Monday 30 June 2014

Taking Up the (Scrapbooking) Challenge

Last week was a time of flux and change in the scrapbooking world with the announcement of the closure of Two Peas, the site which truly sparked my interest in this wonderful craft, allowed me to meet some fantastic people and educated me in scrapbooking (mainly thanks to a special glittery lady!). I honestly thought that Two Peas was a rock solid institution that would forever be my source of inspiration, but I guess the industry is changing and tough and it's got to be hard for companies to survive. Thanks for everything Two Peas!

However, I'm so glad to see that Shimelle is still scrapbooking, even in the throes of her maternity leave (what a woman!). The weekend before last, she hosted a couple of days of scrapbooking challenges and I was determined to make time to reclaim my scappy mojo and dive headlong into paper and the mountain of photos that continues to grow. Unfortunately, the time limit for submissions has passed... I started writing this post ten times today but it's only now I'm getting around to it. But I said I'd post the layouts anyway!

This was an easy one - I use quite a bit of pink on my layouts, though usually as an accent rather than the dominant colour. This lovely Dear Lizzy ombre paper was the perfect hit of pink prettiness. This is the title page for my Paris album. That black and white panoramic shot was in my to-scrap pile for WAY too long so it's great to finally get it into an album.

For this one, I didn't have a half page photo, so I replaced it with three 4x6 macro photos I took last summer when I got a change to play around with a macro lens for the first time. I also finally got around to using some lovely PL cards - I'm really enjoying using PL supplies on 12x12 layouts at the moment.

Challenge: Puzzle Pieces
Though I don't use sketches all that often, there's something nice about having the skeleton of a page there, especially when haven't scrapbooked in a while. This layout uses photos of when I met Abi last summer in London, and some of my favourite aqua hue!

Here's to a summer of scrapbooking!

xxx

Monday 16 June 2014

The Slow Moving Blog Hop

Welcome to the Slow Moving Blog Hop! This blog hop has been growing and spreading out across blogland in the last few weeks, and I was honoured to be asked to join in by my sweet friend Abi over at Creating Paper Dreams. This blog hop is all about a celebration of crafting and creativity, and the idea is simple: to discuss your craft.

What are you working on?

The reason I started reading blogs and eventually started my own was because of scrapbooking, and that same craft is one that is never far away from any of my creative endeavours. At the moment, I have mountains of photos to scrapbook and so divided page protectors are becoming my very best friend! Though I haven't ventured into the uncharted waters of Project Life despite being tempted many times, I'm still a big fan of PL supplies. I love the little 3x4 cards and how wonderfully fast it is to create a divided spread with enough space for photos, journalling and embellishment. I also love how the divided page protectors break up an album of 12x12 layouts, which the majority of mine are. My next project will be to get all my photos from my recent trip to Edinburgh printed so I can get started on scrapping them.

Though I have loved photos since I got my first Fuji digital camera for Christmas when I was about eleven, it was scrapbooking and the discovery of blogs and the hordes of talented artists out there that really ignited my passion for photography. This is a passion that has continued to grow and expand, especially over the last few years, with the purchase of my beloved Canon DSLR. Even with the advent of iPhones and the amazing photos they can produce, my 'big' camera is never far from my side, and at the weekend, I was asked to photograph a wedding. My Mum's work colleague was getting married - it was a small wedding and she just wanted a few casual shots. That didn't stop me being unbelievably nervous though! My next project is to edit lots of wedding photos. I just hope the bride and groom are happy with the results!

Alongside scrapbooking and photography, it is crochet that has been taking up lots of my time recently. I go through phases with crochet - sometimes I can't get enough of silky new yarn and intricately woven stitches, and other times my interest wanes in favour of something else. At the moment, I'm loving crochet. Along with the blue baby bunting you may have seen me blog about recently, a few other projects have found their way onto my hook, namely some colourful Attic 24 mandalas and a few large granny squares which are destined to make their way into a new blanket (at some stage within this century hopefully!).

Another project that has kept me busy recently has been hand lettering. This is something I had zero experience of, but when a friend of a friend asked me to help her design a menu for her new tea shop, I jumped at the chance! Pinterest has been a mine of information and inspiration, and I've really enjoyed this new challenge to play with words and typography and design. Plus, I'll take any excuse to buy lots of new pens and markers :)

Why do I create what I do?

I create because I enjoy it. I love when my hands are busy, whether that be with pen and paper and photos, or wool and a crochet hook, or the dials of a camera, or a mixer and spatula in the kitchen! Crafting relaxes me, it makes me happy and it connects me with a world of like-minded lovely people through blogging (yes, that would be you!). I've loved crafts since I was a child - when my classmates craved computer games, I begged for art sets and candle making kits and pottery wheels. I think that creative adventures will always be part of my life.

When Abi nominated me for this blog hop, she asked that I nominate three other bloggers to continue the chain and discuss their craft. However, I've had a little difficulty finding people that have time to commit to writing a post, or even finding people that haven't been nominated already. So, I'm just passing the baton to one blogger...
Jenny at Adventures in Crafts & Castles: I met Jenny through scrapbooking (thank you Two Peas gallery!) but she has since become my best friend. She is an archaeologist and a talented scrapbooker, and her beautifully written blog features stories of her work, her life in the west of Ireland and photos of her colourful layouts.

If you're reading this and would like to take part, consider yourself nominated by yours truly! Talking about craft always makes me happy so anyone else that feels inclined to participate, please feel free.

Thanks again to the lovely Abi for the nomination!
xxx

Wednesday 11 June 2014

One Photo and Twenty Words


Blue crochet bunting made as a gift for my cousin's brand new baby boy. A parcel bound for Perth, Australia.
*****
Today, I'm joining in with the lovely Abi's meme, One Photo and Twenty Words. Pop over to her blog to see more photos and stories, and join in for yourself.