Document the Everyday Challenge

This year’s DYD forum is filled with inspiration for how to document your December - the designers have a huge assortment of gorgeous new products ... and the Pollys have you covered with ideas for daily prompts, pre-planning with foundation pages, different ways to approach a DYD album, and even how to tackle the dreaded album cover.

But some of you may be like me and thinking …

• we don’t do daily Christmas “stuff”
• our holidays are small and quiet
• my kids are older/teens/grown
• I don’t have kids
• we don’t celebrate Christmas
• we only really do "Christmas/holiday stuff" the day of and/or the day before
• I just won’t have enough “stuff” to make a whole DYD album
• the holidays make me sad/are hard emotionally

Well I’m here to encourage you to think about doing a DYD album in a different way, by documenting the everyday. You could approach a whole album in this manner or use some of these prompts for fillers in your more traditional DYD album. Your DYD doesn’t have to be 31 days of “holiday & celebrating” type of activities, it doesn’t even have to be 31 days/pages.

I’m challenging you to scrap one page to document the everyday. Any size or format is acceptable. Think about the little everyday things that make your December unique to you. Things to consider:

• First bit of snowfall or capture a photo that really captures the weather this time of year for you. Is it warm or cold where you live?
• Do you cook more hearty meals or do more baking - what’s your favorite thing to drink/make/eat? Do you have a favorite flavor of tea or coffee unique to this time of year?
• Does your schedule change? Do you spend more time cozying up under a blanket? Or is it finally warm where you are and you are outside all the time?
• What is your favorite spot inside your house this time of year? Outside your house?
• Is it so much darker when you get home from work?
• Capture a shopping trip … you could take photos of a pretty seasonal display, photograph your cart filled with holiday wrapping paper, bows, gift tags or gifts. Or even filled with the basics - paper towels, fruit, bread and milk! Or maybe capture your shopping cart filled with items for baking a special pie or cookies … or even the ingredients for dinner?
• Are there special events at work, school or within the community this time of year?
• What do you do with your pets this time of year?
• Are you planning anything special that is not holiday related - a fun concert, get-away, time with friends, or date with your partner?
• Do you get a great bonus from your boss? What do you spend it on? Or do you stash it away in savings?
• What’s on your playlist this time of year? Your TV binge list?
• What’s your favorite outfit or thing to wear?
• What kind of activities or crafts do you enjoy working on/doing?
• Are there charity events or volunteer activities you participate in?
• If you don’t do a lot of baking/decorating/gift giving … capture the neighborhood lights, the store displays, baked goods at your grocery store/market, community decorations this time of year.
• If you have kids is this the time of year a special winter sport gears up and has you running around frantic? Do you participate in something special this time of year?
• Is work extra stressful or more relaxed?
• Do you look forward to new movies that get released this time of year?
• Do you visit with more friends/family this time of year? Meet new people?
• Capture the details and wonder of nature (zoom in on a beautiful pine cone or berries) or shoot a gorgeous December landscape.
• Capture the details of the things around you ... cozy blankets, your favorite mug, a stack of books you plan to read, your boots, your car with frost on it in the AM.

Remember - you get to decide what works for you! Start with one page to complete this challenge and see where it goes from there? All of your photos could be from the same week or even just a few days. Anything goes ... it's your DYD after all!

Here are some sample pages of “capturing the everyday” of December.

Here's a 4x6 page by Polly Jenn @jk703 showing her son making a favorite December appetizer.



Here's a page by Polly Natascha @bcnatty showcasing family fun and time spent outside in the snow!



And one by me in a 6x8 format with a detail shot of the snow falling on our evergreens. I just wanted to capture the beauty of our winter season/weather.



Now it’s your turn to document the everyday of your December. I can’t wait to see your pages! And please share any other ideas you can think of to inspire us to document the everyday!

 

Absolutely @Angela Toucan ! My kids are older and we don't do a lot of holiday stuff before the last 2 weeks either. We are rather low-key. I never thought I could make a DYD album ... but when you approach it from the idea of "your December" and what works for you ... I think anyone can do one. Mine will be more like "31 things" rather than "31 days of December" because I know I will probably not have a photo for each day .... or maybe 25 things and 25 days.

I'm going through the other threads - and making a list of photo prompts that would work for me (so I can remember to take photos of the things I do know are possible or that we do indeed participate in) and then I plan to fill the rest of the album with "everyday" stuff. I am so excited to get myself over the hump of thinking I didn't fit in with a DYD album. This will be my first too.

 

All of us trying this for the first time ... we can share and inspire/motivate each other. It's definitely a busy busy time of year Kayla @keepscrappin . You sound like me with the endless projects yet to be completed. I look at this as a fun, light project. For me I get stressed when I have to cull 100's of photos from a vacation into one album so I shy away from it. Maybe we can talk after MOC about all those other unfinished projects LOL!

But this is small, contained ... and a chance to play with my camera throughout the month. Capturing a limited # of photos specifically for a project, rather than culling hundreds down. I don't know ... it appeals to me. I agree, simple is the answer! Please share any pages you do here! I 'd love to see your approach!

 

Fabulous insight and ideas @tkradtke - Your DYD book you were working on is gorgeous! I'm a fan! Please keep sharing ideas, tips and tricks when you think of them!

-incorporate special stories behind the "things" is so great.
-ornaments/souvenirs from traveling
-add a recipe.
-adding a heritage photo from Christmases past (see @MrsPeel 's DYD challenge in this forum!)

I'll probably collect everyone's ideas and add them up in the OP at some point.

 

Exactly! I think this is why I never attempted DYD before! But I'm excited to try this year ... and embrace that boring! @bbymks5 I'm sure you love the album(s) you did anyway. I wish I had DYD albums to look back on.

 

Go for it! A lot of people - it sounds like, do indeed start in Nov. There's Thanksgiving, black Friday shopping ... there can be so much that goes on before Dec. Especially if you are one who puts up your decorations now. I have a few things that happen in NOV that will most likely end up in my DYD!