Challenge #151 week of 29th December 2014

Welcome to what is the last prompt of 2014 and the first of 2015. I'm looking ahead with positive feelings and hopefulness. I have big plans for the year.

Sprucing up our little corner of the web and actually trying to complete the prompts I create each week are definitely on the list of plans for 2015 and I hope so much that you will join me along the way. This community makes me happy, even if we've gone a bit quiet over the last months and I get much joy from seeing the creations that you share. So without much ado, let me just say....

Pinterest source here

I try to change up the challenges as much as I can and not to repeat anything directly so when I looked back at the last prompts of the year or the first of the new for 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 (can it be so many already?!?), I saw ideas such as goodbyes, goals, confetti or turning points. So I tried to think about what January can mean to many of us and came up with... possibilities.

This week, I'd love you to be inspired by the possibilities of your life or of your own corner of the world. This can come in many forms and it can be interpreted in many different ways. Words of advice to a child about the future to come, the different paths your life has taken or the roads you want to take. It could be the possibilities a new course of action might take or something you'd like to achieve. It could even mean the different ways to use up something in your scrap stash! Take it along any meandering path you like.

To help us along the way, I was particularly inspired by the following finds on Pinterest...

Pinterest source here

Pinterest source here

Pinterest source here

I do hope you will join us in this turn of the year prompt. And it would be wonderful to see your creations over at our Whimsical Musings Flickr gallery (here) with the tag WM#151.

I am looking forward to the year to come and hope to be more present in our little community. I appreciate every one of you and promise to be more active and involved - helped by my very wonderful friends Leslie and Lynnette. Who knows? Pam might even make a come-back guest appearance one day!

Have a very wonderful New Year's Eve and to coin a rather quaint German expression, "Einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!" (literally translated: a good slide into the new year!")

Challenge # 150 week of 22nd December 2014

Yes! We missed a week. Whoops! Sorry about that.

But I'm back today with some inspiration which I hope will keep you going through this Christmas week and then you can come back for the last prompt of the year next Monday :-)

And seeing as it is indeed Christmas week, I thought it would be appropriate to get inspired by a true classic. One that I only discovered as an adult - or at least as far as I can remember - but now no Christmas is complete without...

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Originally found on Pinterest (here) but source is Altered Artifacts (here)

And if this wasn't enough inspiration for you, a quick search on Pinterest brought up this page full of "'Twas the Night" images, ideas and presentations.

I've just been looking to see if I could find a layout that I've made in the past with this inspiration but nothing jumped out at me! But how about this Graphic 45 layout using their Jolly St Nick papers?

Pinterest source here

Don't forget to link up your creations over at our Flickr gallery (here) with the tag WM#150. Let's get that gallery hopping again like it used to!

And, not wanting to keep you from your no doubt overwhelmingly long list of things that you need to do in the next two days, I will sign off here and wish you....

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Challenge #149 week of 8th December 2014

We spent another Saturday up at the retreat.

Because we had unexpected sunshine & above-freezing temps we got a lot done!

The main task was to rehab the old firepit.

Done!

Once we get a cabin built this will be the view from the porch.

The large paper white birch on the left has been dubbed "The Chandelier".

We will be making our own map of the property & this will definitely be a landmark.

On the drive up I was looking at this book:

So many amazing paper artists! 

And all inspired by trees.

Peter Callesen "Fall 2008"

Su Blackwell "2014 - Migratory Words"

Cindy Ferguson "Crows in a Tree"

Yuken Teruya "Corner Forest"

Rob Ryan

Casey Ruble

Perhaps you will try a bit of dimension as some of these artists did? Or sharpen
your scissors & fussy-cut! I brought home some birch bark to work on an album for
the story & progress of our new retreat, so that will be my tree inspired project.

I made this page awhile back for WM Prompt #138 inspired by the same spot of woods.

I hope YOU can find some inspiration from trees!

http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com/

Challenge #148 week of 1st December 2014

I love it when the first of the month coincides with the beginning of the week and this month is no exception. How wonderful to have 1st December fall on this Monday and just one day after the beginning of Advent!

It's a big tradition here in Germany to have an Advent wreath with four candles for each of the Sundays leading up to Christmas and even on those years when we've not had a tree, there's been a huge, gorgeous wreath to brighten up those cold, dark December evenings.

There's been many different colours and this year's is a rather rich shade of gold. But we've had pinks and blues and silvers too. The wreath must match my decoration colour scheme of the year so I guess I will be going with a lot of gold this year!

So, this week, I'd like you to be inspired by Advent itself or Advent wreaths.

I went on to Pinterest and pinned some wreaths or Advent candle arrangements I found particularly pretty or inspiring onto the Whimsical Musings Pinterest board so why not check it out to see if you can find something to kickstart your creative process? And don't forget to follow us while you're there!

It would be lovely to see your creations over at our Whimsical Musings Flickr gallery with the tag WM#148.

Have a wonderful start to the week everyone and hope to see you again next week :-)