SYW206 – Celebrating the December Magic

[00:00:00] Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I’m your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 206. In this episode I'm chatting with Nolana Lynch about the magic of December Daily and how it completely shifted her creative direction.

[00:00:40] Jennifer Wilson: Hey, Nolana, welcome to Scrapbook Your Way.

[00:00:42] Nolana Lynch: Thank you so much, Jen. I'm so happy to be here with you and I'm really excited to be chatting with you today.

[00:00:49] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, likewise. Can you kick things off by sharing a little bit about yourself?

[00:00:55] Nolana Lynch: Yeah, sure. So I am Nolana and I am originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean or the Western Indies and I grew up there for pretty much all of my life. And, um, I always enjoyed travel and creative things. I used to paint and write poetry, short stories, big journaler, everything in between, baking, all sorts of things. Um, and then I met my husband in Trinidad in 2017 and, um, we, he is Australian, so we decided to settle here in Australia. Um, so now I live in Brisbane with my husband and our 14 month old son and.

[00:01:48] Jennifer Wilson: Aw, awesome. Congratulations.

[00:01:50] Nolana Lynch: Thank you. He is a very exciting and energetic, um, young lad, so it's very fun to see him, grow. And, yeah, and I started scrapbooking probably around 20, the end of 2020, um, which actually started with December Daily. Um, and once I dabbled in that full on, I couldn't go back. I just wanted to continue telling stories throughout the year, not just in December. And it's been a really amazing and fun journey for me.

[00:02:30] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, and so that's exactly why I wanted to have you on the show and to kind of dive into how that unfolded for you and where it has led you to today. So I'm really excited about that.

[00:02:43] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:02:43] Jennifer Wilson: But first we always like to ask our guests something that is exciting you right now. So do you have one non scrapbooking thing and then one scrapbooking thing that is lighting you up and giving you joy?

[00:02:55] Nolana Lynch: Yeah. Um, this is a really exciting question. Um, I really love new year, like a new year, fresh start. And um, so non scrapbooking thing is that even though summer here starts in December, because I'm so engrossed in December Daily, it's almost like January is my start of summer. So I'm just really excited about all the sun things, our beach trips. We just came back from a little holiday. So just really excited about all the adventures that we get up to, um, this month and for just kind of cruising into the new year. Um, and then one scrapbooking related thing. I'm just excited to tell our stories in, in a new way. I think every year I start off by deciding how I want to tell our stories in which format. And so I feel like I finally, um, you know, found something or created something. I was dabbling in a few formats for a bit for the new year. And I think I finally, um, you know, I created something yesterday that I, I kind of really like, so I'm really excited about that.

[00:04:13] Jennifer Wilson: Okay, okay. Well we will get to that. I can't wait for you to share.

[00:04:16] Nolana Lynch: Yeah. Sure.

[00:04:17] Jennifer Wilson: But before we jump in, I'm curious, is there a story on your memory keeping bucket list? So this is something that feels important to tell. It doesn't mean it's serious or negative or anything, it just means it's really important to capture in one way or another. And for some reason you haven't done it yet.

[00:04:33] Nolana Lynch: Yeah. Um, my son's first birthday party. Um, he was born on October 30th, so it's kind of like at that point where we are transitioning, well, where I am transitioning into Christmas things. So we had this really lovely birthday party. It was, you know, my first kids birthday party. So I was really nervous. And now, and it actually came out really, really well. It's so funny the things that we, um, you know, get really anxious about, but it turned out pretty well in the end. It was themed, it was wild one and was great. Um, but after, just be having all that anxiety and nerves and, and then kind of switching into Christmas mode. Um, I just really wanna sit down and tell all those stories, um, from that time of year, but especially, um, that one. I'm, I'm kind of concocting what I won that spread to look like. So I'm concocting a design, um, right now.

[00:05:34] Jennifer Wilson: You know, I think that's, it kind of brings to light something that happens to a lot of us is that when we have personal milestones. Whether they're annual ones, like birthdays or even, you know, one time things like a fun trip, if it runs into something else like say the holiday season.

[00:05:50] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm.

[00:05:51] Jennifer Wilson: Then you may not be able to give it the same attention you would in terms of scrapbooking, uh, if it was any other time of the year. And so I think those types of things are, since they kind of look out for and plan for, so that we know that we can capture these stories.

[00:06:06] Nolana Lynch: Yeah, exactly. And, and it's quite interesting because now that December Daily is over for me in terms of the album, um, for 2022. I'm realizing that, you know, I put, I am, you know, into foundation pages. I plan my December Daily well in advance. And so I've realized that that second half of the year , the stories begin to dwindle as I, I, I mainly focus on that.

[00:06:35] Nolana Lynch: And so it's very, I it is very exciting, um, for one thing. But I really like what you've said about, you know, still being able to tell those stories in the midst of everything that's happening.

[00:06:49] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, sometimes we have to be very, I don't know, like meta about ourselves and our memory keeping, so. So, noticed on your Instagram from 2018 to 2020, you shared planner content almost exclusively, and then there was like hard left turn and it was December Daily, followed by all the scrapbooking things.

