If for years 'tis stored away;
Birch and Fir-wood burn too fast,
Blaze too bright and do not last;
Flames from Larch will shoot up high,
Dangerously the sparks will fly.

But Ash-wood green and Ash-wood brown
Are fit for a Queen with golden crown.

Oaken logs, if dry and old,
Keep away the winters cold,
Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your eyes and makes you choke;
Elm-wood burns like churchyard mould,
E'en the very flames are cold.
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread -
So it is in Ireland said;
Apple-wood will scent the room,
Pear-wood smells like flowers in bloom,

But Ash-wood wet and Ash-wood dry
A King may warm his slippers by.

Playing catch up with the Journal

I have been trying to catch up with my Christmas Journal, and have managed another couple of pages. I am still so far behind though - so I have decided to do a page as it strikes me and hopefully I will get caught up better that way.Anyway here is day 8 and day 11. I have written about the changes I see around as my island gets ready for the festive season on day 8 which fits in with the prompt, and as my item for the challenge - which was to use something small - I have used charms.
The Christmas tree pages were complete all but for a photo of this year's tree but I didn't want to upload til it was added.
The journalling is as follows -
The island is getting ready for Christmas. We have the trees up in school, both indoors and out. Outside the tree is shimmering with white lights, whilst in the hall, the foyer and in the library corridor they are all decorated with multi coloured lights this year. Christmas has started—though you wouldn’t think so from the weather—it has rained incessantly for days!

The Christmas Tree has appeared in the square in Castletown, and the lamp posts are all adorned with festive decorations: reindeer, candles, snowflakes, angels and Santa; whilst there are fairy lights strung across the street, all awaiting “the big switch on” of the Christmas lights next Saturday.

Every village has at least one special house that is dressed for Christmas with Santa’s or snowmen figures in the gardens, each one festooned in lights in a huge variety of ways, in the windows, in the trees, along the roof, round the door and even round the lychgate. There are some large houses here on the island! They light the gloom of the journey home with such a burst of colour as I pass that I am beginning to feel festive just looking at them!

Even the houses that don’t have outside lights have Christmas Trees in the windows, or visible through the window and I can see the lights and decorations as I travel home each evening after work. I can’t wait to get our tree and put up my own decorations, and the outside lights—which we have only had since last year—this will be their second outing!!

Loving all the signs of the season appearing around me—everywhere I look and the sounds of Christmas Carols in the hall as the children practise for the big Christmas Concert!!

Thanks for looking.

Wrapping the Parcels

Well this was a quick page to do, so though I am not really caught up I finished this one, so thought I'd post it anyway. I did include a scrap of this years paper and my trim for my parcels. I love wrapping - it gives me such pleasure to make my parcels look pretty.
Thanks for looking.

Advent

Well I've had to play catch up with my Christmas journal. I have had a really busy week and on top of it all I have a really sore throat, stuffy nose and tightness in my chest -a real cold in fact! All I have wanted to do really was crawl into bed - however I have done a little bit more at my journal and these are my day 5 pages - all about Advent.

I made a few little windows with mini pictures inside to represent the kind of Advent calenders I had as a child.

Inside I included my journalling,

Ruben the Reindeer

A little Advent gift from my friend Amanda. She has made it for me at her willow weaving class. I am so touched - as he will fit into my cottage beautifully. When my decorations go up he is going to be on the mirror at the bottom of the stairs! Meanwhile he will have to wait in the box with the rest of the decorations! He is sweet though, isn't he?
Thanks Amanda!! You are a star!

Day 6 - Memories

I found this entry for my journal really difficult. I truly, honestly can't remember a single Christmas I haven't enjoyed in some way. I look back on them all - & at my age there are quite a few - and see only happiness around me, family, smiling faces, laughter, games, good food, good friends - just good company!! That probably means I am lucky, I know - but my glass is always half full, not half empty so I know I do look at the world through rose coloured spectacles. The best I could come up with for todays entry was 2 very different Christmasses. Here's one of the pages anyway.

Chocolate to die for!!!

Last night at our crop Hayley brought the MOST wonderful chocolates. Her brother makes handmade chocolate - so delicious!!!! If ever you want special chocolate for a special person he is THE MAN!! It was the best I have ever tasted - think of the book and film "Chocolat". That says it all! Not only does it taste wonderful but it is so PRETTY as well.
I didn't have my camera last night so have no pictures - so sorry! And we only got the seconds! We had a bit of a supper last night at the crop, and the chocolates were a part of the spread-actually the whole supper was lovely.
We also did our Santa Swap at the meeting so I hope everyone was pleased with their gift.Most everyone took their parcel home un-opened, so may be (like me) they have so few surprises that again like me they took theirs to open on Christmas Day. I have saved mine to put under my tree. I love surprises so it will be so nice to open it on Christmas morning.

Our Christmas Crop tonight

Tonight is our Christmas crop - and we are having a Santa Swap of scrapping goodies! I hope to add a bit more to my Christmas Journal -at least complete todays page from the prompt. I have been thinking about it all day and now have an idea floating around in the old brain! just hope it works. The prompt is about Advent and the countdown to Christmas - lots of good ideas from Shimelle for us to play around with. Quite pleased with the way my journal is turning out.

