Magazine Inspiration

This week challenge comes directly from the pages of Australian Home Beautiful. It is one of my favourite magazines for both home decorating ideas AND scrapping inspiration.

Here is this week challenge. There is lots here to love about the design and the home wares :)

Now I must make a confession. I have not scrapped a new page with this design yet. (I pulled everything out of the kids draws in our shared study...and I can't see the floor or the desk top. I will need to clean before I can scrap...sigh.) I did, however look through some old pages and was happy to discover some pages that follow this layout. I guess this is why I was drawn to this page initially...seems it's one of my "go-to" designs.

This is pretty close to the original, just added a title & flipped the photo placement. Now I thought twice about sharing a page with me in a bikini but seeing as there is nothing of the body to see I figured why not...after all aren't we always saying we don't scrap enough of ourselves! And I have learned to embrace my freckles :)

 

Another oldie but again based around the three blocks. 

I know I have said it before...simple is timeless!!

And a question for you...see the words "last forever" on the magazine page. I am dying to know what font that is. I love it at the moment and can find ones close but not the exact one...anyone have any suggestions? Thanks

Finally...another give-away :)

One of out talented readers will be offering a great give-away next week.

Pop back next week and keep a look out for more details.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with week.

Cheers Di

a quick lift-a-page challenge for you

Well, its my day again and I have to say it snuck up on me, and caught me somewhat unprepared. With a quick bit of thought, I decided to lift one of my favourite pages, done quite some time ago. As I challenge you to do as well.

Here is my original page (which I suspect was probably inspired at some stage by Nicole, however was done so long ago I cannot remember for sure!). This same chubby bubby is now 7 and not so chubby. Still has a penchant for mud, and covering her little brother in it as well. A traditional paper and cardstock page.

Amy, ever the gold star student of challenges ;-) was quick to take up the challenge and produced this little number in no time at all (and hey, that looks like digi bazzill cardstock there Amy!) Amy flipped the design over, I love it.

And here is my refreshed take on my own layout. Digi this time, as I can't actually use or get to my scrap desk at the moment. Long story. Well, not so much, but its boring and you don't really want to know.

Now I realise that this doesn't have a title, and I sort of like it like that...perhaps when I print it I might add in some thickers or something. I seem to be doing a lot of pages on the boy lately, but I guess he is a pretty rich source of content at the moment, being home by himself with me, before he goes to school next year.

Now you know the drill, you are welcome to play along, just linky up down below (when one of the other SAG girls who knows how to put the linky thing in) and leave a comment so we know to come visit your blog! Or of course, there is the Flickr pool too, again leave a comment, if there is no email to let us know we won't ever get to see your contribution!

Might even do a show and tell if enough join in. Hope you like this super simple page, which is really open to interpretation.

Thanks for popping by

Sharon

Challenge 10 - a Sketch!

Hi Everyone, today I have a sketch challenge for you. This is a nice, easy one. Its one of those sketches that I have used over and over again as it is so veratile. So here it is...

There are lots of options with this one! The SAG Girls have come up with their takes on the sketch.

First up, Sharon...I so love the little scallop border under the photos. Its just adorable and the colours work perfectly with the title. Love this page!

Next up we have Nicole and she has given me two layouts. She told me to pick one, but I like them both, so I am showing you both!! These two layouts show just how versatile the sketch is. Nicole has done a landscape orientation layout as well as a portrait orientation layout using the same sketch!

Next is Amy's layout. Such a great story and I love, love, love the vibrant colours in the photos.

Ok lastly (Di didn't get a chance to do the layout this time!), is my take on the sketch. I thought I'd mix it up a little and show you a layout as well as a card based on the sketch. We haven't really shown cards on here before, but I love it when a sketch is versatile, so making it work on a card is great! First up, my layout, a nice simple page, highlighting the photos!

Now here is my card (funnily enough using very similar colours to my layout!).