[00:07:10] Jennifer Wilson: So now you're on multiple creative teams as well. So what shifted for you at the end of 2020?

[00:07:17] Nolana Lynch: Yeah, so 2020 was a very interesting year for us. We got married in January of 2020. Um, we went on honeymoon. Um, we arrived like back to Australia right before lockdown started happening all over the world.

[00:07:36] Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

[00:07:36] Nolana Lynch: And um, and we also moved cities in the midst of all this happening. So there was a lot of uncertainty. Um, when we arrived in the city of Brisbane, we were moving from Melbourne. We arrived a few hours before lockdown started in this state. And so, we literally just had like one suitcase each and our things were on the way still. And you know, we had to find a place and there was just so many shifts. My husband was an essential worker, so I found myself in a new city, a new place, um, just with our dog. And, um, you know, he worked long hours and planning was fine. Um, but I guess I needed more and there was a lot happening in the world that, you know, we all didn't understand. Um, because Covid was just brand new at that time. And so, um, you know, we, we wanted to also start a family as well around then. And, and because I had just, um, graduated from my masters in December, 2019, I was not working yet. And um, yeah, we thought that was a, probably a good time to do it since I was home anyway, we were in lockdown. But then, yeah, so that, that didn't work out the way we planned in that year, and it was just, very emotionally, um, you know, tumultuous, for us. And, and we had so many things happening that I, I kind of just delved into December Daily.

[00:09:11] Nolana Lynch: It was almost like a saving grace for me. And, um, I've done it for like two years. Cuz in the planning community, um, Planners Anonymous, which is one of the subscriptions that I, I still had first. They're Australian based, they do a Christmas album and a Christmas kit. So in 2018 and 2019, I did a kind of junk journal style December Daily.

[00:09:35] Nolana Lynch: Um, I didn't even know about this huge community that existed. You know, but eventually some of my planner friends who also do December Daily, like Posh Plans for example, started doing foundation pages. And I was like, oh yeah, let's, um, get into December Daily planning. And that was 2020. And I'm not sure it's because. Yes, we had so many things happening. I was home. I was looking for, you know, some, some way to, I guess document grief, but also be creative and, and heal as well, um, at that time of year. And, um, and so I just dove right in with everything that I had. And, um, I really love the process of creating and documenting our stories, and I couldn't be happier. I think that was, that was probably the most joy that I felt in a long time, at that point in time, in 2020. And, um, I fully embraced all of it.

[00:10:41] Jennifer Wilson: That's, that's such a beautiful story to hear.

[00:10:44] Nolana Lynch: Hm.

[00:10:44] Jennifer Wilson: And it's also one that I've heard from so many people. In terms of this particular project being a transition point for them, whether it was, uh, from one type of scrapbooking to another. Or to start actually scrapbooking or to even just become more in touch with themselves and then maybe they, kind of transitioned over to One Little Word throughout the rest of the year. But they don't even consider themselves scrapbookers. What do you think it is about the December Daily project and, uh, Christmas season scrapbooking that really kind of captures our imagination and, and connects to something that's so, you know, deep, I guess.

[00:11:26] Nolana Lynch: Yeah. Um, yeah, December just holds so much magic and excitement. And, um, I guess for me it started at a very young age. Um, I'm, I'm actually born in December as well as like a large portion of my family or like my dad, my uncle, cousins, aunts. And so we just have this really big, um, celebration around. Christmas and birthdays, anniversaries, it's all sorts of things are happening in December for us. And my grandmother was like the queen of Christmas and she would just burst with joy and energy throughout the entire season. And, and back home Christmas starts really early, so kind of like September, you're like hundred days of Christmas, Christmas music, everywhere.

[00:12:12] Nolana Lynch: Christmas food is coming out and, and it's just, everything changes in the air for us. So I already had that be with me and that, you know, those sets of traditions with me. So once I, I kind of discovered December Daily I was like, huh, of course, why not capture the most magical time of year that we look forward to so, so much. Um, so, and I think it's just being able to, creatively tell our stories at, at, you know, a time that were just also joyous and excited and, yeah, I think Decem, December.

[00:12:53] Jennifer Wilson: I can hear the smile on your face.

[00:12:55] Nolana Lynch: Yes. December kind of just, you know, like, um, when you're introducing yourself to a crowd or to a room and, and you know, you're kind of telling a bit about yourself. I feel like December's like that celebrity that walks into the room and everybody knows them, like no introduction, no explanation needed. December just speaks for, for itself with all its magic and all its glory.

[00:13:20] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes, yes. And then you had such a deep connection being your birthday month as well. And it sounds like just this, this deep tradition of, you know, the, the Christmas season starting quite early in, in Trinidad, so.

[00:13:33] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:13:34] Jennifer Wilson: That's really exciting.

[00:13:35] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:13:35] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. So you mentioned that you'd done a few little things, but you really didn't know, you didn't have exposure to the community. So what kinds of memory keeping, if any, were you doing before December Daily?

