This year is going, let it go...*

*Alfred Lord Tennyson

There is something inherently wonderful about celebrating the ringing in of a new year. I much prefer January 1st to December 31st. It always dawns with so much promise. As T.S. Eliot put it: To make an end is to make a beginning.

One of my resolutions for the new year is to do more crafting. I always spend early December making things for friends and family, which I get so much enjoyment from. I always ask myself why I don't extend this activity on into the year. In 2013, I plan to spend a bit more time doing so, starting with some paper mâché sculpture. I really enjoyed making these last-minute juggling girls. If I spend a bit more time at it, I can hopefully refine my technique.

Christmas is the one time a year when the whole family gets together in one place for several days. For us this spells hours of cooking, game playing and crafting. The atelier becomes a great big mess, piled high with supplies.

This year we decided to create a family almanac for the year 2012 in order to capture in one place the highlights of our individual and collective lives. Each family created several pages to be included. It was my job, after everyone had gone back home, to bind the books together.

I bought a Zutter Bind-it-All, which is a handy-dandy little machine. Rick, as usual, was the technical guy, calculating how the books would go together.

We made three spiral-bound almanacs, one for each family. Our collective resolution for the new year is to each have a big receptacle (like a cookie jar) and whenever anything memorable happens, write it down and put it in the jar. It can also collect interesting newspaper articles, lists of things... what-have-you. At the end of the year we can read them aloud to one another and have the basis for a very nice 2013 almanac.

A lot of my pages concerned art projects. Some of my favorite times from the year were in the atelier.

The Bind-it-All can handle pages of all different sizes and weights.

Emily made a 12-page accordion book which nicely folds out to reveal a page for each month of the year.

We have recipes, maps, lists of books, a CD with favorite songs and lots of photos. It makes a wonderful keepsake.

James and Adric had their civil union last January. James has also been working on his PhD. and several other writing projects.

 

We got excerpts of his thesis and family-history theater project. Cool!

 I hope your new year is filled with fulfilling activities, creative ideas, loving moments and beauty of every kind.

Always be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. --Benjamin Franklin