So there you have it, the SAG teams interpretation of the sketch. So why not grab some photos and give the challenge a go. Its a nice, easy one and we'd all love to see what everyone comes up with, so link up your layout!!

what is perfction?

One of my favourite bloggers is Karen Russell. For a long time now I have been regularly popping in to see what she is up to. Now don't get me wrong, I am not some strange lurker of others lives but there has always been something about her photos that has completely drawn me in. To the point where I almost feel like I 'know' her and her lovely family.  I just couldn't put my finger on what it was I loved so much about her photos. Yes, they are what I would consider technically brilliant, the focus and lighting was always spot on but it was more than that.

This week I started her class...'Snapshots of a good life'. And within 5 minutes of downloading my first lesson the answer was right there in front of me, the reason I love Karens photos so much, they are "emotionally perfect". I love the notion of an emotionally perfect photo for so many reasons.

Our first assignment was to find a photo we had already taken that we considered to be emotionally perfect. Well, seems I was going to fail my first assignment, choose JUST 1!!! ONLY 1!!! Oh man, easier said than done, here are a few I considered...

As scrappers we know our most powerful pages are the ones with those photos that speak to us and the words that record treasured memories kept for generations to come.
Here are 2 of the simplest pages I have ever done yet I consider them emotionally perfect pages!

Todays post was supposed to be a question and answer post (and yes again I am late)...so here is my question to you...

Do you scrap for
1. just the fun of it?
2. to record the memories?
3. both of the above!

And if you answered 3 (which I suspect you may) then can I add a challenge to this post...

Go now and find a few 'technically perfect' photos, choose the simplest template/layout/sketch you can, set your timer for 5 minutes and journal as much as you can about your photo. DO NOT stop to fix grammar, spelling etc (worry about that later) ... just type/write ... and don't get hung up on sentence structure (remember I am a school teacher and so I can give you permission to forget all you know about grammar)...put it all together and please share with us!

I'm not supposed to put the link here today (if you don't tell the others I will so we can all see your pages...shh).


Diane
xx

Challenge day...

and apparently the SAG girls found this one VERY challenging...

I really liked the layout of this magazine article.

Clean and simple, with lots of room for photos, patterned paper and text, as the requirement may be to tell your story. A double page with some oomph.

Amy whined, and moaned, and grumped about this page. Told me it was too hard. That her page was just awful.

And then I got it in my inbox, and how GREAT did it turn out!

Gosh she is a clever thing.

Mine, well you know me and pages, they sort of end up making their own direction.

As usual, not everything went to plan, and the printing didn't work how I wanted to, but not one to muck about too long (after all the story is told, its just something about the text margins or spacing that is bugging me) but its done, in the album and ticked off the list!

I find double pages quite hard to photograph. Please do excuse the pegs (but hey! solved my problem!)

Nicole had a page that already followed the same basic premise of the magazine layout, but mirror image.

Di's version, using divided page protectors - I love how it turned out! and great focal photo.

Emma has been flat out with a new job and chasing around her kids, so she is going to link hers up when she gets a chance.

Anyhow, will keep it short and sweet, as I am in the far west of the state in Cloncurry at a field day. Gotta love modern technology!

Challenge # 7 - The News ...

Hi there again. After a week of looking at all of our scrap spaces it is time to actually use them and come up with some new pages - and a new challenge for you all.

I remember reading a while ago, probably nearly two years ago, an article over on Ali Edwards blog about having a good look in your albums to see what was missing or what you'd like to include more of. For me it was extended family and events going on locally and world wide. In the past year or so I have made a big effort to include pages that go beyond what is happening to my immediate family, sometimes they are simple facts and figures, sometimes they are my reactions to a news item and sometimes they are random thoughts that pop into my head after noticing a newspaper article or listening to the radio.

