How did you all feel about having three months scheduled out ahead of time? It worked very well for me, both for trying to keep on top of organizing things, as well as for getting things designed. Unless there's a good reason not to, I'm interested in going ahead and planning the last four blog trains for the year. So that means we'll need a lot of ideas! Share your thoughts below.
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I really liked the advance planning of blog trains.
Suggestions:
September - At the Zoo
October - Halloween colors with either a spooky or elegant theme. Doesn't need to be Halloween theme.
November - Cooking, recipes
December - Festive Holidays
YES! I LOVED having three month scheduled out- esp. because life gets crazy sometimes! Some sort of book theme would be fantastic. I find holiday-specific themes overdone, but that's just me.
I liked having them planned in advance a lot! It gives the creative juices time to flow. I love the idea of a ZOO theme for any month, but September would be good, as Sunny mentioned! There are always SO many Autumn themed kits though....but I just LOVE those Autumn colors! So, maybe a Pumpkin Spice theme...or (as Sunny suggested) we could have a Recipe/Cooking theme with some lovely Autumn colors and that can include Pumpkin Spice!
For December, I'd love to see a neutral color "Home for the Holdays" theme with kraft paper/browns and various shades of white.
Longer prep time would be very helpful for me. Gives me more time to work around my health issues.
Yes Marisa I loved it. I could then put it in my planner and keep it in my head.
A book theme sounds really fun Laurel! I worked in a library years ago as a book shelver & loved doing that! Course I used to play librarian when I was a kid so I guess I was always bookish
I was planning on putting together a kit around the book theme at some point anyway. Also I do love the Zoo idea!
September: I love the "At the Zoo" theme. I see this as either a general-zoo theme or a "pick an animal" theme. Dibs on tiger, as I have a tiger-lover whose birthday is in September!
October: How about Pumpkin Spice as a theme? Go elegant with it, add cinnamon, muted green, and a creamy white?
November: I LOVE the recipes idea--have them each on 4x6 horizontal cards coordinating with the train, or do a layout challenge using the entire train and release as a community project mid-month?
December: I like the neutral holiday theme Erin suggested--add in some natural greenery (pine/spruce/holly) and berries, maybe touches of red and silver as pop colors, but keep it mostly kraft/white.
I always dream of participating and never have time to (though I doubt I will every actually participate). But here is my two cents on ideas:
I love the zoo idea. There is one kit already and I use it frequently, so it would be nice to mix it up a bit.
I also love the recipes idea. That is the reason I started digital scrap booking and have had a hard time finding related items. I liked the Home for the holidays idea that was mentioned. These two ideas could very mesh together very well. For me some of my favorite Thanksgiving & Christmas memories are related to cooking (like the time I didn't put sugar in the Pumpkin Pies and my Gram pretended like they were edible).
I agree, Holly. Even for the neutral holiday theme, you'd just have to have some greenery and a little pop of red.
Could I make a suggestion regarding the zoo theme?
What about each person pick a specific animal, like Holly said, and then create your kit around that?
And maybe not so "cutesie", as most zoo kits are, but more real life like.
Just my two cents on that.
I really like the "elegant" idea of pumpkin spice for October.
Classy, upscale, beautiful.
For November, it sounds like recipes/cooking interests most of the community.
But what about incorporating Laurel's idea of books into that one?
The theme could be books----favorite childhood books, favorite recipe books, favorite authors, etc., but you could personalize it to your own tastes.
So, if you like the recipe/cooking idea, go with that theme of books.
December, I think the neutral color thing is a great idea, too.
I know sometimes the simpler the page, the better.
And with neutral colors, it's easier to embellish without it going over the top.
Pops of silver and red would be AWESOME!
My favorite two colors!
I appreciate the look ahead. Even though I haven't actually started working on August's graphics, I have some ideas of what I'd like to do and have already taken photos pf items that will become future elements.
Would hot beverages be weird? When I think of fall and winter, I think of hot beverages: spiced cider, hot tea, hot cocoa, coffee... I'd love to see these themes, especially if they incorporate some fall colors, but they'd be good even without fall colors.
love, love, love the 3-4 month plan for the train!! awesome idea!
Tuzyae - I love that idea of hot beverages for a theme.
Yes, the advance planning is very helpful. (I'm a slow worker!)
The ideas suggested by everyone so far are good.
Glad everyone likes my plan ahead method! Please share some palette ideas, etc.
Suggest palette for November:
Suggestion for October:
Suggested Palette for September:
Suggestion for December:
None of these have been gamut checked (didn't feel like firing up PS, ha!)
Walk on the Wild Side (zoo theme): I love the redish-orange with the olive green. Maybe add in another color, like a mustard yellow and/or a brighter green and a darker brown and gray.
Cozy Kitchen:
Home for the Holidays:
I feel like we just did a kitchen theme- At The Table, maybe?
I would be leery of adding just red and greenery to a holidays palette- then it starts to look Christmasish. Or at least add in a blue to it so those who don't have houses covered in red/green have an option...
Love the "everyone pick a zoo animal" thing for September! I call dibs on penguins
It might be hard to have a set palette unless it is the BYB - because all animals are all sorts of colors!
Renee,
Thanks so much! I'm kinda coffee obsessed, but I love a nice hot drink when it's cold outside! I can just see steaming mugs, apples, cinnamon sticks, coffee beans, marshmallows, chocolate, etc. clips! =D
Erin love that first palette! I could see that being good with a book related theme - just my 2 cents! I think Laurel has a good idea using the BYB for the zoo animal...esp if everyone chooses their own animal. Tho Id probably do a petting zoo one as I prefer barn animals over exotic
@Tuzyae - Love the hot beverages idea myself! I discovered snowman soup this year so I could see a good use for a kit around hot beverages!
And if it doesnt work out for this years train maybe Jan or Feb?
I love that orange/navy/olive greenish one too!
It could be a nice palette for various themes! They do sort of resemble the colors of old hardbound books! Maybe we could have an "In the Library" theme.
I love the Hot Beverage theme too! I already did a "for the love of coffee" kit. But Coffee is worth another one!. I think having a fall colored one would be nice, like I mentioned a "pumpkin spice latte" kit would be right up my alley!
I'm okay with the BYB color zoo theme as well!
How about "A Mug and a Book", combining both the hot beverages and books themes, with that orange/navy/olive palette?
Love the Mug and Book combo idea... the two seems to go together perfectly in my world.
Oh love the Mug and a Book!...Lattes and Literature!
Lovely ideas ladies ...
I would really love to see a zodiac theme one day. You could choose one and incorporate stars, the traits, perhaps birthstones, colors and month flowers ...
Awesome ideas!
I love Erin's first palette, Sunny's second palette and Holly's idea "A Mug and a Book"
I love the elegant "Pumpkin Spice" theme suggestion. I also love books, so "A Mug and A Book" sounds fun.
I love that idea so much that I actually have been (slowly between other things!) working on Zodiac kits for a few months now!
Wohooow, great ideas...my favorit ist definitely the theme from Holly "A Mug and a Book" but recipes and cooking would be perfect for December...
Maybe there's a chance to combine Zodiac and Asia-Style later, because these things are not easy to find.
I love the 3-4 months ahead approach!
So many great ideas here. I love Erin's first colors, love a zoo kit any day of the week, the latte and literature sounds fab and what is a mug with a book without some cookies? Pumkin spiced latte cookies... Not sure about December yet.
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