[00:13:49] Nolana Lynch: Yeah. So before December Daily. Um, so I was planning. I discovered the planning community around 2017, 2018 on Instagram. Now, I'd always been a planner, very organized. I've always owned a planner, but I didn't know there was such a big community around planning and creative planning. So that was a whole new world for me. And you know, there are quite a number of, of planners that cross over into scrapbooking. And so through, through that community, I started seeing, for example, memory planning. And I started doing a few of those in my planners. Because, essentially with the creative planning, you know, you're doing stickers, you're doing pens, you're doing color. Then you know, you, you ease a few photos in there, and so it, it starts looking less and less like a planner and more like a memory planning or I guess now we have this, you know, memory planning community as well. So it's starts looking more like a memory planner. And then, um, I think it's kind of like a natural type of transition to, to scrapbooking. And, and I think once I, I crossed over, I was like, these are my people.

[00:15:04] Jennifer Wilson: Oh yes. And so today, what does your hobby look like and what is that, that format that you're so excited to kind of dive into this year?

[00:15:16] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:15:16] Jennifer Wilson: You mentioned you just purchased something.

[00:15:18] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:15:18] Jennifer Wilson: That sounds like it's the perfect fit.

[00:15:20] Nolana Lynch: Um, so my hobby for me telling stories is, is kind of like the one thing that has been consistent for me over the past few years. And I look forward at the end of the day to doing something creative and telling a bit of our stories, and so I've been able to have quite a consistent practice, around scrapbooking. And I firmly believe it's just, you know, just really therapeutic for me. It's how I wind down at the end of the day. And so, um, what does my hobby look like today? Um, so I did Project Life last year and the previous year. I did it in various formats. Last year was the first year I did it in nine by 12.

[00:16:09] Nolana Lynch: Um, but I also had like a family album, which, you know, I did thematic stories, um, with the Story Kit on different things. Um, and then I did travel albums. I did a separate kind of journal type, which was in a, um, Citrus Twist Travelers notebook album. Which are just stories about me and all sorts of things. I have so many formats and I guess.

[00:16:34] Nolana Lynch: Um, I also started Stop the Blur last year, which was really fun. And I guess one of the things that resonated with me is, uh, yes, I had a lot of fun creatively dabbling in all the different formats and that always drives me and keeps me going. Cuz I just love having, you know, just various things to work to work on.

[00:16:53] Nolana Lynch: But, um, I, I also wanted to have one place, like the scientist in me needed something chronological. Because when I was going through my albums, um, over the past couple weeks, um, they were really lovely, but it, but I was like, you know, some things are told more than once. Because for example, if you have Project Life and you have a trip, then you have like, how do you reconcile that gap in your Project Life album?

[00:17:23] Nolana Lynch: For me, I need to have at least a couple photos or a couple something saying that, a trip that happened. But just leave the travel album for it to be more extensive. And I kind of found that I was doubling up my resources and my time. So what I wanted to do is create an album which tells our stories chronologically. So that it doesn't, so that I do not double up on, um, telling stories more than once in, in various formats. Um, so, and I have lots of six by eight albums. I was really tempted to buy some more 9 by 12 albums. But what I'm doing now is I have a hybrid, mod podge. So I have my, my Project Life so what it, it looks like I just did a Reel last night because I actually just did the first, well, I'm up to up to date now, the first couple weeks for this year in it, um, yesterday.

[00:18:15] Nolana Lynch: So the smaller everyday stories, um, I'm telling them and kind of like a more Project Life type format, um, with pocket pages and then the things that I wanna blow up. I'm doing them as, you know, my outside of the page protector, my more creative stories. Um, and then, you know, even like my travel stories, so that was probably about, I think, um, 16 pages from just the travel stories.

[00:18:43] Nolana Lynch: Um, but that went, you know, just in order of the format, which, which makes a lot of sense to me. So now I could just label that album January or January to February, 2023. How much of it holds, but it holds all our stories from a period of time. This is before the system, so that I had, you know, you'd have Project Life in one album, and then I found like, you know, a story album on the other side of my craft room, uh, which had stories from like, you know, probably all of 2022 or half of 2022. But I like knowing that, you know, probably 20, 30 years from now, for example, you know, we can pull out what was 2023, January like, and have like all the stories from that period of time and one album. So that's the format that I'm playing with at the moment.

[00:19:35] Jennifer Wilson: So, you know what's so interesting about this is that around the same time, like you know, about a year after my daughter was born, I was, you know, thinking about things intently and trying to figure out, okay, how do I wanna scrapbook? And there's so many different options. And at this point, this was like 2013, so this was when Project Life was really taking off.

[00:19:55] Nolana Lynch: Hmm.

[00:19:55] Jennifer Wilson: And that's I decided to go chronological.

[00:19:59] Nolana Lynch: Mm.

[00:20:00] Jennifer Wilson: Because I felt like I'm, my stuff is too scattered. But now that my daughter is 11, I'm actually moving everything back into category like Stacy, Julian, library of Memories, albums.

