My Own Kit - December 2013 - Journal Your Christmas

At long last...but with a bit of a disclaimer: I know these photos are not good. I live in Michigan, which is infamous for cloudy days. In fact, people here have to take Vitamin D supplements in the fall and winter to make up for the lack of sunshine. So...I could wait for the rare December day of plentiful sunshine, which is about as likely as snow in Southtown, or I could do my best with what Mother Nature provided and post the pictures I got.

Which is what I'm choosing to do.

Most of the kits I've put together this year have been general scrapbooking kits, with the exception of My Own Kit for June, which I created for a June Daily project. My Own Kit for December I put together specifically for Journal Your Christmas, the project from Shimelle Laine that I love more each year I do it.

I went plentiful with this kit because of the size of the project I'm using it for, assembling things from my stash, as well as new stuff that caught my fancy. There were some embellishments I had tucked away that didn't make it into the photos, and of course, I will probably add bits and pieces as I work on putting the pages in the Journal Your Christmas album together.

So, take a look!

For my album, I chose the standard 12x12 from American Crafts in that gorgeous red with star pattern that's perfect for this project. I have a stash of page protectors in several sizes and orientations, and I purchased a variety pack to give me plenty of options as I go.

For papers, I went with one entire collection from Echo Park Paper, as well as a stack of different papers from all different collections, some from Crate Paper, American Crafts, Bella Blvd., October Afternoon, We R Memory Keepers, and others. Some are from past collections, and some brand new. I love the mix, which I think will blend well together in the album.

In addition to four complete packages of Thickers, I selected some partial packages of letter stickers from my stash. My biggest frustration with scrapbooking, probably my ONLY frustration, is not having enough of a letter I need for the title I want to do on any particular page. That's why I wanted lots of letters in this kit, and I simply love all that glitter.

Lots of new stamp sets added to my stash in 2013, some just for this project, including the new October Afternoon set and the Ali Edwards one.  A couple of masks included with this kit to add even more play with ink and mist, and an alphabet stamp set to give me even more letter options.

I have a lot of ribbon, people. I mean...a LOT, and I know that if I get it into a kit, there's a better chance of it getting onto pages. That package of rick-rack trim? Yeah...that's a good six or seven years old. Not even kidding. The washi tapes are all brand new, and I love, love, love that one with gold background and white stars. I'm really into stars right now, which will be very obvious from this kit. I also threw in a package of doilies because I love the look of those, too.

I chose stickers from October Afternoon's new collection, some word stickers, a couple deer stickers leftover from last year, and a tag and blank card I've had a few years that I'm determined to use somehow in this year's album.

These are the inks and spray mist I intend to use most on my album pages, and I included three sheets of silver star overlays that I can hardly wait to play with.

For embellishments, I chose some wood veneer, some clear acrylic, flowers I've had for quite awhile, and adorable die cuts from October Afternoon and Crate Paper...

...as well as some gems and bow clips, stars and sequins, buttons and brads, and even eyelets. Lots and lots of pretties.

I had so much fun assembling the supplies for this kit, and I know I'm going to have even more fun using them on the pages I'm going to make for my third Journal Your Christmas album.

Now...all I need to do is find the time for crafting!