Matching Bazzill Colours

Thanks to the ladies on UKS here's some links to lists of matching Bazzill colours for patterned scrapbook papers.
http://www.rememberthemoments.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=5
and
Cath's fileshare
acknowledging the It's a Creative World Blog

Creative ways with dates (Write it on Wednesday)

Some of the most basic questions to answer on your layouts are:

Who is in the picture?

Where was it taken? and

When was it taken?

Dates usually have great significance for scrapbookers. Even if you don’t scrap chronologically, it’s nice to record when a photo was taken. I often look at photos of my two when they were tiny and think – they’re around 2 and 5 or maybe it’s 3 and 6 even 4 and 7 – believe you me, I didn’t think I would forget so fast!

Here are some ways to put the date on your LOs.

1. I saw a lovely way of putting the date on a mini-album – of course I can’t find it now I want to link to it to show you! – it was a photograph of fours stones artfully arranged with the figures making up the year 2 0 0 6 painted on them (or maybe it was rubons).

2. I did something similar by writing the date in the sand

3. Velvet stickers

4. Numbers from your favourite alphabet range

5. Chipboard numbers – painted and/or glittered

6. Hand cut or Robo cut in any colour or font that you can imagine!

7. Dymo

8. Handwritten

9. Date stamp (the kind you get in stationery stores for offices)

10. Rubons

11. Paint / foam stamps

12. Small alpha/numeric stamp sets

13. Printed on the computer as part of the journalling

14. Postcard or letter frank with the date on - or some other souvenir that dates the photos clearly, like a major event (see Tall Ships Race, below)

15. Be creative with the title so that it references the date or time of year ... here’s my example:

Simplified scrapbooking

Ooh here's something I found interesting and useful!

How to organise yourself, scrapping-wise, by Aby Garvey. A link from the latest (July/August) Simple Scrapbooks on their website, of course!

I've got one or two of the Simple Scrapbooks books. There are definitely elements of the method that appeal!

Inspiration

A scrapper can get her inspiration from the strangest places...

My husband took me and four friends out to a local restaurant (Memsaab) to celebrate his birthday. The food was magnificent because they had an award-winning chef in on a special visit from London. (Don't ask how much the meal cost, I couldn't sleep afterwards for thinking about it, but then, we rarely get out.)

Where the inspiration came in (as well as the food!) was the feedback card they left for customers to fill in. You know the type of thing: where did you hear about us, how was the food, the service, the surroundings? Well they didn't get it back - despite being excellent in all respects - because look how pretty it is - wonder if I can adapt that for a LO?

Those LOs I did the other day

Just to prove I DO sometimes scrap! A Cathy Zielske scraplift and a Scrappers Unlimited class.
. .

Is it good to be silly?

"Mix a little foolishness with your prudence: It's good to be silly at the right moment."
- Horace, Roman lyric poet & satirist (65 BC - 8 BC)

My family tell me I am always complaining and am never happy.

I guess I'm not a naturally easy-going type. Not an optimist as such...

But "never" happy?

I do believe in duty and responsibility and being serious, but I am often playful - but perhaps it's only ever online, in my blogs or forums or emails. I find it difficult to "mix foolishness with prudence" and let things go.

I wonder if I have any pictures of myself being "silly at the right moment"?

It's unlikely that I would have permitted such a photo to be taken.

Do I dare?

If you already have such a pic then you probably don't know what I'm talking about. But if you understand where I'm coming from - then you probably need to lighten up too, so go get a "silly pic" taken and send me the link via comment!

Go scrap!

I have a day off today. Sort of. I work 4 days a week and fit some freelance and voluntary work into the other day plus spare time. I was overwhelmed so I thought that I would have an extra day off work this week to concentrate on some of my other projects. But it's nearly 11 am and all I've managed to do is have a bath...

So - I ask myself the question:

"What can you do today
that at the end of the day
will allow you to sit back and say
'today was a really successful day'."

Most of my projects need loads of work doing on them - none of them are at that point where I can make a big breakthrough and feel that rush of success! I need some "two-minute" jobs that I've been procrastinating about...

• Relaxing is definitely on my list! So that's ticked off {sigh}
• Apply to renew my passport
• Put entries in all of my blogs (but NOT spend time on the forums!)
• Some housework is needed, but to get a success in shortest time... the bathroom...
  

and of course what would give me a big fillip of satisfaction would be to complete a LO, or better still, three LOs. That really would have me saying I've succeeded in something today, as I get so little time to scrap and haven't done any this month {gasp}. So: post at least one on this blog by the end of the day!

I can recommend this question if you're ever at a loose end.

Tell me (via comment!) what would make today (whatever day you read this) a success for you? And then - did you accomplish it?

