Documenting December: A Few Final Thoughts of My 2024 December Daily Album

I’ve put together a little “flip book” of my 2024 December Daily album pages for you to enjoy! Once you hit play, each page will turn after five seconds—just tap pause if you’d like to linger on a page a little longer.

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I’d love to say this is my final post about my 2024 December Daily album… but you know me! I’ll be popping back in soon with a tutorial on how I upload my pages to ZNO, followed by a full album walkthrough once it arrives in print. But before we wrap things up for now, I wanted to share a few reflections on this year’s process.

Being a Digital Scrapper in a Physical Product World

Like many December Daily fans, the excitement kicks off for me in September when Ali and her team start sharing peeks of the upcoming collection. And even though I scrapbook digitally, I still get completely swept up in the product reveals—and yes, I still purchase the physical kits. Call it tradition. Call it FOMO. I just love having the product in hand.

Sometimes I use it for cardmaking or holiday décor, but this year I was so inspired by the look and feel of the 2024 collection that I briefly considered doing both a physical and digital album. I even brought my physical supplies along on a cabin getaway in western North Carolina and managed to start the title and table of contents pages. But that’s as far as I got before returning to what felt most natural—my digital album.

Setting Intentions (and Redefining Success)

Every December, I set out with the best of intentions: maybe this will be the year I finish my album before New Year’s Eve! But like many of you, I find the magic and busyness of the month take center stage—and the album gets finished in January (or, ahem, later). And you know what? That’s totally okay.

This year, I shifted my mindset. Instead of rushing to wrap things up by the end of December, I just focused on enjoying the season and being in the moment. That change enjoy the process and make thoughtful, creative choices design choices once it was time to put the book together.

Stretching My Creative Muscles Digitally

Historically, my digital December Daily pages have followed a pocket-style format (hello, Project Life). But this year, I was ready to shake things up. Once I let go of the idea of completing a physical album, I challenged myself to digitally recreate the look and feel of Ali’s physical pages as much as possible. Of course, I couldn’t replicate fold-outs or actual pocket inserts—but the process of finding digital solutions to mimic those ideas was so much fun.

My Story One Spread. Check out Ali's Story One spread here

Trying Something New (and Loving the Results)

One of the most surprising joys of this album came from experimenting with scanned objects. Inspired by Ali experimenting with different techniques when she was making her mixed media trees, I decided to try something I've never done before–scanning a few real-life embellishments to use on my pages.

I’ve always steered clear of purchasing scanned items like buttons or flowers in my pages. I prefer clean smaller, digital elements like brads or stitches. But this year, I gave it a go. I scanned in the puffy sticker color wheel from my the December Daily Advent Calendar (Story 23), along with a jump ring, bulb pin, and red yarn from Story 25—and I loved how they turned out! While I’ve never been a fan of digital masking, the background removal tools available today make the process so much easier than it used to be. It’s definitely a skill I’d like to refine more in the future (but you still won't find me using digital scanned flowers on my pages).

Looking Ahead to the 2025 Season

Even as I close the book on 2024, I’m already dreaming about this December. One thing I really hope to see in this year’s product release is a journal or notebook. I LOVED using the WITL journal this year to jot down thoughts in real time—and I’d love something similar for December Daily.

Yes, I could use my Notes app, but let’s be honest—once I open my phone, the odds of me getting distracted by Instagram, Facebook, or email are very high. A physical notebook keeps me focused and in the moment.

And while some dates are always pre-filled with events like holiday parties and traditions, I’d love to approach the “open” days with more intentional storytelling next time around. Not just the decorating or cookie baking photos, but stories that capture the little things. I don’t want to go into December with every story mapped out—I want to plan to be surprised.

Moving Forward with Curiosity + Creativity

I can’t wait to see what this year’s collection looks like—both the physical and digital kits. While I probably won’t follow Ali’s formula page-for-page again, I’ll definitely take inspiration from the products themselves and see where they lead me creatively.

I’m already imagining ways to combine storytelling, design, and memory-keeping in new and unexpected ways!

Thank You for Following Along!

I’ve loved sharing this journey with you all month long. If you have any questions—or if you’d like to see walkthroughs of my past digital December Daily albums—you’ll find a video below.

Thank you again for taking the time our of your day to take a peek at my album. I hope you found some ideas or inspiration to carry into your own documenting adventures. And as always, I’m just a message away if you ever need help or encouragement.

Curious about how I create these pages?

If you’ve been following along with my Documenting December series and want to learn more about how I design my pages using Affinity Publisher for iPad, I have a brand-new class coming in September! It’s called Scrapbook Like A Pro (S.L.A.P.): Affinity Publisher Masterclass, and it's designed to help you confidently create beautiful, story-driven digital pages—no prior experience needed (you don't even have to know how to use Affinity Photo!!!).

Be sure to join my newsletter through the small form at the bottom of the page to stay in the loop on all the class details, sneak peeks, and early access when enrollment opens!