A Perfect Christmas?

I couldn't fit this onto one page so made a double page spread as I wanted to include a picture. I did think of doing an imaginary "perfect Christmas" but decided against it as the first time I have journalled my Christmas season. I am enjoying the class so much - so may have to make one of these journals every year from now on!

On the 4th day of - - - the Christmas Journal

Back to work this morning so can't get on with todays prompt 'til tonight. Have printed out a copy though so I can drool over it whilst I work!I am really pleased with my efforts so far and I am really getting into the spirit of Christmas as a result! I spent my day yesterday scrapping to my hearts content, covered in glitter, bits of paper on the floor, running backwards and forwards to the computer to check out the prompts and the work of the other artists making their own journals all over the world! This class has truly world wide appeal and its great to communicate with like minded ladies from USA, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, UK to name just a few! Have to get back to the job now - break time over!

Christmas Cards

This is my effort for the third prompt - all about the cards we send/receive each year. I have included this years Christmas Stamps as they are so pretty, a photo of my first card of the season (it came Friday the 1st December) and made a couple of mini cards to go on the page finally a couple of paper flowers and brads to finish it off.

On the 3rd day of Christmas --

I got really involved with my Christmas journal and had so much to write about that I have made a couple of extra pages. I am really finding these prompts fun to do - but then I suppose I should expect that as I have always been excited by Christmas - I'm no different now than when I was a little girl waiting for the Man in Red! Anyway there is Magic in Believing - and Magic in the air at this time of year - that's my excuse anyway! I do just love Christmas!

The Christmas Journal cont'd

Here is the page I've made for prompt 2. The prompt was all about the weather and Shimelle challenges us (See the community blog) to make paper snowflakes again - like I remember doing at infant school (fond memories of The Mission surface in my head as I write this, of Mrs Max, Mrs Johnson & Mrs Taylor and being walked home in snow and fog, as well as glue, sugar paper & glittery desks). Thanks for this prompt Shimelle - I always did suffer from "cuttyitis" as my mum calles it. And it was good to remember my primary school teachers - like the adverts say - you never forget a good teacher!

Snowflakes are on an acetate overlay and the big one I made and covered in glitter. The little ones are form my craft supplies - & I had forgotton I had them!!
Thanks for looking.

My Christmas Journal

Hooray! I've completed the manifesto page. My problem was being "spoiled for choice" with Chistmas papers! I just didn't know which to use!! I knew I wanted to use the traditional Christmas colours of Red & Green - that's the pagan in me coming out by the way. Maybe it also makes me a bit boring - I don't know - but I am afraid Christmas has to be green, red, white, gold & silver. My problem was so many delish papers to choose - Fruitcake by Basic Grey, Debbie Mumm, Tim Coffey, Karen Foster, Samantha Walker, Marah Johnson, doodlebug I can go on & on!
I have dabbled with "themed" colours on my Christmas trees in the past - all icy blues and pinks one year I remember, and burgundy/wine colours once, and millenium year I had 2 trees (thats another story) one in my favourite colours and the other purple,blue, white & silver but I do keep coming back to my red, green, gold , white & silver!!
So the Christmas Journal has to be red & green --probably with some bling! Gold and silver I expect. Anyway - here's my first page.
Thanks for looking.

Scrapbooking weekend

My beloved has gone accross - as they say here - for the weekend - which means I can leave ALL my crafting stuff OUT!! So much more time to scrap that way!! I hope to make a good start with my Christmas Journal today - may be work on the covers. I have finally decided that I will MAKE the book myself! I do have a 6x6 K & Co Xmas album - which I love - but I think I will use it for the Ornamental Memories class I am doing as well. Hope I haven't given myself too much to do!
Promise to self -
If I make good progress - I WILL upload here though I don't suppoes many will see, and to the community space, where hopefully a few will see. Not a problem, as I am doing this for me - surprising how guilty that makes me feel - is this female conditioning or does it just come with being a mum? Wish I knew!

I am so excited - I have the first prompt for Shimelle's Christmas Journal class - and as she has suggested that we post a copy of this manifesto to our blogs, I am doing. Thanks to Shimelle for the inspiration and use of her words - though I have tweaked it a bit to make it mine.

My Intention - to create a special book.

Manifesto: Noun. A declaration of one's intentions.

Starting December First, this year, I will keep a Christmas Journal.
In it I will write something every day to reflect on the Christmas past, enjoy THIS Christmas present, and dream about Christmas yet to come.
Some will think of this as a stack of papers and trivial scribbles, but not ME.
I love Christmas, it is something I relish and enjoy with all my heart, and most importantly I am giving at least 15 minutes every day to myself no matter how hectic and crazy the season becomes! I hope you will share, encourage and understand as I make something with my own hands,my own words and my own memories.

I may post some or all of my entries here. Other artists are doing this with me, and you can see their work here. Or you may join us.

Above all - Enjoy the season! I will.

Jennie xx