November 8, 2012

Project December 2012...the products

Hey everyone, I've been working hard behind the scenes to get my December Daily and Project Life organized for December 2012.  I'm combining both into my Project Life album this year thus the name Project December.  Project Life + Daily December = Project December.  I'll discuss more of this concept and my reasons for this decision in my next blog post but for today I have all of my holiday product picks to show you.  These products have been selected from my stash and/or purchased specifically for this year's holiday projects.  If you remember my Inspiration Stations, this is kind of like that....all of my holiday product picks in one location.  Let's get to the products (with links provided where I could) + I'll also be showing you my storage ideas for this year.  

First things first.  Let's do some clean up.  I definitely needed to and I bet you're in the same boat.  Swimming in a sea of craftiness up to your eyeballs.  Maybe a 12" spot to work on...if you shove some things to the side.  I was right there with you.  But I knew that my holiday projects would come together easier and it would be so much more enjoyable to work in a tidy space.  It took me days and days to clean, I won't lie.  But now I have 2 full tables cleaned off and ready to go.  For my main table, I covered it with Kraft paper so that I don't have to work about clean up.  Ink stains, adhesive, coffee mug rings....no worries.  
October Afternoon...Make it Merry Collection
My most favorite stash of holiday goodies this year comes from October Afternoon's Make it Merry collection.  It's not in stores quite yet but it will be soon.  I'll be sure to link you up.  In the mean time you can look at the OA website here to get a glimpse at all the patterns.  It's all right up my alley...whimsical, vintage images...fun colors of red & green plus some aqua and yellow thrown in...great embellishments.  Love it all and you'll be seeing it all throughout my projects in December.  Plus, be sure to check my previous posts and the OA blog for lots of Make it Merry Inspiration.
Elle's Studio
Elle's designed some fantastic journaling cards, tags and stamps for this holiday season and I think I got just about all of it.  You can find many of Elle's items at 2Peas right now...and at 25% off!  That's the brand new stuff too! The Exclusive Christmas Stamp is fantastic!
Gossamer Blue
Lori from Gossamer Blue has a stellar line up of December Daily products this year.  All of the items below are pieces from some of the various kits that are mostly sold out now.  The Daily December Tags are still available and I just love the vintage images.  If my husband ever gets a big buck this, not including the one he hit a week ago with his car, I'm totally going to use those deer images.
Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday
I've already dug into this stash of Story Cards and they are a go to item...for the holiday projects and every day!  You need them.  You can find them at 2Peas here along with some of the stamps I have shown too.  The Story Cards are 25% off for a limited time.  The back sides of the Story Cards are similar designs but with no words so very versatile if you want to stamp in your own sentiments, etc. I've used and really love the December Daily stamp set and the December Joys stamp set.  Great designs this year, Ali.
Studio Calico
The Wonderland collection offers some great holiday designs.  Some of my favorite papers are the B side of Glad Tidings, Toboggan,  and Mistletoe.  I'm also using lots of wood accents this holiday season so the Wood Veneer Snowflakes and Trees are a must have item. I also got a 6 x 6 paper pad, some journaling cards, a sticker sheet and other various papers and such.  The entire line of Wonderland is on sale for 25% off right now at 2Peas right here.  Great sale at 2Peas so act quickly!
Banana Fish Studio
France, owner of Banana Fish Studio, designs the coolest tags, journaling cards, numbers and stamps.  You have to act quickly because like me, she is a one woman act and supplies are limited....and mostly sold out right now.  I just saw a tweet of hers and it looks like some new stamps are coming soon though.  Just let me get mine first then they're all yours.  :)
Mish Mash
That's my little shop.  I've pulled out some of my favorite, basic, go to items and gathered them all in one spot.  Tags of all kinds, clothespins, paper doilies, sacks....it's all being used this year.  Most items in my shop are very neutral in color and design so they work great for not only the holidays but all year long. I've got a few sale items there + the regular basic items.  
I've got other little tidbits of papers and embellishments in my holiday stash but the items mentioned above are the biggest part of my product picks this year.  Below, I snapped a photo to show you how I use my small clothespins to keep all like items clipped together.  I tend to get a little crazy once I get to working on a project but I really like to keep items clipped together for organization as much as possible. 
To jump start the holiday crafty season, I've been doing a little prep work ahead of time.  Not only will all of the supplies above be used for my Project December pages but they'll also be used for handmade cards, tags, gift wrapping and more.  For items that need to be cut apart like the October Afternoon numbers and images sheets, I went ahead and trimmed them all in advance.  You might have seen all the cards I've been creating already with the vintage images on the right side of the photo below.
I also did the same thing with many of the Elle's Studio sheets.  A total time saver to have them all ready to go come show time.
Washi Tape
Oh, the Washi tape.  You didn't think I'd forget about it, did you?  I tried to pair down my picks but this is as low as I could go.  Many are from October Afternoon, Freckled Fawn from 2Peas,  and some from Etsy shops.
Storage Units
So how do you store it all? This is the most fun part for me because I love digging out my vintage boxes, trays, cutlery boxes and tins. No plastic for me please, I'll take something old and worn for my goodies. I've got three main storage units this year that sit on a table next to my 2 big work tables.  This old cutlery drawer holds my doo-dads like the wood veneers in old jello tins, my Washi tape, all the small tags, buttons, twine, etc.  
This wooden cheese box was chosen for it's red and green holiday fonts.  It holds sticker sheets, chipboard letters, and some stamps.  Notice that I labeled each box with a tag that I added some lined paper to with red machine stitching.  That red stitching is going to be the signature look for my holiday projects this year.
Here, my third storage unit is an old sewing machine drawer.  It's perfect for all my patterned papers and paper pads.  A thick piece of cardboard in the very back helps to keep items upright.
And here's the handsome threesome all lined up.  There's a ton of product here...more than I'll ever use this holiday season....but I limited myself to the 3 boxes and just stuffed them full.  I have to say that I've been working behind the scenes a LOT to create some of my Project December inserts and pages + lots of holiday cards and I've been able to keep my products organized.  Each time I'm finished with a certain project, I've been cleaning up.  So the next time I need to work everything is neat and tidy.  It's really like shopping your own stash if you organize it this way.  I highly suggest you find some fun and unique storage pieces for your holiday goodies.  This way it just becomes part of the decor.  Fun!
Scrap Box
You might have noticed in my very first photo that I have this empty old in/out tray on my work table. This is where all the small scraps of patterned paper, doilies, old book paper, etc goes.  I can leave this sitting out to collect little odds and ends without a big mess piling up on my table.  Plus I love to dig through my scraps to find just the right pieces for a project.  Those little tiny pieces make for some great gift tags!
Sewing Machine
My sewing machine gets quite the work out.  I use this Audrey one from Baby Lock.  Red thread is going to be my go to color this holiday season so I have a spool ready to go at all times.  I might want to change up things a bit and use a green, white or cream so those are handy too.  Tip:  use a plain white or cream thread in the bobbin with any color.  It doesn't show, you can have lots of extra bobbins ready to go and it's a good thing.  Nothing worse than having to stop and wind a bobbin.
Typewriter
My vintage typewriter is my best friend in my work room.  I love to use it for tags, typing out journaling cards or pecking out the perfect sentiment on a greeting card.  Look for these at garage sales and thrift stores...or Ebay and Etsy.  I wouldn't pay more than $20 bucks or so for a good working model.
Okay Holy Holly, that was a long post.  Are you still here?  Good.  Cuz I'll be back with my next Project December 2012 installment very soon.  I'll actually be sharing Week 34 of my Project Life album so that I can give you visuals for how I want my Project December 2012 to look.  If you're doing Project Life and want to take on a December Daily this just might be the ticket for you.  I'm excited!  :)

