Challenge yourself!

Since the school holidays have been in full swing (about 4 weeks up here in Scotland) I’ve had more time for scrapping and general creativity and in fact I set myself the challenge to do something creative every day! Ok, well I’ve not quite managed it, and some days I’ve spent time clearing up the mess the creativity from the day before produced! Anyway, we all get days when our natural creativity just isn’t cutting it and that’s when we need a little extra inspiration ‘hit’. I’ve really been enjoying the chicken soup blog and am working on this week’s recipe at the moment. I also found myself trawling the net and following links from other people’s blogs to find other challenge blogs. This morning I came across the LCOM ‘capture these sketches’ challenge blog and the idea of scrapping something that was not a person or a pet caught my eye. So this is my interpretation of Heather’s sketch No.47…

Those of you who know me well will know how much I love Graphic 45 papers and these ones are from the Domestic Goddess range (they can be found here in the shop). I thought that any self respecting domestic goddess wouldn’t simply glue down papers and pictures, but she’d get out her sewing machine and sew everything together, so that’s what I did. This way the LO serves a double purpose, since I’ve been asked to teach a scrapbooking class to a group of patchwork enthusiasts, this way they’ll see that the two hobbies do have something in common.

So if your scrapping mojo has gone on summer holiday without you why not have a go at the classes or challenges on this blog (there's a sketch here) , the chicken soup blog or one of the many other challenge sites out there.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering – the bilberry pie was delicious!!

It's Chicken Soup Time Again

This week the inspiration was my choice. I love the bright colours on the Glee poster and although I rarely manage it, the clean graphic style is one I would love to be good at. Somehow I can never quite manage to go for clean and simple but I like to try occasionally!

Of course by the time I had finished my layout it was nothing like the Glee poster although I did start out with it in mind! I ended up flipping the grid of 12 square on its side to make it 4 acroos and 3 down. Then I amalgamated the top two rows (8 squares) into two larger squares for my photos.

I used the bottom four squares foe a trio of embellishments and my journaling.

Come on over to the Chicken Soup Blog to see the original inspiration and what the rest of the team came up with.

July Class

Another class for you with Free PDF Download. This class looks at a technique for adding interest to your cardstock by adding a grungey ink effect.




Click Here for the free PDF Download.

Still Here!

Apologies for being Missing In Action the past couple of days! Packing is underway ready for my trip starting on Friday but while I am away the blog has lots of posts scheduled as well as some posts which will be made by some of the DT Girls.

So, as the only creative things i have managed this week are for the DT Gallery and for Chicken Soup I can't share them. So instead I thought I would post this layout of Izzy on stage with Mickey Mouse at the end of our cruise last summer.

Signing off now to go pack some more... excited?! Just a little!

It's Nearly Done!

Ever since we moved to this house in March 2008 we have been working towards getting some outbuilding space for ATDML/ After a failed planning application, a revision to the application and finally approval we started work last summer.


Dad constructed the frame for the concrete bases and together we did the concreting. When they were dry and lever the company who were supplying the chalets arrived and in the space of a day two wooden chalets were in place.


With no electricity supply out there initially only a little bit was done over the winter months with so little daylight but come spring chalet number one was insulated, plasterboarded and had cabling in place for electrical connections.

Finally the first chalet is almost ready. The walls and ceiling have been plastered, there is a floor and skirting boards! The lighting cables are in place and fitting the lighting and sockets is noxt to do.

Double Trouble!

When was the last time you created a double layout? A few years back they use to be quite fashionable in the scrapbooking world, but you don't see so many of them these days. I have been creating a double layout a month as part of the Project 12 challenge ran by a Candian Scrapbooking magazine. There is a double layout sketch provided each month and participants are encouraged to create a 2-pager of their favourite photos of the month. The hardest part isn't pulling a 2-page layout together, not given the sketch does the work for you, but shortlisting which photographs you will use can take a while (especially if you snap away quite frequently!)


