December quote challenge

From the offered quotes I chose "Understand that life is not fair." Whilst working on my son's birthday album I had found this long-forgotten photo, and couldn't resist using it for the challenge.

Unlike the previous pages, this one is digital, created solely using Adobe Photoshop, which is much quicker than cutting and sticking! However, I don't find it quite so satisfying as 'the real thing'!

Megan

December We Love Flowers Challenge

This challenge was to create a layout using only red flowers, with the same colour appearing elsewhere in the layout.

The 'Red Fairy' rose bush is outside my front door and has been particularly beautiful this year.

I couldn't decide what to use as a background, then remembered the fairy-like background paper on Joanna Sheen's 'Dancing with Shadows' CD. I liked the single strip of them top and bottom of the page.

My first scrapbook challenge!

Although I'm in the middle of a major scrapping project for my son's birthday present, I stumbled upon the challenges section of Scrapbook.com, and just had to join up and join in!

The December Colour Challenge is to create a layout [LO] using only black and white, with one other colour. An extra point would be awarded for using a black and white photograph as well.

Here is my first challenge entry. Hope you like it


The paper was downloaded free from Scrapbookscrapbook. I was so pleased with my downloads that I made a small donation through PayPal.

The photograph was originally a coloured one, which I manipulated in Photoshop by making it greyscale.

Can't wait to join in my next challenge.

Megan

Day 30 - the final day!

The leaves of brown came tumbling down ...

This was the sight from my workroom window this morning, even though there was little wind. It was the first time this year that I've seen it this year. Autumn is on the way.

For the final page of my first scrapbook I have gone minimal, but I'm unhappy with my small handwriting. Either a lot more practice is needed, or I'll stick with Bradley Hand font!

Tomorrow I start another album - I don't want to get out of the newly-acquired habit.

Day 29

Today's prompt was to be a pair with yesterday's page - something hard to forget. Finding the decoupage image I went with:

It's hard to forget happy school days.

Although I didn't play hockey I was certainly a rebel !

Day 28

This is a left-over from Wednesday's page where I felt frayed and snowed under. One of the reasons was that each day I had got something new out, but not got around to putting them away again, thinking I might need them the next day. We've all been there, haven't we?

The close-up on my work space is a reminder that it's much easier to spend a couple of minutes tidying away at the end of each session than to embark on a blitz every month - if I can face it!

Day 27

I'm not good at introspection, and I find that the most difficult part of this class. So, today I took the easy way out, choosing to celebrate the changing season, and remind myself that nature provides a wonderful bounty for those who take the time to look.

Day 26

On the 26th day, when I took stock of how much I had to do - and most were things I wanted to do - I just didn't know where to start, so did nothing!

I felt 'frayed at the edges' and 'snowed under', with everything 'getting on top of me'. I used a brilliant cartoon purloined from the internet, and piled amost all the other elements on top of it.
Unfortunately I can't identify the artist to ask permission to reproduce it, or give him/her the credit s/he's due. Any help on that would be much appreciated.

Day 25

On this page we were asked to show something outside the restrictions of the class. Regular scrapbookers were encouraged to make a sample of their scrapping style. Non-scrappers could focus on another craft.

My main hobby is cardmaking, and this is a little stamped, coloured and matted 'thank you' card I made recently.

Day 24

Bread, especially home-made bread, is my big downfall in controlling my weight. The tag should read "If you can't stand the smell stay out of the kitchen"!

Day 23

This page was to be linked visually to the previous one, so I took it one step further. From the shady nook on the opposite page I can see the bed of poppies in the middle of summer. They are descendants of those in our garden 'at home' more than half a century ago. I've moved some to every garden I've had.

Day 22

Today we needed a a simple message, a simple layout, and something we appreciate, no matter how unimportant to life as a whole. My page came from something that seemed sad at the time, but has turned out rather well.

If the old apple tree hadn't died, and the big evergreen shrub hadn't outgrown its space, and if the old paving stones hadn't been the right size, and the bench hadn't fitted neatly, I wouldn't have my shady nook. No babbling brook, but there is a trickling pond just out of shot. :)

Day 21

A cryptic page; one that means something to me, but would require explanation to anyone else - should I choose to provide it.

Quiz players [and climbers] know that Scafell Pike is the highest peak in England, and it's height - pre metrication - was 3210 feet. The mnemonic for remembering its height was easy - 0123 backwards. But along came metrication, and now its official height is 978 metres. And that comes to 3208.6 feet. Of course, Scafell Pike might have shrunk, but personally I blame metrication!

Day 20

Two-thirds of the way through the class! It's fairly flying by.