27 comments:

Sherry Eckblad said...

Wow, what a wonderful Christmas stash of goodies. I am patiently waiting for that OA collection to hit the stores as it is my favorite this year. I love your idea of Project December as I was trying to figure out how I am going to do both and still make them different. I love all your containers and definitely feel as if I need to go to some estate sales or yard sales and look for a few.

Linda said...

Gosh Michelle you are so organised, love it, love it all. I don't do DD but i will be very interested to see how you incorporate it into PL.
Just looking at all your photos gets me inspired and ready to do something.
xx

Anonymous said...

Great stuff!!! I have the exact same type writer. By any chance have you changed the ribbon on it yet and if so where do you get it? Haven't started looking around just thought you might now :) Love my typewriter too

Mari

TheVintageMouse said...

Love this post, and all the photos. Love your vintage storage!

lisa westphal said...

Yes..I'm still here! {wink}. I could read your posts ALL.DAY.LONG. :) I'm kinda hoping there's a crafty book deal in your near future...seriously...
I was reading this post in the Starbucks Drive Thru..& once I got my coffee, I pulled over to finish it! -lol!!! I'm gonna head home & finish cleaning up my scrap area {day 3-eek!}, so I can start gathering my Christmas goodies!!
Thanks for all you do..your are a wonderful, creative motivator..and I appreciate and love all the craftiness you share with us! <3

Anonymous said...

