I love the whole idea behind the Take Twelve photography challenge so much that I talked my sister and my two sisters-in-law into joining the fun! I sincerely wanted them (who have 10 young children among them) to reward themselves by carving some time out to focus on their memories. I know that I'm loving it so far!

Here's my 12 x 12, two-page scrapbook layout, featuring (once again) products from the For the Record line by Echo Park Paper Co. I followed a sketch found in the Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit, adapting the left page for horizontal instead of vertical photos) and used a journaling card from the kit, too.



My Sis-in-Law, Becky (Utah):

Since she's local, Becky was able to come over so we could work on our pages together. She doesn't have a useful photo-editing program on her home computer, so she used Picnik.com to create her collage on the left! Her three photos on the right are just 4 x 6 prints. And the little journaling card came from the Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit. She chose two different colors of cardstock for her background papers, tying them together with the same pattern across the bottom of both pages.
My Sis-in-Law, Suzanne (Arizona):

Back when she just had two children (she now has four), Suzanne was a prolific little scrapbooker. And I can't count the number of times I've seen her kids looking through their albums. This project inspired her to dig out those supplies again and start playing. With a busy and hectic household, Suzanne set a time limit for creating her page and stuck to it. She printed her photos as 4 x 6 prints and then cut each down to size and played with the arrangement until she got the look she wanted. (I love how she also included some memoriablia too, in the form of coupons!)
Unrelated Side Note: Suzanne is a super coupon shopper. During my recent visit to Arizona, she filled the main part of the shopping cart (and used coupons), and I just filled the child seat in the front with my items (and didn't use coupons) and we spent the same amount of money! (Granted, I had to buy formula and diapers, but still!)
My Sister, Michele (California):

Michele is tied with Suzanne as far as number of children (four), but Michele's are younger. The youngest two are just 20 months apart. Clearly, she is also very pressed for time, so she chose to adapt the Take Twelve photo challenge to her clean & simple tastes and to her busy lifestyle. She's creating digital-collage pages, one per month, that she'll assemble into a 12 x 12 photo book at the end of the year! No cutting, gluing, or shopping for scrapbook supplies required. She completed this collage page in an hour using Google's free Picasa program, even though she had never used the program before in her life.

A Few Fun Facts
Two of the three ladies were into scrapbooking at one point, but they truly haven't made a scrapbook page in 7 or more years. And the other has never really scrapbooked at all.
Two of the three hate their cameras, and found themselves really wishing for a new one come January 12. But I say, photos taken with a less-than-perfect camera are still better than no photos taken at all!
Three of the three were challenged by this new experience, having to dust off old skills and supplies.
Three of the three are SO glad they made the time to participate, and they look forward to evolving and adapting the project as the year goes on!
I found myself desperately wishing (yet AGAIN) that we all lived closer to one another. But I love how this project is keeping us connected, one day a month, from our three different states.
One great thing about photo challenges like this one is that they give you the inclination and motivation to stay involved in your hobby, which forces you to figure out what products, processes, and programs suit your tastes and lifestyle—and which don't. I can't wait to see how we all adapt and change throughout the year.
Anyone can take the opportunity to capture the magic in the every day, just one day per month, for 12 months. And then what you do with your photos after that is up to you! (But we do have some great ideas in our Take Twelve kit.)
If you're looking for more Take Twelve inspiration, check out the results from our Take Twelve photography challenge design team, on Ella's blog.
And remember, YOU CAN STILL PARTICIPATE if you'd like to, read all about how and why here.
Happy January!