paper: Join in with Journal your Christmas 2014! | pretty paper. true stories. {and scrapbooking classes with cupcakes.}

With just a few hours of November remaining, it’s high time I share a bit more about detail about Journal your Christmas 2014. While there has never been any doubt to me that I would be running Journal your Christmas this year, as always, I just wanted to make sure all the updates and extras for this year were ready before I announced them! And I am happy to say this year, there is one very big update indeed.

(Now you see why I usually just show you my hands. Yes, I know it’s out of focus, but it’s also the last day of November. Something had to give, I guess!)

The major update for 2014 is a video element: every day there is a very short video with a 3×4 card. These are really quick! That way you don’t have to carve out more time from a busy time of the year. These are around two minutes, perfect for giving you a creative short cut if you need some inspiration or would benefit from a bit of a process to follow. I’m using my Christmas in a Box kit for these cards, but the ideas are easy to adapt to any supplies you might have on hand, and likewise you can adjust for different sizes of pockets or pages to work with whatever album you’ve chosen this year.

If you’re new to all this, things may be a little muddy still! Journal your Christmas is a project that has been part of my life since 2003, and an online scrapbooking class every Christmas since 2004. It is very near and dear to my heart, and it’s always my very favourite scrapbooking project of the year. I’d suggest reading the basics here, which includes my firm belief that you do not need much time each day to work on this project nor do you technically need to prepare anything in advance. But here are the biggest questions to make it easy:

What’s included in Journal your Christmas?
Thirty-seven days of inspiration delivered right to your inbox. We start on the first of December and run to the sixth of January, which is the twelfth day of Christmas.
Each daily email includes a full-colour, printable PDF that covers a particular topic in depth with ideas for journaling, photographing, and crafting. This year, it also includes a short video sharing the process for creating a 3×4 card for your album.
There is also a private forum to chat and share your work with other JYC participants.

What makes your classes different to others?
All of my classes include permanent access, something I have always taken very seriously. That means when you join the project, you can participate for as many years as you would like at no extra cost.

I donate £1 for every class purchase to The Girls’ Fund at Plan, a charity that helps millions of girls who otherwise wouldn’t have access to education or basic survival needs.

The PDF prompts come right to your inbox – you don’t have to sign into the website daily to view them – though they are archived for you online so if you need to go back or want to download several to work on while you’re offline for a while, that is always an option. (You may or may not be able to see the videos straight from your inbox – it depends on the device you’re using and your mail software settings, but likewise, the streaming videos are embedded in both the emails and the class forum so you can view them at the time that works best for you.)

We really embrace variety and doing what works best for you. You can just take pictures or just write words or you can create a beautiful canvas every day – it’s completely up to you and I love every way the project may be approached. That includes how many entries you will make. You can certainly add something to your album every day if you would like, but it’s not a requirement. When I started this project, I designed it with the idea that you would cover a few of the topics in the first year, then in your second year pick a few more, and so on until you had a very full album you loved that documented many years of Christmas celebration. So whether you want to create every day, just now and then, or just take notes in December then put it all together at a quieter time of year, you are welcome to take the avenue that makes you happiest!

How do I join Journal your Christmas?
Easy! Just choose your currency and click the button below for your choice of UK pounds or US dollars. If neither of those is your currency, you can still join us! Choose either and the payment will convert automatically when you make your payment.

You can pay by credit/debit card or Paypal account. If you would like your prompts to come to a different email address than the one on your Paypal account, please be sure to leave a note in the message to seller section with the email address you would like to use. (If you miss that, send me an email to let me know, with both email addresses. Orders can take up to 24 hours to process. If you haven’t received your class registration after 24 hours, just email me and I’ll make sure your registration is completed and ready for you to get started!

Can I give Journal your Christmas as a gift?
Yes! Just click to pay above as normal, then leave the email address for the gift recipient in the notes section. If you miss the notes, email me. If you’d like me to send an email explaining that the class is a gift, I’m happy to do so – just let me know your preference of being named or anonymous!

Is there a deadline for signing up?
No. You can sign up any day of the year. The class starts on the first of December, so if you want to be in on day one, that can be part of the fun, but if you sign up later, you’ll still have access to all the materials, and you can do them in order or skip around – there is thought to the order but it’s not so regimented that you can’t change it up!

As a previous participant, what do I need to do?
If you participated last year and your email address has not changed, you don’t need to do anything to join us again. (The first message sent also has instructions on how to unsubscribe if you don’t want to receive the emails this year.) If your email address has changed since last year, please send a message to this special address and include both the old and new email address so your account can be updated.

Previous participants can access the class forum any time. If you do not remember your login details at the forum, click at the top right of the forum screen to log in. When that page loads, there is a forgotten password link below the boxes. Follow the instructions from there and your username and a new password will be sent automatically. (If you don’t see it straight away, check your spam folder.)

Any other questions, please let me know. I’m looking forward to creating a very special Christmas journal this year, and I’d love for you to join me and so many dedicated Christmas journalers for JYC2014.

Read more about: classes

30 November 2014

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