[00:20:12] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:20:12] Jennifer Wilson: And not doing chronological anymore.

[00:20:14] Nolana Lynch: Yeah. That's

[00:20:15] Jennifer Wilson: So

[00:20:16] Nolana Lynch: Exciting.

[00:20:16] Jennifer Wilson: It's something about, you know, having a little person in your life who is growing so quickly.

[00:20:20] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:20:20] Jennifer Wilson: Time is just, feels so linear and like, cuz you're literally, things are changing every day. Um, I think there's just like this innate need to have that sense of order in our memories.

[00:20:33] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm. Yeah, exactly. And you know, I'm still gonna do, I think for me, I'm gonna do Stop The Blur, but more like a personal journal type use it for that. Um, And I may, I don't, I have stories of my son separately, but we'll see how it goes. It's all new brand new year. There's time to figure it all out. Um, but I love this chronological format because it, it helps me to feel, I guess, as a sense of order.You know, in a world that could be so chaotic and there's so much change, you know, like every day there's something new right now with him and it's so exciting. Um, so it's kind of nice to kind of build on that and see it all happening in one place. So, we'll, we'll see how it goes. I'm, I'm excited about that.

[00:21:18] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. I'm excited to see how things evolve for you, for sure.

[00:21:21] Nolana Lynch: Yeah. Thanks.

[00:21:22] Jennifer Wilson: I guess kind of, this is kind of a left field question.

[00:21:25] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm.

[00:21:25] Jennifer Wilson: If you had no, you were, no, not on any creative teams, you didn't even have any supplies you felt like you needed to use. Is there one direction you might choose more heavily, like you'd really wanna do this particular format?

[00:21:39] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm.

[00:21:39] Jennifer Wilson: Or size or this type of product?

[00:21:42] Nolana Lynch: Yeah, that's a really good question. Um, I think for me the, the Ali Edwards approach to storytelling is, um, is very authentic to me. Again, you know, in my end of year and, and new year musings and thoughts and planning, um, I love telling stories from a, a certain perspective. So like, remember theme was, it's just really lovely for me.

[00:22:12] Nolana Lynch: Um, and I guess at the end of the day, I, I want to get our stories told. Um, so, I think that way of telling stories has been what resonates with me most. Um, how would I choose this scrapbook my, my day is like, I love the idea of dabbling and everything. So I love mixed media, I love poetry, I love, you know, just the different ways of being able to tell our stories and so, I think having no external obligations. I actually when I read that question, I was thinking like if I, if I had no obligations in the world. Like, you know, I didn't have to work or if I did have a family,

[00:23:01] Jennifer Wilson: Oh.

[00:23:02] Nolana Lynch: I was thinking, I was like, oh no obligations. Oh, this sounds good. I could scrapbook all day long. Yeah. But um, yeah, I like that you zoned the question in down for me, which really helps.

[00:23:14] Nolana Lynch: Yeah, I think I'd probably tell stories in that way. And I'd also, um, use some time to tell some stories of the past, which is, which is actually how I came across Simple Scrapper because.

[00:23:28] Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

[00:23:29] My friend Sue Ann and she me about doing Before Your Story. And we have a little like crafty group in Instagram and you know, quite a few of them are Simple Scrapper members. And so we started chatting about that and then everything kind of mushroomed from then. To, you know, yes, it's so good for this, that, and yeah. Then, so I found it really great for, um, being able to plan and kind of, you know, make some, make some sense out of, you know, there's so many projects, so many products. We can't do it all. Well, but, but we would love to, that's why, that's why the question was so fun for me. I was like, huh, maybe I could do it all if I had no external obligations.

[00:24:13] Jennifer Wilson: Well, it's so delightful to hear that that particular class kind of connected you.

[00:24:17] Nolana Lynch: Hmm.

[00:24:18] Jennifer Wilson: To what we're doing.

[00:24:19] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:24:19] Jennifer Wilson: And then your original take on the question. I hadn't thought of it that way.

[00:24:22] Nolana Lynch: Yeah,

[00:24:22] Jennifer Wilson: In terms of like, no bills to pay.

[00:24:25] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:24:25] Jennifer Wilson: No kids. I think I would paint a lot more.

[00:24:28] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:24:28] Jennifer Wilson: Just be more of an artist.

[00:24:30] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:24:30] Jennifer Wilson: On top of my memory keeping.

[00:24:32] Nolana Lynch: And I love this, um, like art play. It's just, you know, in One Little Word, I think it was the year before. Um, and incorporating a lot more of paint and all mixed media onto pages. Oh, it's so fun. Yeah. So when, like my word, this year is joy. And so a lot of times when I sit at my desk now, I'm like, well, what brings me joy this moment? And so I think I did a painting piece like the previous week, cuz I just really wanted to dabble with all my, my, my stuff my texture paste and mixed media and, and, and still tell our stories. So it's really fun that you brought that up.

[00:25:15] Jennifer Wilson: It's really satisfying both to like do and to watch you do it.

[00:25:19] Nolana Lynch: Oh.

