 So, welcome to my version of the December Daily. For December of 2020, I decided to do my version of a December Daily, which was less of a daily Happy Merry Christmas journal, which is, I think, what a December Daily is, but I could be wrong. I really, to be honest, haven't done a lot of research into December Daily. I just know it's a term that's been bandied about for years. I am, despite the fact that there's a million videos out there, I don't think I've ever watched any one of them. And I am in a December Daily Facebook group, but I haven't really, other than joining it, I haven't looked at it at all. So, correct me if I'm wrong, please feel free, but be nice. But for my version of a December Daily, I really wanted to focus on current world situations and try to make the best of something that totally sucks, to be honest with you and Frank. So, you know, this month in 2020, we can't see our families like we would like to. We can't do things the way we're used to. You know, I can't see my parents who are only an hour and a half away or my niece and her son and she's got a new baby on the way. I haven't seen them in a year, any of them in a year. My other niece, Megan and her wife, Tiffany, I miss being able to hug them all and have dinner with them all and that. And we haven't seen my mother-in-law or my brother-in-law and his family in California in over a year because of what's going on. So, normally in December, we would be traveling around and seeing people and having parties here at the house and inviting friends over. And we're not going to get to do any of that. I'll be lucky if I get to see the kids. So, you know, that's a thing. But instead of being depressed about it, we're going to acknowledge it. We're going to talk about it because it's not healthy to not talk about it and not acknowledge things that are happening in your life and in the world. That's not a good thing. But we're going to acknowledge it and we're going to try to find the bright spots in the darkness. For me, in 2020, I've rediscovered my love of hand stitching and embroidery. I have reconnected with people that I haven't been able to connect with in a while. We're all home, we're all available. Even if the connection's only over Zoom, I've been able to do that. And to be honest, I kind of like that the husband's working at home, to be honest with you. Don't tell him I said that. I'm going to go over some of the parts I'm going to be using in my version of the December Daily. Your version, of course, is going to look different for you. I'm going to do mine in a Molesk and Cayet notebook. The paper is a bit thin, so it wouldn't take watercolor or paint very well, but it does take pen and marker, highlighter marker pretty well. I will be gluing things in, but it is a sewn spine. It probably is going to get pretty fat and puffy, but that's okay. There is a little bit of a pocket in the back where if I get some notes or keepsakes and I want to stuff in the journal as the month progresses, I can do that. Pick the one that works for you. I like the size of this. I debated about making a journal for this project, but I have a bunch of these. We're going to use what I have. I have these little to-do sticky notes. Now, I've had these, I don't know where I got them. They might have been at Target in those dollar bins they have up in front, but instead of like to-do chores, we're going to have like breathe unplug, which is really important, especially when you're stressed. Unplug and turn things off. Go read a book, go for a walk, turn some music on, do some stitching. Whatever it is, it calms you and relaxes you. But we'll be having to-do things that are more like that. We will be picking positive affirmation cards once a day to have that be the focus of our page. And I was going to, I have a bunch of these cards and this is a download in my Etsy shop. I'll put the link in the video description. And there's a DIY video that I'll also link. And once you get the download and then you print and make your own cards, and I have a few sets of these, and I was thinking about taking this particular set and then pulling a card and then just stapling it in, but I'm lazy. And so I thought, well, why don't we show people a different way? Yes, you could do that. You could make the cards and you could pull one and staple it in. But you could also get the download and you could print them on sticker paper, which I did, and then make it into a sticker. I plan on pulling a card and then finding the word in here and then sticking it on. I have my Christmas bunny cross stitch, which I'm going to put on the front of my journal. I have written a couple of sort of poems. I think they need some refinement that I'm going to put on the first page, which will be the title page of the journal, which I'll be making today. I have some... This is actually pieces of a tissue box that I thought the colors might work for this journal. And I have some of my sticker flakes. These are some winter flakes. Now, if you're a member of My Creative Year or you're a patron in Patreon, you get all or part of these as a free download. So that's the only way to get these because these aren't available for sale. These are some rainbow paint splotch flakes and these are for sale in my SD shop. So I pulled both of these to probably use in this journal. I also have some Christmas scrapbooking paper. I don't do lots of Christmas crafts, so I actually had to go buy this for this project because I just don't have any Christmas paper or anything. I have a few more bits and pieces coming that we'll be using. You will kind of notice they're sort of a cool wintery theme. That has to do with some stuff, again, that's going on over in My Creative Year Facebook groups. If you want to know more about that, again, you've got to be a member of the group. So going forward for December, we are going to be working on my version of the December Daily. We are going to be creating sort of art journal, written journal sort of pages, using a positive affirmation quotes, finding the light, the brightness in the darkness trying to make the best of a bad situation, if you will. This Christmas, again, is going to be a tough one because we can't see and do what we're normally used to doing. Instead of documenting all the things we can't do, let's find out what we can do. Let's make the best of a tough situation. Let's try to turn it around and find something positive about it, if you will, and let's journal it as a reminder and a document of what happened this year in 2020. So I am going to get started with today's video and I will see you at the end. Okay, so there is the cover for my December journal. I like the way it turned out. I did start writing the words on here a few days ago, and this was originally part of this, but as I was writing this, I added, no matter how we are affected. And then I like the way that sounded, and plus I ran out of room, but I also like the way that sounded, but I still wanted to use this so I put it on the cover. Now, as I go along in the month, I will probably add more things to the front and back cover, not all the parts I ordered are in yet. But before I do anything, I need to let this dry overnight because now the bunny is sticky with a yes-paste, but I like my title page. That's a perfect opening descriptor to what's going on in the rest of the journal. And I also did cut two new pieces of plastic to use. I use them behind the pages I'm currently working on to not only give myself something harder to write on because this is thin paper, but also because I tend to be kind of messy and if there's any bleed through or anything like that, it helps protect the other pages and or the cover. So anyway, I'm ready to go. I can't wait to get started. All right, so we're going to let that dry and then we're going to get started on page two in the next video. And yeah, I hope that you choose to join this with me. I hope that you're brave enough to share what you're doing in total or in part. And I would love to see what you're doing and I'd love to share ideas with you about how you're getting through and all the things for the things. And yeah, whether you're watching this over in Patreon or you're watching the sped-through version on YouTube or my creative year, I hope that you choose to do a kind of unique interesting 2020 version of a December daily with me. So that's it for right now. Don't forget to keep your chin up. We can get through together. There's always a bright spot in the darkness somewhere. If we choose to look, I'm choosing to look. Not that I'm ignoring the conversation because that's not healthy. We will do what we need to and we will talk about it. We will work through the stress and ignoring it won't make it go away, but there is a lesson to be learned and there is a bright spot somewhere I have all faith. So that's it right now. If you can support the free content here on YouTube or in the Facebook art groups, please do so. There are ways to do that in the video description. If nothing else, you can click on my link tree list of links which has my Etsy shop and Amazon affiliate stuff and PayPal tip jar and Patreon and Instagram if you just want to follow me on Instagram and all the things for the things. So check it out. If you have a favorite content creator either here on YouTube or over in Facebook, they probably have a way for you to support them. If you can't find one, check it out. Ask them. Check out their video description so that's a good place to start. That's it right now. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay creative. Work through your stress and your new version of your December daily with me and above all, go out and do something nice for yourself because you deserve it. I'll see you later. Bye guys.