So, here is the challenge - find something that is happening locally, nationally or internationally that sparks your interest, makes you cross, proud, happy or sad and get it down on paper or pixels. Your inspiration may come from the radio, the newspaper, the internet or the television and it can be serious, thoughtful or hilarious - that part is up to you!

Let's see what we have all come up with ...

First up today is Sharon, her page is one she recently made to include in her WITL project - this is a great idea as I know many of you might wonder where a page like this would fit in your albums, I would say this is just the right place!

Next is a double page spread from Nicole. Nicole has deliberately tried to emulate the feel of a newspaper with her headlines and design. I love how she has taken two events and then expanded the journaling to include emotion and memory, these pages would also fit beautifully into your regular albums and could be included as part of an end of year summary.

Emma has used an international event to spark some very thoughtful journaling, make sure you enlarge this page if you can't quite see what she has written - it is, again, a wonderful response piece to a large event that most of us enjoyed earlier in the year!

Diane responded to a newspaper article that has featured a local and a national issue. I love the juxtaposition of the political and the sporting, this is really emotive journaling and I love the passion with which she has responded to these events!

Finally today I have a couple of pages to share. The first one is a response piece, it contains barely more than the facts and figures about the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan earlier in the year. I wanted to make a layout that was stark and thoughtful.

Secondly, this page is about my favourite all time sport and how much I love the rivalry between these two teams and countries. I used the recent World Championships as the springboard and journaled about the excitement and also a little bit about the inequality between males and females in the sporting arena, especially when it comes to how much they are paid and how much media exposure they receive.

So, there you have it - that is what we at SAG have come up with in response to the challenge ... now it is your turn. Don't forget to leave us a comment when you get your pages done, well, you can leave us a comment even if you don't get a page done - we love to get them and we love all those great questions you ask and the feedback you have been providing!

See you soon,

Amy

All About Me.

Well not Me but You! Yep it's time to put yourself on a page. If your like me you have albums full of pages about your kids. Lots of wonderful pictures and memories recoded for them to look back on as they get older. But I am sure when they are adults they would love to know about us. Our thoughts, likes and interests. So this week our challenge is for you to create a page about yourself.

Here some pages from the SAG's girls to help get you started.

First off is Emma. Short simple statements are are simple an fast way to get your thoughts on paper. Try setting yourself a time limit, even just a minute, and write as many statements as you can think off. Don't worry about grammar this is NOT a school assignment :)

Nicole has simply used I to start each thought here. It is amazing how easy it is if you stick to this simple word as a starter.

BE HONEST!!! Embrace who you are and how you feel. Your family wants to know the real you!! Sharon has just said what she was feeling. Good on you Sharon!

Don't be afraid to be light hearted and have some fun with your jounalling. Here Amy has journaled a fun conversation with her hubby. I have never met Amy in the flesh ( ours is an online friendship) but from this page I know her and I (oh and a bottle of sav blanc) would get on famously. Her personalty shines through in this fun page.

And finally my page. I tiny bit of background on my life. 9 years ago I lost my son, Mark very very suddenly to Meningococca. I have slowly and steadily put my life back together and since had 2 more amazing daughters. I consider myself blessed to have my 3 girls and thankful for the time I had with Mark. Over the years I have found scrapbooking an amazing way to help me deal with so many emotions. This page is just how I was feeling at the time I saw the photo. My life as a Mother goes in all different strange directions so this journalling reflects this. Don't be afraid to put your heart on a page, even if you show now-one it just feels good to write it down.


Now there are NO EXCUSES...I know I said its not an assignment for school BUT seeing as I am a teacher I will keep you in if you don't do a page about yourself this weekend.
I will be checking in to make sure you have.
Now say it... Yes Miss Diane!!!

Changing Things Up A Bit ...