[00:25:19] Jennifer Wilson: Um, so yeah, I noticed this year, like every time I logged into Instagram, you were the top of my feed.

[00:25:25] Nolana Lynch: Oh,

[00:25:25] Jennifer Wilson: Because you were sharing Reels almost every day for December Daily.

[00:25:28] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm.

[00:25:29] Jennifer Wilson: I'm curious, like the part, you know, I know the scrapbooking part and the creative part was fun for you. But was it fun for you to sh to create and share the reels as well?

[00:25:37] Nolana Lynch: Yeah. That's a really good question. Um, so the, I guess with December Daily, because I have so much passion for it, um, it's, I challenge myself to kind of play with videos a bit and have some fun with that. Or at least try. Because I guess I was one of those people who were very reluctant when the the, the shift was happening from photos to videos. Cuz I really love photos and and I really miss just seeing static photos on, on my, um, feed sometimes. Um, but I said, okay, let me give this a shot because I do a lot of creative things for December Daily and it's certainly the time of year that I could, you know, create some content around Reels. That was, that was fun. It was, I had two things that I challenged myself to do, um, which was Reels around my processes. And then, um, daily videos during December on YouTube. So those were two very new things for me. Yeah, that was, it was, you know, I felt like if not now, then when. Um, and it was, yeah, they were both learning, learning processes that, you know, um, I feel like I was able to, to get into a habit of, of creating videos. Um, which was, yeah, it was fun and. In some ways it was fun, in other ways it was difficult, um.

[00:27:03] Jennifer Wilson: Oh sure.

[00:27:05] Nolana Lynch: Um, but I, I learned a lot and I think that that was most important for me.

[00:27:10] Jennifer Wilson: What was harder? Doing the reels for Instagram or doing YouTube videos?

[00:27:15] Nolana Lynch: I think the YouTube videos were harder because, um, because I found my entire, like creating pages, um, there was a bit of editing to do. Um, and of course I think because I sit at the end of the day most times to, to get put my pages together for December Daily. Um, you know, you finish your page, but then you're like, huh, maybe I should edit this video, um, now to put it up.

[00:27:43] Nolana Lynch: Or do I edit the video in the morning? So just, you know, thoughts around those. Um, so I think the last five I've got up to date, 20. The last five videos, the footage sits on my, camera . And I probably might release them later in the year. Um, but yeah, it, it was quite intense. I think especially as, you know, that week before Christmas when things really ramp up um, it was kind of hard to, yeah.

[00:28:11] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, for a certain, I know. I was just like, I had all these lists and trying to figure out when I was gonna cook what, and bake what, and clean what, and yeah. The, the scrapbooking kind of took a, a backseat at a certain point.

[00:28:25] Nolana Lynch: Yeah, I think especially for me that like when Christmas Eve, when Christmas Day comes around and then, you know, our in-laws are over from, you know, the 22nd, 23rd, and we have family gathering starting to happen. In that the week after Christmas, sometimes for me it's busier than all of the, the month of December bef, all the days before that in December. So, um, so that's when I really kind of, you know, zone in on family and spending time with family from that, you know, couple days before Christmas into the last week of, of the year. Um, and so, um, I'm actually very happy to have done December Daily. It's been amazing. We've had a great time. And then, somewhere around Boxing Day you know, I could wrap my page up and be like, okay, this is where I'm at. This is the end of my album for now, for this year. You know, sometimes you have one or two things that you wanna add in, like labels and things for your front covers, but, um, I just take a break. I take a really big break from it and, um, I look forward to, yeah, the new year and all the things that the new year brings from that point on.

[00:29:45] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes. definitely like its own special energy.

[00:29:49] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:29:49] Jennifer Wilson: For sure, but the one that's very different from, from December Daily.

[00:29:53] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:29:54] Jennifer Wilson: We talked a little bit about mixed media already and texture paste and, and you know, you do a lot of like, detailed layering and it's so beautiful, on your pages. What are some of the favorite techniques that you used in your December Daily, the past couple years?

[00:30:09] Nolana Lynch: Yeah, I loved, um, I love sequins. I bought so many sequins, um, this year that I wanted to use in my spreads and I, I think most of my spreads have sequins in some shape, form, or fashion. Which, which started I think in Day In The Life so it was early in last year that I was really kind of going sequin heavy. I love doing more abstract type pieces and I love like just being able to incorporate all the colors from a photograph for example, into a mixed media or paint piece, with texture piece and glitter. I am a big fan of, of glitter as well. Um, but I'm also loving using my page protectors to do see through elements and using a lot of acetate and vellum. To just create a lot of.

[00:31:07] Jennifer Wilson: It's so fun.

[00:31:07] Nolana Lynch: Yeah just all these see through elements and I think for me it's more about what does each page hold. And I usually make a list of things that I want to do in my December Daily album this year. So I start off with stories and then I start off with techniques that I want to try. And so I, I pretty much tried most of the techniques that I wanted to do this year. Um, it feels worlds away. To me now, even though it's only two weeks into the new year. Um, but I guess cause it was such a, a rich season, which for me started somewhere around July, August of last year. It, you know, December Daily takes, up quite a lot of our time depending on which technique you use. Cause with the foundation pages technique for me, I start quite early.

