If like me you have a fear of December Daily’s, then you will recognize the following symptons:

• hot sweats at the thought of keeping up and having to journal each day
• the worry of committing the time each and every day in December
• the fear of failure as you attempt another year saying this year you will do it…..to find it ends in yet another unfinished mini book

Yes, that’s me….every year I’m afraid.

A couple of years ago I admitted defeat. December minis and me just were never going to be ‘a thing’. So it was thinking a way around this. Over the years I’ve realised that the only way for me to finish a mini book is to sit and make it in the one sitting. So rather than dedicating the month to one big project from then on I make a ‘mini mini mini book’. I tackle just the one thing rather than the whole month. I still want to be able to look back on our family Christmases after all.

Last year I did highlights, this year I’ve done movies.

We love Christmas movies and watch as many as we can each year. My book documents all the movies we have watched this year.

I like creating mini books with lots of layers, textures and different levels. I used my December Kit to make this. It’s a great way using up all my leftovers.

To create the different levels, I attached my pages using a hole punch and the string from the kit.

Rather than keeping all the pages together, some pages are attached higher than others like you can see here, the red is much lower down.

I cut up some of the papers to stick on the pages giving me some great colour contrasts like here on the left page.

Some of my leftover DITL cards got added too.

I printed some of my journaling from my pc and wrote some by hand. I like the combination of the two.

I used a little gesso over my cork board alphas.

And it’s a great way to use up your stickers.

The tags in the kits are also easily used in mini books and look great. I love to have them peeping over the top of the pages.

I used some punches on the scrap papers and used up a few of the gems from the kit.

I love how when you turn a page you can see other pages too. I really love those layers.

So it may not be the whole of December covered….but I figured after a few years, I will have covered so many memories rather than having nothing documented at all.

I saved my kid’s favourite til last!!

So if like me you struggle with a full December Mini, try tackling it in smaller fragments. If you are anything like me, this works a treat.

I also have a mini book from Alissa to share using the December Kit.

Alissa made an insert for January Listersgottslist and decorated the little notebook in the BYAO items.

I love the Starbucks bag that Aliss used. So festive!

 So, so cute!!

See….Mini books don’t have to be scary after all.

more posts by
Lisa Saunders