This time we were to identify something to look forward to on hectic or dismal days. I'm looking forward to my bedroom being decorated, and so spent some time on the Dulux website, looking for ideas.

I'm not too keen on today's design idea, using pieces of patterned paper to create a type of frame - I don't think I will be using it again.

Day 19

Today we were asked to think of someone who had affected our lives, perhaps without ever meeting them. I was immediately reminded of Joyce Grenfell, who achieved so much more than "George, don't do that!"

I was a great fan of Joyce Grenfell's work, and always intended to write to thank her for the pleasure she gave me. Then she died, and it was too late.

Since then, whenever someone's performance has particularly impressed or moved me I have written such letters immediately, and have had some lovely replies.

In designing the layout of the page, we were asked to create curves with anything to hand. I used a CD for the semi-circle in the patterned paper, and a cup to isolate the face. I added the quote Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today, and hand- wrote the name. I still don't like my own writing!

Day 18

Today's page was to focus on a funny mistake that we had made, so this incident fitted the bill admirably.

Just last week we were baffled by the mysterious appearance of a pen alongside the cooking eggs in the breakfast frying pan. Was it supernatural? Did we have a poltergeist?

No, but it did take a few minutes to work out what had happened. When I picked up the lid from the counter top to cover the eggs and steam the tops rather than basting, somehow the pen had stuck to its underside, and fallen off into the pan.

Oh, and the pen still worked after a wash in soapy water, and the taste of the eggs was not affected!

Day 17

This page was to be a mirror image of yesterday's layout, but with a twist. We also had to think about a lesson that we needed to constant re-learn, and for me it concerns eating healthily and losing weight.

I used the picture from the box of my new scales as the illustration, and once again used my own handwriting for the tags "One pound at a time = success", as a reminder that I have to be more patient.

Day 16

This page should have marked the half-way point of the class. We were asked to try to use a photograph of ourself, and to identify whether out reasons for taking the class have changed as it progressed.

My motivation originally was just to do something different, but as I've searched through old photographs I've seen what a bad state they have got into, even though they were in 'proper' photo albums. Now my aim is to rescue and restore them, and leave at least one scrapbook that my son can browse through in the future.

Day 15

I was rather disobedient, and have not done as teacher decreed! Because today's date is always been a rather special one for me I swapped today's task with that for tomorrow.


The picture flaps down to reveal the following text:

The Battle of Britain, which lasted officially from July 10th until October 31st 1940, was the only battle to be staged in military warfare that was ever to be fought entirely in the air, even to this day. It was to turn the tide for the whole future of WWII. Had the Battle of Britain been lost, German forces would have invaded Great Britain and would then have had total domination of Northern Europe and possibly have succeeded in being a world power.

It also documents two significant deaths in air crashes that occured today - Colin Macrae, who was killed when his helicopter crashed, and Brian Brown, whose Hawker Hurricane crashed at Shoreham Air Show.

Day 14

Today's lesson required a triptych, so I chose a faded, rather jaded, old photograph of Bradda Head on the Isle of Man. I also decided to risk my own writing on the page. It isn't quite as bad as it might have been, but I certainly prefer Bradley Hand font!

"I must go down to the seas again" is a quotation from Sea Fever, by John Masefield, and acts as a reminder to me that photographs are not as good as the real thing. I must get down to the seas soon.

Day 13

Today's class was one that we were to use at a future date - unless we had something applicable aready. It was about learning a big lesson the hard way - perhaps from something we had done wrong.

I hasten to add that my page doesn't actually fits the bill too well in terms of message, but it does document a little incident that happened today. Although I'm having a little dig at my husband, we are still friends.

Day 12

Today we were asked to observe the changes in the outside world. I chose to do so literally, by photographing something right against my bedroom window.

We also were to frame our photograph - I tried a variety of methods but found a ball of furry yarn whose colours matched both the photograph and the patterned papers in the album.

Day 11

Today we were asked to document some little gratitude. This coincided with my six-monthly hospital check up, so my gratitude to a family I have never met, and to all those who took care of me, is so great it is difficult to express.

I tried to do something different, although why on earth I chose that shape for the picture of six-months's worth of medication is now totally beyond me. It just seemed like a good idea at the time!

Day 10

This and day eleven's page are linked by chance rather than design. Today's is occasioned by the the immorality of one family, whereas tomorrow's is about another family's selfless generosity.

The details of the will are hidden inside the illustration, but suffice it to say that solicitors have been engaged, and the will is being contested.

Day 9

Following the shock occasioned by the scaled on Saturday, Sunday was spent planning my eating plan for the foreseeable future.