The double sketch for June asked for just 4 photographs - a real challenge given our family did plenty, but I'm pleased with my selection with gives a good feel for what occured in June chez the Freeman family. I used papers from my Echo Park collection pack "Walk in the Park" which even came with the bunting style stickers which worked perfectly with the sketch. The collections by Echo Park are so jammed full of product they are perfect for summer pages and make pulling together fun layouts very quick and easy!

Share with us your double pages or your Echo Park creations - we love to see what you all create.

This Weeks Recipe...

...called for a grungy, distressed style and an eye catching yellow black and white colour scheme! Well that is what inspired me when i saw this weeks recipe over at Chicken Soup. The recipe inspiration was provided by Ann and it is so her! I thought about ideas for a layout using it but it wouldn't quite fall into place in my head and then I decided to make a card and it all came together quite quickly (for me!)

Anyway, i hope you are enjoying the challenges over on the Chicken Soup blog and that you take a look at what the other girls have done with it.

Revisiting Your Albums

A week or so ago I was asked by a colleague who also scraps to take an album in to school to show one of our other teachers exactly what it is we do when we play with paper!

I only wanted to take one album in and resisted the urge to pick up the newest album and took a slightly older one. I was amazed to find that as she looked through it I saw layouts that I had FORGOTTEN, and worse I saw photographs of days out that I had FORGOTTEN! Now bear in mind I only have albums of photos since I had Isabelle and she just turned five, so they weren't from the dim and distant past!

Anyway, when i got home I sat and looked through some of my other albums and spent a happy little while on my sofa looking at all the old layouts and photos. I have made a mental note not to let too long go by between looking at the albums and to help with this I moved some of the full albums into the higher cubes of my Expedit TV unit (My lounge is like an IKEA warehouse with all the Expedit products dumped in it - seriously it really is Expedit city but I do love cubes and at least it all matches!!)

So anyway, I thought I would leave you with a couple of rediscovered old favourites from my album, I know it is the school holidays and there are children to entertain for many of you but do try to take the time, maybe one evening with a glass of wine, to look through and enjoy the work you put into creating your layouts!

Tis The Season...

So as we unpacked the shipment that arrived earlier in the week it seemed odd to be in July looking at "Hallowe'en In Wonderland" by Graphic 45, and of course the summer CHA releases will be available soon which for some manufacturers will include Hallowe'en and even Christmas lines.

So what have you seen that looks good?

I am liking the look of Sassafras Indie Girl and apparently it is selling well and a second print run has been ordered.

Let us know what goodies you would like to see lining the ATDML shelves!

In other news, chalet number 1 of the 2 outbuildings we had put up to house stock and to run occasional classes in is having it's floor laid this week. It has been insulated, plasterboards, painted and will have a laminate floor any time soon - so the next job is to set it all up just as we would like it. Watch This Space!

A Little Box Of Goodies Is Heading For...

And the winner of the giveaway, as chosen by the mystical powers of Random dot Org is....

Comment number 39 which was:

kazy1 said...
Don't you just love giveaways?....AND surprises! fingers crossed for me xx
19 July 2010 10:43

Please email me ( Mel@atripdownmemorylane.co.uk ) with your address details and we will get your box of goodies sent out to you.

Giveaway Time...

Who wants a little box with some stash from the shipment of NEW goodies due to arrive tomorrow?

Just leave a comment and random dot org will do the rest.

You have until 6pm tomorrow to leave the comment if you want to be entered into the draw!

Don't forget to keep an eye on New Products as there are lots of things coming our way starting tomorrow and going on through the next couple of months as manufacturers have staggered release times of different lines again.

Minimalist!

Head on over to the Chicken Soup Blog to see what the girls came up with for this weeks recipe based on a David Bowie Album cover - it was VERY minimalist!

Here is my layout, I followed the layout of the album quite closely but it was so hard to leave all that white space!!

Sketch Inspiration Number 12

For the Chicken Soup blog I have been working on one of the recipes to come and it is very minimalist and simple. It made me stop and think about the different styles we all have and how we work within our own style and also when we venture outside our comfort zone and try something different.

