Preparing a Journal

Part of the reason for Shimelle's Christmas Crafting Weekend was to prepare your journal for her 'Journal Your Christmas' class. I am not doing this one, but I have recently decided to do her 'Scrap Your Day' class, recording my life on the 25th of each month next year. This originally ran in 2008-09 but the materials are permanently archived and accessible via the Free Projects button on her blog. I realised that by preparing the journal now, I have a much better chance of starting on time and keeping going through the year.

Shimelle has set two specific challenges for the journal:
1. Prepare your album and cut at least some of your background papers
2. Prepare a pocket for a page

After a shopping trip yesterday for cardstock and book rings, I have made a simple 6" x 12" album, and prepared some of the pages. I have stuck down birthday papers for May (as my birthday falls on the 25th) and Christmas papers for December. 

I have also cut some winter, spring and autumn papers to size but not stuck them down yet; I will wait and see which months they suit - e.g matching the snowflake paper to the coldest/snowiest month of January or February.

I am trying to use up free papers from magazines as they also often come with embellishment sheets which should make finishing the pages quicker and easier. 

I have also made the basic front cover with a pocket and left space to add photos or more embellishments later on. 

The pocket has several pieces of card ready for decorating and journalling. I want to explain why I am doing the album, and will probably add other thoughts as I go through the year plus pictures of things like my home which do not belong on a specific page. I have looped them together with string and tied them to one of the book rings so that they will not get lost even if they fall out of the pocket.

Supplies - Album
Cardstock - Bazzill (plus dark brown from stash)
Paper - Offcut from Stash, possibly MME?
Book Rings - Imagine That
Numbers - Pebbles
Letters - Basic Grey
Camera - atd
Border Sticker - Crate Paper

Supplies - Pages
May - DCWV, Pebbles
December - Bo Bunny Believe (free papers)
Winter - Unknown
Spring - Kay Miller Designs (free papers)
Autumn - The Autumn Wishes Collection (free papers)