The illustration is an indication of my breakfasts each day - unless it's my lunch! The little concertina book on the page outlines the mini-plan for a mini-me. Wish me luck!

Day 8

On Saturday morning I stood on the scales.

Need I say more?

Day 7

I saw a news item about Hadley Learning Community, near Telford, Shropshire, England, and thought it was such a brilliant concept that I should record it in my journal. I managed to find a coloured plan of the area on the internet, so that forms the main illustration on the page. Details of the schools as they are at the moment are in the folded pink card.

In a few years time, when I'm leafing through my old albums, I will probably check to see how well the concept has stood the test of time. It has all the hallmarks of the way education should go - I do hope it works.

Day 6

This was a bittersweet day. At breakfast I heard that Luciano Pavarotti had died. Although I'm not a great opera-lover, I do recognise that Pavarotti probably did more than any other singer to bring opera to the people.

I heard one story told that he had performed in Sheffield, but his voice was not good as he had been ill. He apologised to the audience, and told them that he would come back and sing for them when he was better, and that their tickets would be valid. He did return and true to his word all tickets were accepted for the performance.

Then I had lunch at Frankie and Benny's with my friend - a musician - who was celebrating her 50th birthday. The meal was disgustingly crammed with carbohydrates and fats and simply delicious! We both chose the East-Coast sundae for dessert. These consist of toffee and chocolate ice-cream, chocolate sauce, chocolate pieces, chocolate malt balls and mini marshmallows ... but we did choose low calorie/low carbohydrate drinks ...

Day 5

"Today I learned that ice is hot"!

According to the Hot Ice website:

Olympic, World and European figure skating champions are getting ready once again to amaze audiences at Pleasure Beach, Blackpool with their sheer skill and speed - as they have done every year since 1937 in the world’s oldest purpose-built ice arena (as verified by the Guinness Book of World Records).

In my page I used my ticket, together with the words 'hot' and 'ice' from the shows advertisements. It will be a great reminder of a great show!

Day 4

The journalling of the full story behind the 'do it yourself' tag is safely hidden within the little envelope. Suffice it to say it concerns politely requesting a husband (who has nothing better to do than the Times crossword) to move the pots of miniature daffodil bulbs into the garden - on five consecutive days!

Day 3

I found it easier going today - I had decided yesterday what picture I would use, as it was a continuation of yesterday's memories of the National Botanical Gardens of Wales. When we visited in 2003 everything was still very new, and I would like to return one day to see how it has grown.

The photograph of the lake linked in very nicely with my thoughts on my son's current ambition. He wants to swim down the Thames! No, he doesn't intend dodging the pleasure cruisers outside the Houses of Parliament, but the part of the Thames that runs through beautiful Gloucestershire countryside.

He is allergic to the chlorine in swimming pools so trains in a mere [meres are small lakes in hollows created by glacial action] in Cheshire.

Day 2

I found today's class much more difficult than yesterday's Title Page - firstly because I was thwarted by dead batteries in my camera, then by heavy rain!

Instead of snapping the beautiful orange berries clustered on one of my Pyracantha bushes I idly looked through some of the many photographs I've taken over the years. I remembered there was a relevant tag in my collection - the one to the right of the page - so I decided to go with old photos which had never been in any of my albums.

I always try to live for today, while looking forward. The photos I found today gave me the opportunity to look back with pleasure. I learned there's nothing wrong with a bit of nostaliga occasionally, so long as you don't live in the past!

A new month, a new challenge

Today I started my first online class - scrapbooking with Shimelle. Rather nervously I crept into the Yahoo group early this morning, and found a place to sit. Many of the others seemed to be old hands at this scrapbooking lark, so I do hope I'm not out of my depth.

After printing off the welcome email and the three pieces of information - Getting Started, Supplies and Title Page - I settled down to scour my stash of 12" x 12" papers that I have been hoarding!

I decided on some from the Rob and Bob collection as they are designed to go well together, so I can't get things too wrong ... I hope!

By evening I had my title page completed, and breathed a sigh of relief. It hadn't been too difficult, and I was moderately pleased with my work even though I can see so many imperfections now it's done!

Shimelle's motivational statement

Shimelle has writen a motivational statement for the class to use in their blogs:

This September, I'm going back to school. In my own little world. I've got a book and a pen and I'm going to record what I learn from life. I believe I really can learn something new every day. I'll share what I'm learning in the form of pages from my book, posted right here on my blog.

I'm not alone: lots of crafty ladies are learning and recording right along with me. See their work here and here. Learn more about our project here.

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