Like a lot of scrappers I know I admire the clean graphic lines of people like Cathy Zielske but I find it a tough style to replicate. The sketch and example below show a layout I did on the clean and simple theme a while back. I was actually quite pleased (although apologies for the photo - I just looked at the original and the photo is really not good!

Obviously in the sketch the heart shape represents an embellishment, it doesn't have to be a heart!

As always we would love you to play along with this and our other sketches for the month (which also includes the one from late June!) To see the sketches just click on the Sketches tag on the right hand side and it will filter blog posts that have the sketches tag.

We will draw a winner for the July sketch challenge and they will receive an ATDML shopping voucher for £10.

Feel Like a Machine!

Well although I have been working on a creative project Mum and i set up a production line to do the boring, non creative bit of making my paper bag books for my cruise gifts.

We made 10 books, each has 5 bags, trimmed to 6" high and folded to make a 6x4 inch portrait format page. The five double pages were folded separately then joined with double sided tape to make the book leaving top pockets for tags etc... and a lot of blank pages to decorate.

It took a while, was not very exciting but you gotta do the boring bits before the fun starts!

Will post again soon to show them finished.

PS I know there are only nine books in the photo - one is missing ARGHHHH... I think Olivia may have investigated and moved it - hopefully it is still in one piece, if not we will have to make another!

Off the page and into the home

The ATDML July gallery features a couple of lovely projects that take your scrapbooking supplies away from your albums and onto 3d projects. The Max and Whiskers paper by Basic Grey is simply perfect for jazzing up containers for your pet food as illustrated beautifully by both Suzanne and Jane.

Suzanne embellished a painted wooden box to hold her fishfood supplies.


And Jane found a neat was to add a little something to a glass jar for her dry cat food.


We'd love to see how you have used the Max & Whiskers papers to add that little something around your home. Please share them with us!

Realising That Everything Doesn't HAVE To Be Complicated!

For todays post I wanted to write a little about how we sometimes create pressure on ourselves to make every layout a showcase of our skills, our stash and our creativity.

A couple of years ago when I was heavily pregnant with Olivia I had an evening where I sat down and looked through my "To Scrap" photos and felt utterly overwhelmed with how much I had to scrap.

First step was to come to the realisation that not every photo has to make it into the scrapbook, not even every good photo has to make it in. Just the ones that speak to you and inspire you.

The next thing was to understand that every layout DOES NOT need to be an advert for all the techniques you can use or all the complicated design ideas you have. Sometimes a layout can be quick and simple but still please you for many years to come.

I can honestly say that prior to that evening I had NEVER spent less than a total of about 5 hours on any of my layouts. Now admittedly I still have some layouts which take ages and I linger over, but I also realise that sometimes it is ok to go for something more simple.

That night I sat and made this layout showing Isabelle enjoying the Fantillusion parade at Disneyland Paris - it took me under an hour and I still love the memories it captures.

This layout was done a lot later and shows Olivia eating rusks! The paper was perfect for the photo and it needed very little other than title, journaling and a little embellishment.

If you are one of those who has never struggled with scrapping quickly then I take my hat off to you, I am one of lifes ponderers and it has taken a huge load off my scrapping shoulders to let go of the need to faff about for hours and sometimes days over EVERY layout!

Weekend Offer

Just a quick post tonight to let our blog readers know that this weekend we are running an offer... All orders over £20 this weekend receive a free BG paper pad - just add "BG Pad" to the comments box when checking out.

My Patchwork Layout At Last!

Well it is Friday again and the newest challenge is up over on the Chicken Soup blog. This week the recipe was "A Passion For Patchwork" and I had a little smile to myself as it wasn't even my suggestion for a recipe but you KNOW how much I love patchwork!

So I finally got around to making that patchwork layout that has been whirling round my head for a while. I had so much fun making it and of course it was also a great way to use up scraps and random bits and pieces of embellishments.


Do take a trip over to the Chicken Soup blog and see what the girls have come up with. Remember if you post a link to a layout you have done inspired by one of the recipes you will be in with a chance to win a prize sponsored by ATDML

New Gallery

This month the DT worked with either Capella or Max & Whiskers from Basic Grey. The teamw ere joined by guest scrapper Rebekah Norman who produced a lovely home decor item as well as some layouts to inspire you. A big thanks to Rebekah for taking part this month :)

Click HERE to see the Gallery!