Hi, it's me again, three days in a row? Don't worry, there's a change in the guard tomorrow!
Speaking of tomorrow and changes, we have decided to change things a little over here.
Challenges will now run fortnightly and will appear on Fridays, just in time for the weekend when we are sure you have more opportunity to focus on a little time for yourselves. Don't worry though, we won't leave you high and dry on the alternate weeks, we have a few question and answer sessions organised and even the odd tutorial or two. We love your questions and look forward to hearing your views on all sorts of topics.

You will also have noticed that we have started a facebook page, it's over on the right in the sidebar, head on over we would love to see you there.

Remember, it is not about pressure or deadlines here.

Last week we had a great conversation around printing digital pages and collages, quite timely in the lead up to Ali Edwards' A Week In The Life project, supplies can be difficult to find, especially for our friends over the ditch in New Zealand. We have added a link in our sidebar to Remember When, Lee has always been more than helpful with ordering and dispatch and if you have any queries regarding the availability of page protectors and albums we are sure she will be able to help.

Now, just before we finish up with all the administrative chat I wanted to let you know that my page today is a lift from our team member Emma, it's a take on her page which was featured right HERE.
Emma has kindly offered a little give away for one lucky commenter today, if you are interested in a little surprise pack containing some lovely Stampin' Up products leave us a comment on this post before Friday 29th when Sharon will announce the winner in our first Q&A session. My question today ... What do you most like to see on a scrapbooking blog?

Amy

Challenge #5 - Product

Hi Everyone! Welcome to Challenge #5 and its my (Emma's) turn to provide the challenge. It was suggested that I do a product challenge seen as I sell Stampin' Up! products and I thought that I'd choose the most obvious product...STAMPS! Now I have to admit, I don't often use stamps on my layouts, I save them for cards. However, occasionally a stamp works and I have to admit after doing my layout (and a couple of other layouts) I could be tempted to use them a little more!

So the challenge is USE A STAMP on your layout...any stamp is fine, including digital stamps, however I think we will exclude a date stamp as that would make it too easy! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with. Here is my layout...

So can you pick which item is the stamp? Its the butterfly. This is a Stampin' Up! stamp that will be released in the new catalogue (Sept) and it is my favourite butterfly stamp. All I did was stamp it onto some white smooth cardstock and then cut it out. Now I know that seems like a lot of effort, but with the right pair of scissors cutting out an image is really quite simple. I also did another layout using stamps which I have posted on my blog to give you another example. However, below are layouts from the SAG Team and I must say they are all wonderful!

First up is Sharon's layout. She has used a digital journaling stamp and I just adore this layout. The whole concept is amazing and definitely one I am going to lift! The journaling stamp is perfect for this layout and I really like it. Something I couuld definitely see myslef using...might have to get one for my collection! Sharon did mention that it also comes in a real life stamp as well which is what I'd go for.

Next we have Amy's Layout...

Amy has also used a digital stamp - an Ali Edwards Hand Drawn Digital Stamp. This whole layout is another one I could definitely lift and I was very impressed that Amy made this template herself! It is awesome and I love the blues, plus the photo is priceless!

Nicole has used the traditional form of stamping with ink in this adorable layout.

Nicole has used a couple of different stamps, firstly one for the journaling block which allows her to handwrite which as discussed a week or so ago on the blog, is a very important part of scrapbooking. Secondly, she's used the circle stamps at the top and the bottom which add extra interest to the page. The photo is just gorgeous and the patterned paper matches perfectly!

Di has sent through an oldie but a goodie...

Di has used the "Our Family" stamp which is perfect for this layout.  I love that even though this is an older layout, it still looks great and has stood the test of time!

So now you have seen what the SAG team have done with stamps, both digital and inked, its your turn. I can't wait to see what you come up with. I'd also be interested to know if you use stamps very often in scrapbooking. Make sure you leave us a comment if you link up to the challenge so we don't miss anyone's layouts. Also, if you have any questions about stamping I'd be more than happy to answer, just leave a comment with your question.

Have a great week.

Emma

Challenge #4 - Colour

Hi memory keepers! Sharon here - my turn to challenge you to stretch and do something a little fun. 

