Merry December!

Today I'm taking a big deep breath after spending the past 48 hours playing catch-up. Last week was a marvelous mix of laziness, eating, family time, and general holiday celebrating but then Monday rolled around and responsibilities set in.  And I discovered that fueling up on a breakfast of leftover pie, stuffing and gravy is not the best way to be productive and alert and ready to work.  It is however, an excellent way to induce a nap.

So it's December!  I say that with a mix of excitement (the holidays + my birthday month make it an especially fun time of year) and anxiety (the decorating, the shopping, the jam-packed calendar...eeek!).  I'm thinking my mantra on repeat this month will be just be.  Trying my best to focus on the meaningful and special elements of the season and not the hustle, bustle and stress.  Easier said than done, for sure.

Tonight we'll open the first advent prompt on our Elle's Studio tag tree.  Despite my best efforts, I've only completed the first 10 days of tags - but I plan to tackle the rest throughout the week.  The kids are beyond excited to kick off the season with these activities, which range from reading Christmas stories to making hot cocoa to decorating the house, to taking a drive to see the neighborhood lights.  (I'll share more of these throughout the month!) We did get our tree up over the weekend, and the sight of it all lit up is definitely chasing away my Grinchies.

Speaking of lifting my spirits, this month's Jenni Bowlin Mercantile kit does just that. It's on sale right now, so go grab one while you can!  I've only completed two pages, but I do have a third and fourth in the works for the mid-month gallery.  As usual, the kit is a fantabulous mix of festive products.  Be sure to check out the design team gallery and Jenni's blog for lots more holiday inspiration.

Lucky Beyond Measure | kraft cardstock + patterned paper (Studio Calico Penmanship, Pink Paislee Pretty Lace, Pink Paislee Picture Perfect) + Sassafras Lass border sticker + Fiskars lace punch + Basic Grey journal tags + Sassafras Lass alpha + American Crafts pen + yarn + misc buttons

I adored the cabbage roses on the Pink Paislee paper and cut them out to tuck behind the borders.  The Studio Calico alphabet paper was a perfect backdrop.  The three buttons are from my stash - I used them to balance the bold roses.

Potential  |  white cardstock + patterned paper (Creative Imaginations, Pink Paislee Pretty Lace) + Maya Road mist + Basic Grey journal tags + Sassafras Lass alpha + Sharpie + date stamp

This page was the result of a misting misjudgment. I had originally sprayed the lined Creative Imaginations paper with charcoal mist and planned to arrange the photos and tags on top of it.  But it ended up looking messy and scattered and generally icky.  (In other words, I hated it.) I fussed with it forever and ultimately ended up slicing the CI paper into strips, weaving them together, and then trimming it to use as an oversized photo matte.  I love the result!  It adds a bit of interest and texture and looks much neater and sleeker than my original design.  I should also note, I colored the Sassafras alpha with a black Sharpie (the orange just wasn't working!)

I've also got a guest post up over at the Creative Charms blog...I'd love it if you stop by!  And I think that's about all I have for today - hope your Wednesday is wonderful, my friends!