[00:32:10] Nolana Lynch: Um, just so that I'm not rushed in December. Um, but it does mean that December Daily's pretty much constantly in my thoughts for about half of the year. Which is a lot of time for one project. Um, so I'm really ready to park it by the time, you know, the end of December comes around. Um, but yeah, I think I love incorporating paint, and I love incorporating different shapes in my layouts this year. I love incorporating a lot of see-through elements and sequins.

[00:32:47] Jennifer Wilson: Now, you mentioned that you enjoy writing poetry.

[00:32:50] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm.

[00:32:50] Jennifer Wilson: Have you included any poetry in your December Dailes?

[00:32:53] Nolana Lynch: Hmm, good question. I think I do a bit of poetry in my writing sometimes. I do a lot of letters as well. Um, but, um, I do, I've done a bit of poetry in my, um, journaling, but not a whole lot of it. Um, cuz I'm usually trying to balance between, you know, the actual documenting of what happened or the story that I'm telling, um, versus like the letter pages. Cause I have quite a few pages where I write letters to my family and whatnot. And then the end of my album, which is a page that I haven't shared yet, is, is really a, I guess, a poem about December. And, um, yeah, my feelings about December, 2022 and, and what it it meant for me. So, yeah.

[00:33:48] Jennifer Wilson: Very cool. Yeah, I'm, am like you in that. I start thinking about it in July.

[00:33:53] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm.

[00:33:53] Jennifer Wilson: When we first get some teasers. And my goal for this coming year is to get a foundation ready before the new products are released so that I don't feel tempted by them.

[00:34:03] Nolana Lynch: Yeah, I saw your goal. Yes. I saw your goal. And I was like, that is a, I have so many December Daily things right now. And I was kind of contemplating as well, telling stories up to day 31. So I actually have foundation pages for days 26 to 31, in my album. But of course by the time I got to Boxing Day, I was like, huh. I printed the photos. I have them here on my desk, lined up. But I just don't have the energy right now. So I'm thinking when I do I, I can tell those stories if I choose to. But I said, well, even if I don't, then I have foundation pages for 2023, which is a win.

[00:34:51] Jennifer Wilson: Yes. I love that. Yes. I think when you think of it in terms of um, the, when you are repairing those techniques with the stories, uh, they often apply to so many different stories.

[00:35:04] Nolana Lynch: Exactly.

[00:35:05] Jennifer Wilson: I think that's one of the fun things about it for me.

[00:35:07] Nolana Lynch: Yeah. And one of the things that I also thought about is, you know, doing like a foundation page or two every month, or you know, every other month. So that by the time the, you know, the new products come along or December comes along, you have quite a few in your arsenal. And as you said, you're not as tempted to go all the way.

[00:35:31] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Now you mentioned that you used a lot of sequins during Day In The Life.

[00:35:38] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm.

[00:35:38] Jennifer Wilson: I'm curious like how, you know, diving into December Daily, becoming a December Daily addict, as you say.

[00:35:44] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm.

[00:35:45] Jennifer Wilson: Really exploring the, the, the real tactile and three-dimensional side of scrapbooking. How have you carried those techniques into other projects?

[00:35:54] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:35:55] Jennifer Wilson: Or if you have it all, maybe you, maybe everything is like flat and super simple,

[00:36:00] Nolana Lynch: No, I actually love carrying over a couple things. So, for example, with the Day In The Life project that I did last year, I created these, um, acetate sequin pages, for example. That were three by four, to pair with, uh, my photos in my journaling for the days. So each day has like a sequin page, which is, you know, for my projects throughout the year, especially if it's a short project, like Day In the Life, I try to carry across at least one or two techniques. I think the second technique that I did in Day in the Life was a bit of a artsy type, um, shakers page type thing for the front. But I kind of keep that, that particular project is, is really simple for me.

[00:36:47] Nolana Lynch: And then for like Pieces of Me, I did alcohol ink, dividers for each day or each story that we told. So I tend to carry across just a couple techniques in, um, the other album throughout the year. One Little Word is one of those things. I feel like it's, um, you know, a monthly lesson and that changes, um, creatively based on, on what the lesson is. So I like having the mix of techniques in that album over the course of the year. But yeah, I try, I try to get a good balance of creative excitement and, getting the projects done efficiently and managing it with everyday life.

[00:37:32] Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes. It's, there is a balance to find there because, you know, we put in so much effort into these December Daily pages that maybe there isn't even time to put that level of, intention into every single thing we do.

[00:37:47] Nolana Lynch: Exactly.

[00:37:48] Jennifer Wilson: You can but you probably wouldn't create or tell as many stories.

[00:37:51] Nolana Lynch: Exactly, exactly. As. It's quite, it's quite interesting. It's almost like the fog clears for me.