Take my breath away...

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Lewis Hamilton won his second Grand Prix yesterday in the United States. His rise to sucess certainly takes my breath away.

This week, do something different. Scrap a layout about the things that take your breath away - maybe you have a picture of a moment, but more likely you don't, so you have to be creative about this layout.

What takes my breath away? A very strong wind! Or probably, the winsomeness of a child...

Colour picker

Here's an interesting widget that helps you pick co-ordinating colours - useful if designing webpages, but also good for colours of any kind!

And of course - brilliant for helping you work out the colour palette for a scrapbook page!

Only works in Firefox, I'm afraid. If you have Internet Explorer, you won't be able to see it properly.

A little bit of a problem among two people I love...

I am tackling a situation of betrayal, regret and disappointment, in which there is a complete unwillingness to try a different approach, even in the face of complete failure to understand and appreciate the issues.

I need to constructively use my creative talents to be gentle, kind and tender in my support of the others. This will culminate in the result:

Contradictory characteristics brought together as a means of resolving a conflict. Refusing to be ruled by negative emotions. Strife brought to a close through clarity of mind and restraint of force. Turning a blind eye to the minor infractions of others.

Here's hoping!

Challenge - Win, win, win!

Lewis Hamilton - the new prodigy in Formula 1 motor racing, won his first Grand Prix on Sunday in just his 6th race in Formula One.

He had never driven at the Montreal track before the weekend, and he gained pole position and led from the front despite four incidences of the safety car and a dreadful accident from which, thank God, Kubica escaped with only a broken leg.

Hamilton said: “It has been a fantastic day for me and my family - this is history. To come here for my first visit to Canada and to win - it has been just a fantastic feeling ..."

So this week's challenge - what is your greatest achievement? When did you last feel like jumping up and down in the air with delight and joy? (Alternatively - would would you LIKE to achieve - get it down on paper and you have more chance of seeing it happen..)

Please post a comment and link if you make a LO that celebrates your achievement(s).

No regrets

A friend has just found out that her husband has a malignant brain tumour. It's devastating for the whole family. But, bravely, they have decided to make the most of the last 9 months of his life. Robert is going to concentrate on his favourite hobby, photography, for as long as he can. Josie has permission from work to travel less and spend more time at home with her husband. Their daughter is going to carry on with her planned gap year. They are going to make quite sure they pack every family happiness they can into the next few months.

One can only applaud them. It must be so difficult not to get caught up in anguish and frustration.

It made me think about what I really want from my life. When I get to that stage, and who knows when it might be – what do I NOT want to have said around my deathbed.

• She never had time for her children.
• She always wanted to go to XX but never got round to it.
• Her house was never clean.
• Her house was always spotless – she lavished loving care on the housework.
• She hardly ever had a smile on her face.
• She never really fulfilled her potential.
• She lived a quiet life and kept herself to herself.
• She always wanted to write but she never really “made it”

What would I like them to say? Or for me to be able to say?

• She brightened up the lives of those around her.
• She was loved.
• She had a lovely smile.
• She knew what was important to her.
• She was a friend as well as wife to her husband.
• She was a friend as well as mum to her children.
• She did great good for her community.
• Her writing touched those who read it even if it was never published world-wide.
• She left her mark on the world.
• She could share her enthusiasm and inspire others to achieve.

What would you like people to say about you? What would you like them NOT to say?

The challenge then is to be that person…

My life in a year

My daughter has just returned from her first year at University. I don't really know what she has done or how she has felt about that year, but it seems a shame not to record it in our scrapbooks. I have some photos from her brief visits home even if she doesn't want me to scrap her own photos..

I'm sure she will need some support in journalling about her year. Here are the prompts I will give her:

My year has been ...
I feel the last year was ...
I feel different from this time last year because ...
My favourite place this year has been ...
The food this year has been ...
I remember most clearly ...
Some of the people I have enjoyed being with this year are ...
It was really funny when ...
I learned a lot from ...
My favourite subject in my course was ...
I will never forget when ...
I'm really pleased I ...

Mosaic

OK, I have to thank Ali Edwards for this link from her blog. Mosaic Maker is a great tool. Find out how you're thinking - select some photos at random that appeal to you, put them together in a mosaic and see what it means to you. There's a surprising number of purple and other bright colours in mine - even the peacock is because peacocks are usually NOT white!


credits from flickr:

1. Lightning in Bucketty, Australia 2. Fly Agaric, Rufford Abbey, Nottinghamshire, 3. theLight, Leeds 4. White peacock, 5. Astounding*, 6. A s c e n t *, 7. T r a n q u i l l i t y *, 8. mandarin duck in full colour, 9. [photographer's] new shoes!