Calling All 7 Gypsies Fans......................

We were up very late last night until 2.15am as 7 Gypsies were holding a Webinar to showcase their new products for Summer 2010. We love 7 Gypsies and asked if we could share the catalogue with our blog readers and they said that YES! So here it is

Let us know what catches your eye, we have placed our initial order which included almost all the new product but we are always keen to find out what people are most anticipating!

July Challenge

In the past month or so we did a focus on Multi Photo Layouts, so this months challenge is to scrap a layout with 3 or more photos on. No other rules, just make a multi photo layout and email your challenge entry to me Mel@atripdownmemorylane.co.uk on or before 29th July

Please note the early closing date... I leave for my cruise on 30th July and although the blog will still be active I will post the winner of Julys challenge before I go as I won't be back til 18th August. Jill will still be here manning the shop and the emails but she has delegated challenge judging to me!

The winner will receive a £25 ATDML Shopping voucher.

A Blast From The Past!

It is amazing how things come and go in the scrapping world, just as in the fashion world, what is "hot" one season is old news the next. However I think it is kind of fun to revisit some older ideas, techniques and styles. Let's face it the fashions will all come round again - It is not that many years since I heard the 80's described as the decade that fashion forgot, now you can't move for leggings, big T Shirts and 80's retro!

So todays little blast from the past nostalgia is...

... The Paper Bag Book!

In a months time I am leaving for my holiday, another trip on the wonderful Disney Cruise Line and being the forum addict that I am I have signed up for a "Cruise Meet" thread with fellow cruisers. As we did last year we have signed up for a swap where cruisers on the same trip exchange small gifts. While searching for inspiration for my gifts I saw a fabulous paper bag album which someone had made (well actually they made 19 of them) for a swap on their cruise!

After a little bit of digging around I found a stash of small paper bags and I am duly constructing 10 paper bag mini albums to give on my cruise and I am really enjoying doing it. I will of course share pictures when they are done but I wanted to share my little trip down memory lane remembering the days when UKS was awash with posts about where did the best deal on which size of paper bag!

Sketch Inspiration Number 11

Remember that the July sketch challenge also includes the sketch posted towards the end of June, but if you have already had a go at that or fancied something different then take a look at this sketch.

Based on the layout "Zoo Fun" I did in Junes DT gallery it will encourage you to utilise the white space on your layout. It is sometimes really hard to stop and leave areas of the layout unembellished but it can really help make a statement with a bold font the combination will be clear, graphic and striking.

To enter the sketch challenge post a reply to the relevant sketch post with a link to your layout either on your blog or in an online gallery. The winner will receive a £10 ATDML shopping voucher and of course hopefully by participating you will be having fun being creative and adding layouts to your albums :)

ATDML Are Pleased...

... To be sponsoring the first months challenge over at an exciting new Challenge blog called "Chicken Soup For The Poorly Mojo"


Each Friday a recipe of visual inspiration will be posted, for example an advert, album cover, art work or similar and the team will post their take on that weeks recipe giving you the initial inspiration plus a variety of idea of what you can create from the recipe.

I am really pleased to have been asked to be one of the Chicken Soup cooks and I hope that you will check out this new challenge blog to see what the cooks are whipping up each week for your weekend!

Recipe #1 Featured The Coca Cola World Cup Poster and my take on the recipe is below. Do visit the blog to see what some of the others did with this recipe

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Scrapping Bingo Winner

And the winner of the Scrapping Bingo Challenge is....

This layout by Karen Barker who used the second vertical line:

!. Circles - sun and hambly trancparancy, layered cirles and brad and compass

2. Multi photo layout- 3 photos used

3. Use mists or paint - Chalkboard glimmer mists and tim holtz mask used

4. Add something metal - karen foster licence plate and pink paislee brad

Thanks to all who took part. We loved this challenge so I am sure Scrapping Bingo will be back soon! Karen wins an ATDML shopping voucher as our winner.