I have been busy as a bee, playing around with Photoshop and working on some challenges and other projects. This “spurt” of creativity is keeping my mind busy, so as not to dwell on the holiday season too much. It’s rough on me. I enrolled in a free course offered by Jessica Sprague, called “Holidays in Hand”. It is about recording your December holiday from the first to the 25th. Using prompts and having your materials all set, the season should be more enjoyable as we recall season’s past and our living in the moment. Ultimately, you wind up with a book of images and memories from this year’s season. Great importance is put on making this project enjoyable, not to take up a lot of time, one folks like me can accomplish.
As with a previous course of Jessica’s, “Stories in Hand”, part of the project involves memories of holidays past. I’ve had a rough time most holidays. I was a bit hesitant to ‘open up a can of worms’ with memories and sadness, right here at holiday time. I needn’t have worried. Once again, the wonderful members of the course were supportive, sharing many of their own stories, hard times and ways in which they handled them. I have always worrried so over traditions. While doing a writing exercise for this course, I realised that my family has their own traditions. Ours just don’t involve fireplaces, stockings and live trees. My home is so small, these three things are a bad combination. As far as baking dozens of many different cookies, we tend to enjoy certain store-bought brands which have become our ‘tradition.’ Rather than following some ‘ancient’ traditions that just weren’t feasible, for me, I came to understand that anything our family did, repeatedly, for enjoyment at holiday time, could be considered a ‘tradition’.
I’m sure you get the gist of where this course took me. I have a blog just for the courses of Jessica’s. It’s called “Stories in Hand” and you are welcome to go have a read, if you like. I am really handling this season a lot better than in the past. Actually, with the support and friendships I have, here, in the scrapbooking community, I feel relatively safe from my emotions. Thank you, one and all!
I have, literally, been on Photoshop all day long. I’m feeling in need of turning in. I will be back tomorrow, though, with some really cool goodies I have been working on. I just need to package them all up. It’s sort of something special. LOL Tonight, however, I have QP freebies I did for last month’s Chat Challenge at Magickal Scraps. Based on “The Nutcracker”, I recalled many of the whimsical goodies and ‘dreams’ of sugar plum fairies, then, found images to represent them.
Before I get to the QP’s, I would be sorely amiss if I didn’t tell you about Magickal Scraps’ absolutely gorgeous Christmas Download a Day “Tales of the Raven”. There is an “Add-On” in the store that goes with and it is chock full! Snowy couldn’t even preview all of it. It has an excellent price right now, too, at $1.50US! The slideshow, above, features the DAD, but, below is the ‘preview’ for the “Tales of the Raven Add-On”.
For my QP’s, I really had fun searching for all the different images in the layout. I hope someone can use them, there are actually two pages in the file. One, for inserting your own photo, and the other with the ‘scroll’ intact. I thought it would make a good ‘cover page’ or a page just for journalling. A photo could still be placed over the scroll, as well.
Click on either image to go to MediaFire for download:
I must be tired, I didn’t “wrap” them up with my label and stuff. Jeez! They’re 300dpi and 12×12 and CU friendly, too! LOL
Peace and enjoy your day.
Su
a free spirit 
hello Su!Don''t be afraid for the holidays. There are people around who think of you, and you must do during those days what is suiting you best. Each of us has a different way of spending the holidays!It may be, your memories of holidays aren't so well, but you always can start making new memories! Almost forget aboout the bad ones, only just enough to realize that the later ones look far better, because it;s done all in your way!May the lights of Christmas shine upon you!HugsKyra
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Thank you so much for this Freebie. I want to let you know that I posted a link to your blog in CBH Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, under the Page 2 post on Dec. 04, 2009. Thanks again.
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Su, it's good to hear you smiling. Keeping busy is always a good way to overcome sadness and fears. As for family traditions, ever hear of Christmas shoe boxes? No? I'll tell you sometime. Have a fantastic night, hugs, Edna B.
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Thank you for freebies. Link on your post was added to Lori's freebie list
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Thank you! Your blog post will be advertised on the DigiFree Digital Scrapbooking Freebie search engine today (look for timestamp: 04 Dec [LA 02:00pm, NY 05:00pm, UK 10:00pm] – 05 Dec [OZ 09:00am]).
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Wow, awesome qp's .. thanks so much for sharing them!! xxx
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