When we all begin to scrapbook I believe we all do the same thing, making pages about the places we've been, the people we've visited, the things we've done.

It's very easy to get caught up in organising the photos and scrappin chronologically so that every thing runs smoothly and to a greater plan.
But, we're never going to get caught up and therefore we're always going to carry the guilt, we get stuck on creating the baby's first year - for a child that's already 5 (or 10!) Meanwhile we're missing out on the memories of NOW.
If we're always tied up in knots about the the things that happened last year how can we ever be really free to just create with what inspires us today?
Sure, the places, the visits, the achievements, that's proof that we're here, we've lived and we've taken the kids to all the right places, but what about all the other things in between, the stuff that really matters, the stuff that will be remembered?

* weekend breakfast rituals
* just woken up faces
* books & favourite toys
* a certain brand you always buy
* things they say
* how someone always sits or stands

It IS the LITTLE things that are the BIG things.

As some of you may know - or have noticed - I haven't actually scrap booked in MONTHS - I've spent most of my time creating other stuff (I should probably call it art - but I'm not copmfortable with that!!)
REcently, I've been getting the "tingle" and desire to sit and scrapbook has been growing. Two things got me there.
1. I've finally got my head around Cherish (the book from Close To My Heart) and all it's ugly (to me) illustrations and now I LOVE IT! Just like CTMH says in their tag line this book really does make scrapbooking Faster, Simpler, Easier.
2. The Big Picture - I've been buying Simple Scrapbooks (the magazine) a while now and am loving Stacy Julians philosophy - I ordered her book The Big Picture (that everyone describes as inspiring and/or life changing!) within a few pages I was inspired and motivated to get down to that new room of mine and create away!


Both pages started out from Cherish, the quad bike one uses CTMH paper pack Best Friends Forever and the mail box one uses paper from Sandylion's Kelly Panacci line.
I just need a title to fill that top left corner.



See the white stamped ink? That's the new White Daisy stamp pad from CTMH - it's sooo much better than the original and I love that too! It's also the first time I've stamped on a photograph.


And I feel great about scrapbooking out of chronological order and just working on something that jumps out at me. I'm free!

June Challenge I

Here it is - this thing has been swimming around in my head for two weeks now and has developed and grown into the first ever challenge on Paper, Trimmer Scrap!

We're going to start off by getting personal. This one's about you. I'm not going to ask you to revel your innermost secrets - so don't start to panic!

I'm going to ask you to document a day in you life. Take your camera everywhere show me what you see.

*What's the first thing you do in the morning? Put on your glasses? Make coffee? Go for a walk?
Breakfast - do you participate?
*Take your camera to work - and while it may not be possible (or ethical) to photograph your colleagues you can show me what you see. On your desk - do you have your own coffee mug - are you a neat pile of work kind of girl - or do you like to spread?
Are you a list maker? Do you have a day timer?
How do you end your day? What makes your day?
What can't you live without?
This page is about you - the world from your eyes.
These are not questions you have to answer with your photographs and subsequent layout - merely the springboard to get you thinking and composing.

Show Me

This challenge will run until June 23rd. Layouts can be any size (6x6, 9x9, 8x11, 12x12 or 12x15) any number of photos can be used.



EDITING ON JUNE 24 TO ADD
Jenn G has risen to the challenge and completed the project. Any one else? I can't goad to much - as I haven't yet completed this challenge myself! (Ooops!) Well done to Jenn for doing this and in a style that's outside her scrapping box! I love it!

EDITED JULY 5th Here's what's kept Kari so quiet - not a day in the life of - a whole month - and a month that shows the change in career. Well done to you Kari and thanks for sharing!

Getting there.....

But while I am I just found this - a site that gives colour combinations for all the CTMH colours! I just like having fun playing with all the colours - keeps me amused for ages! Try it here. I will also add it to the side bar for future use.