[00:37:59] Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

[00:37:59] Nolana Lynch: December. Like I've had so much fun. I've been excited, I've been this, and then the fog clears and I'm like, oh, it's summer. Maybe I should get a new sun hat or how are our sunblock, um, levels going, like just everyday practical things that I didn't quite think about in December. Um, kind of just comes into light, um, at the end of the, of the, of the month and, and early January. Um, which is also very exciting for me to note that especially, um, this year, for example, is it's been very exciting for me to note the things that were not in the forefront of my mind. leading up to December.

[00:38:40] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, and to just recognize that those, those shifts that we always kind of have, um, and our energy is not, is rarely going to be consistent throughout the year, even if our mental interest is always there.

[00:38:53] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:38:53] Jennifer Wilson: Our interests and shift based on the weather and what's going on and what, you know, what holidays are coming up. So I think that's very, It's just the natural thing way of things.

[00:39:03] Nolana Lynch: And seasons too. Like, like, you know, I grew up in the tropics and so it was just always warm for me. I, I never really, my mood and, and all those things didn't really shift with the season. But now that I live in four seasons, I kind of understand, I think I was doing, um, I was chatting with some friends and they talked about winter.

[00:39:23] Nolana Lynch: And documenting December Daily in winter. And it didn't dawn on me because I'm Southern Hemisphere and it's summer for, for December. But it didn't dawn on me that there would be different challenges, you know? Especially depending on how you are in winter. Not everybody loves it. I kind of like the change of the season sometimes, but someone was talking about the energy, like that winter energy and, and how that affected their documenting December and they, they chose to document December Daily in July and I was like, ah.

[00:39:57] Nolana Lynch: That makes sense. If, if it's warm and you're happy and you know you have all these Christmas memories, well okay, that works for you. That's, that's, that's amazing. So it's just interesting how, how we shift in our energy shifts throughout the year based on, yeah. Just all these life things.

[00:40:14] Jennifer Wilson: Well, one thing that's always been interesting is that, so in the Northern Hemisphere, you know, we have the least amount of light.

[00:40:20] Nolana Lynch: Mm.

[00:40:20] Jennifer Wilson: Here in December.

[00:40:21] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm.

[00:40:21] Jennifer Wilson: And that's when we're basically making our most expensive project of the year with our worst photos. Because we just don't have a beautiful light.

[00:40:30] Nolana Lynch: Hmm. That's another barrier. Yeah.

[00:40:34] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah, I mean that and on top of just like the energy, you know, being slower or more introspective and, you know, wanting to turn inward. so

[00:40:44] Nolana Lynch: yeah. Yeah.

[00:40:45] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, that's, I mean, that's certainly an advantage that you have.

[00:40:47] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:40:47] Jennifer Wilson: Of beautiful light.

[00:40:48] Nolana Lynch: Oh yeah. But yeah, that's, that's a really good point too. And I was also thinking, because we went to, um, like our nightlight show here.

[00:40:58] Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

[00:40:59] Nolana Lynch: In December, the first week of December. Um, but we had to do, we did the earlier sitting, which was probably around, well the earliest we could get was 7:15. Cuz all the earlier ones were already sold out, like within minutes. Um, cuz you know, we have school holidays here, which is, you know, a few months long. The long summer holidays is in December for us. So

[00:41:21] Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

[00:41:21] Nolana Lynch: I got there and it was actually just barely getting dark . So we're going to a nightlight show and it's, it's, you know, you could still see the purpleish shoes of, you could still see a bit of sunset there. And I was thinking, huh, this is, uh, a nightlight show in summer for Christmas. Uh, it's not dark, like, you know, eventually it got dark throughout the show. You know, it's a walking type thing. It's 30 minutes, you kind of meander along through, through the gardens. And it got dark as time went by. But it was funny to me being in a nightlight show, and it was probably not quite night yet, nightfall.

[00:42:03] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

[00:42:03] Nolana Lynch: So a lot of the nightlights pics that I do have because it's when the baby's still awake, it's still semi dusk outside . And you could kind of see all the mix of hues because it's not quite nightfall yet. It's, yeah. It's summer. Summer things.

[00:42:20] Jennifer Wilson: Well it has it's kind of beautiful magic to it as well.

[00:42:23] Nolana Lynch: Yeah. Yes. It's nice. I like, that's why I love seeing everybody's stories, uh, evolve. Um, especially on Instagram. Uh, because you kind of see all different traditions and the different seasons and you see, oh, you just learn so much about this December, which has our hearts.

[00:42:44] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes. And even, you know, I think for so many who maybe have more difficult feelings about December because of whatever in the past. Um, I, I am, I, I do see that this project can help soothe some of that and help reconnect to the joys, even if it's, it's the simple, mundane ones that really make the difference.

[00:43:04] Nolana Lynch: Yeah, definitely it. , you know, it opens up a whole new world and a whole new way of, of, of being and learning and seeing the world. Um, and even if it's just a project that keeps you busy, because it's that kind of project that could be all consuming and take your mind off of things, um, you know. It, whatever it is, and however you choose to document, because you know, this year I've seen a lot more minimal, um, albums. And, and it, and that also resonates with me because you are getting your story told in the busiest time of year. And choosing a format that works for you is, is always, you know, the best way to go. And I've just been really, it just brings me joy seeing everybody document in a way that makes sense for them scrapbooking their way.