I'm waiting for the October Afternoon collection and hope it shows up soon! I wasn't going to buy any Christmas paper this year but got really inspired by your cards. Love your storage ideas.

Anonymous said...

Could you just send me your filled boxes :-) There look like a scrapers dream!

crschaf said...

This post has been one of the most fun yet!! I get so excited to see all your Christmas picks! I even got a mug of hot chocolate and savored this post as if it were my Mish Mash Christmas Edition Magazine...You inspire and motivate-please keep posting-thank you so much for all the time and attention you give to so many.

crschaf said...

This post has been one of the most fun yet!! I get so excited to see all your Christmas picks! I even got a mug of hot chocolate and savored this post as if it were my Mish Mash Christmas Edition Magazine...You inspire and motivate-please keep posting-thank you so much for all the time and attention you give to so many.

Rosie Lilya said...

AWESOME! I am so inspired to go clean my room, HA! When I grow up I want to be just like you :)

Marci said...

Great Post Michelle!! Thanks for all the holiday inspiration!! Kraft paper on your work table is pure genius! Thanks so much for sharing all these goodies with us! Can't wait to see what you have up your crafty little sleeve next!! :)

WinterBerry Glen said...

That's awesome! I enjoyed reading every.single. bit of your post. Thanks for the ideas on how to stay organized; i like the tray idea for the scrap papers. I think that is what makes the biggest explosion in my workspace.

Jennifer said...

Love love love this post! Your ideas for organizing and holiday inspiration have inspired me to get started on my holiday crafting! Thanks for your great posts Mish - I always love them! -Jennifer

Meredith MacRitchie said...

How I envy your junkin' finds!!

I need to take a page out of your book in terms of setting up my desk. I have a nice big work top now, I just have to fine tune my organization. I finally have a tiered tray for my mists and twine, and I use old plate racks found at a thrift store for my paper pads. But I like how you set up your inspiration stations every season... I should really just DO it!

sharon71 said...

Great post, and at just the right time for me. I need to get organised and inspired.Will dig out my typewriter and sewing machine today!

Thanks for showing your system.

Kristy Hansen said...

Great post. I still have Halloween out on my desk to finish up 2 12 x 12 layouts. Then I can did out Christmas. I can't wait to get my hands on the new OA. I want it so bad...all of it!

echowein said...

I love all your holiday goodies. It makes me want to shift to doing Christmas now! I love organizing stuff too! Just looking at how you have everything divided up inspires me to do more with my stash :)

listgirl said...

Loved seeing your holiday project organization and stash! Great post Mish.

Yvonne..... said...

Thank you for sharing your holiday goodies. I can't wait to see your take on combining Project Life and December Daily. I have always done DD but since this is my 1st year with PL, I'm having a hard time figuring out what to do! Any hints, ideas, suggestions, etc, would be greatly appreciated! Happy Crafting!!

Julie Shearer said...

I make holiday cards for friends and family . I am also working on a Christmas Banner . I love your vintage storage containers . And I have to say , I wish I was so organized. TFS .

Natalie said...

Hi Michelle,
I am wondering where you get your typewriter ribbon from? I just inherited an old typewriter and the tape refills seem so expensive. Any hints??

Thank you!

Natalie said...

Hi Michelle,
I am wondering where you get your typewriter ribbon from? I just inherited an old typewriter and the tape refills seem so expensive. Any hints??

Thank you!

Unknown said...

Wow, what a post!! Thank you so much for taking the time to map out this process for us in detail, it is so helpful to me and wow, I loved all the pictures. Everyone seems to be going to a premade album with plastic sleeves. Don't know if it will be up my alley, but willing to try. Bought a photo album with a 40% coupon at Michaels and I can manipulate it easily for things other than 4x6 pictures and stuff. I am going to give it a go. I usually like feeling the texture of different pages and supplies. Michelle, I am so grateful for you and your talent. You inspire me so much and I know it takes a great deal of time and preparation to get these posts up for us. This was an awesome post. Thank you, Thank you.--Diana F.

Jean said...

Love seeing your work. So many wonderful ideas!

AntiqueChase said...

Love all your vintage storage. I think a vintage working typewriter is worth more than $20. I don't know where u shop but around here they are way more than that. I was gifted my moms baby blue electric and I adore it.

LENNY TANIA said...

You are very organised. Love your post

Anonymous said...

You are an organizing genius! Such a great idea separating all your Christmas items from the rest and putting those in their own boxes. I also love your idea for having your own scrap box for the Christmas papers. I'm constantly sorting through stamps etc looking for my Christmas themed items, I now need to go searching for boxes so I can organize my things the way you have yours organized :)

Related Posts with Thumbnails