Colour challenges are a bit of a struggle for me normally, but this one, I loved. Mind you, I got to pick, so I picked a set of colours that I liked ;-)

Love the washed out feel of them...and as I look around where I live - the colours are  the same. Strong, but faded.

Now - you can either go forth RIGHT NOW and create a page using these colours - or you can keep reading and scroll down to see how Di, Nicole, Emma, Amy and myself treated this colour challenge.

Amy:
 

A digital page from Amy, quick and simple and uses the colour picker to fill areas rather than digital papers - you can see more on her blog. Amy is brilliant at documenting things happening in the wider world, as they happen. As you can see she picked just a three of the colours, and it just so happens, the tail of that plane matches perfectly! ;-)

I love seeing Emma's fresh, clean style:

Love the clean lines - and the colours she has picked out of the original colour example, especially the paler, creamy colour. Neutral, but effective. And also liking that red brad!
Nicole didn't have to look too hard to find a layout that reflected my chosen colour scheme, co-incidentally I had chosen one of her favourite colour combinations. She delved into her layouts and found this oldie, but goodie. Look at that tiny baby! Not so tiny any more. And how effective is a scoop of red, a dash of teal and a good dollop of white.

Di's version used a template from CZ, and uses three of the colours - again the neutral cream combined with blue and brown. A soothing colour combination - and very striking!
This is a digital page - Di did it in both sizes, but I think I like this one the best. And love that how versatile a good template can be.

My own layout: (with apologies for dodgy photo - breeze playing havoc with taking photos outside! and more apologies to Nicole, who apparently gets a twitch whenever I take a layout pic on angle...bad habit I am trying to break!)

Sorry, you won't be able to read the journaling, but if you want to know what this page is about - one I've hesitated over for quite awhile - you can read about it HERE (I still get teary when I read what I had posted, just days after the incident).  Its more or less the same. As you can see, I've taken a different approach to the colours, taking the darker brown, teal and red onto my page (which is funny, it was the blues that I initially liked!)

Please link up below if you play along with this challenge, or post in our Flickr pool.  Either way, could you leave a comment to say you've done so, so we know that you've joined the fun. Our challenges are opened ended, so you can join them at any time!

Hope you find this challenge inspiring!

challenge 3...a sketch

Welcome to challenge No. 3  It's my (Nicole's) turn this week!

All our challenges have no 'cut off' date, so you can be a part of the challenge - this one or previous ones. You do a layout and either pop it on our flicker group (details in side bar) or add a link at the bottom of the challenge so we can pop over and visit your blog. Either way, please tell us in the comment section what you've done, because we are notified when someone comments, not when someone adds a link or a flicker page.

So this challenge today is a sketch. Here is the sketch in both 8.5x11 and 12x12 sizes.

It was quite open to interpretation as far as placement of titles, journaling, and photos go.


Here is my layout. The main area was done digitally and printed out as an 8x10 photo, then stuck on a piece of green 8.5 x11 cardstock. Added some white brads and letter stickers for '7th' too.

 

Below is Sharon's layout, followed by Amy's. Thanks girls, great interpretations of this somewhat challenging sketch!These two girls chose to put journaling in the second large block instead of a photo, which is great! 

And Di's approach (below) ended up more like mine, with the journaling running along the strips.  None of us see each others pages until this is posted so it's always interesting to see what we each come up with.  Di chose to go more collage-y with her layout, and got 6 photos on the layout. Di was influenced partly by the original sketch, but mostly by a Cathy Z digital template which she used.

Emma's gorgeous page below is totally different, with her swapping the photos to opposite sides of the sketch. Looks fantastic, Emma!

If you would like to do a layout using this sketch as inspiration, please let add your link below so we can see your page of add it to our flicker group.

Thanks for joining in and being a part of this. We have loved hopping around and seeing your layouts. 

Nicole x