[00:43:59] Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes, yes. Now I have one final question.

[00:44:02] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm.

[00:44:02] Jennifer Wilson: Andf it's kind of, you know, I don't, I don't know the answer.

[00:44:05] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm.

[00:44:06] Jennifer Wilson: I, I came at this episode with the idea that, maybe we should carry the magic of December Daily throughout the year.

[00:44:14] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm.

[00:44:14] Jennifer Wilson: But would that make it less special?

[00:44:15] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm.

[00:44:16] Jennifer Wilson: So like do we even need to do that? Or is it just kind of, because it's magical in its own way, we can look forward to it.

[00:44:22] Jennifer Wilson: So I'm curious how you, how you think about that.

[00:44:25] Nolana Lynch: Yeah. That was a, that is a very interesting question. I feel like some bits of magic always carry through the year. Um, I feel like that momentum and that joy and that energy of December is what, you know, brings me into the new year with so much love and expectation and full of gratitude. And so that energy definitely carries me. And I believe there are bits of magic, you know, like sparks throughout the year that, that, you know, comes from that December wind per se. And um, and then it's exciting because July, which is mid-year. That, that whoever came up a Christmas in July , you know, has to be like one of the most clever people of all time. Because it just gives you enough of a spark when you're in that midyear slump to excite you and bring you through with expectation for the next, you know, six months of the year.

[00:45:33] Nolana Lynch: So I feel like the magic carries in in different ways. Um, do we need that 100% level of magic throughout the year? Maybe not. Maybe we just need a couple reminders. You know, at different points throughout the year.

[00:45:50] Jennifer Wilson: A few shaker pockets here and there.

[00:45:51] Nolana Lynch: Yeah. You know, just a pop of sequins and glitter to remind us that, you know, yeah, that December, that December is coming. Coming just now, we only have, you know, 11 and a half, no, 10, 10 and a half more months to go for December. So it's not that far away.

[00:46:13] Jennifer Wilson: Or maybe six months until you get started on next year's album.

[00:46:16] Nolana Lynch: Uh, Christmas in July. Yeah, I, yeah, that was, I don't think we talked about that, but, you know, um, I think I tried to do some baby's first year December albums, uh, last year.

[00:46:29] Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

[00:46:29] Nolana Lynch: And so that was what I started working on around, uh, July, August, probably more August, um, type period. But yeah, I was just so excited about December present and I think because I always finished my albums in the, you know, in the month

[00:46:48] Nolana Lynch: Um, I was really difficult for me to do energetically. Um, it was exciting, but, but, but distract. I was distracted by December.

[00:47:00] Jennifer Wilson: Oh yes. Yes.

[00:47:01] Nolana Lynch: Yeah,

[00:47:01] Jennifer Wilson: That's very common.

[00:47:03] Nolana Lynch: So, yeah. But.

[00:47:08] Jennifer Wilson: This has been such a delightful conversation. Can you share, we can, where we can find you online? And anything you might have new or coming up in 2023.

[00:47:18] Nolana Lynch: Um, yeah. Wonderful. You can find me online at Instagram. I am @nehlan.has.a.Plan, which is N E H L E N dot has dot a dot plan. Um, and I'm also on YouTube at Nolana Lynch. Um, I do have a few exciting things coming up this year and I look forward to sharing it, um, with all of you. Um, I would typically share on socials first. So yeah, so following day I'd love to connect with everyone. I love chatting with everyone. Um, DMs, comments, everything. So I look forward to all the new people that I'm gonna meet this year, cuz yeah, the community I think is what really keeps us going in. Um,

[00:48:11] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, it's amazing.

[00:48:12] Nolana Lynch: Yeah, it's so good.

[00:48:15] Jennifer Wilson: We'll definitely include those links in the show notes for this episode, and thank you again for spending time with me.

[00:48:20] Nolana Lynch: Yeah. Thank you so much for having me, Jennifer. It's been lovely chatting with you and it's been lovely recapping December with you. That's, you know, it's been very, very, very great.

[00:48:31] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, it gets me really excited cuz I'm not finished with my album yet.

[00:48:34] Nolana Lynch: Mm-hmm.

[00:48:35] Jennifer Wilson: And I, but that is my goal for this first quarter of the year.

[00:48:38] Nolana Lynch: Yeah.

[00:48:38] Jennifer Wilson: So I wanna dive back in.

[00:48:40] Nolana Lynch: Yeah, I love, I love it. It gets me really excited too, talking about it. So I feel I'm, I'm really excited to see your album when you get around to it. And, um, yeah, looking forward, I just love seeing everybody's December Daily, um, posts like throughout, you know, January and throughout the rest of the year.

[00:48:59] Nolana Lynch: It's just always exciting to, cuz again, pops of magic that that's what they are for me.

[00:49:07] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, a hundred percent. A hundred percent, yes. Thank you. And to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to Scrapbook Your Way.