Challenge #277 - week of 29th January 2017

It's like I blink and it's Monday again. And Mondays seem so busy and I'm behind on my prompts! But I'm getting there. I have a couple of layouts from the last prompts in the making and LOAD is starting at the end of the week so that's a good thing. I'll be joining in from 5th but that is still lots of potential pages!

Anyway, this week marks my granny's 96th birthday (! wow !) and I feel like we should link that in to this week's prompt.

So, this week I'd like you to be inspired by the older generation.

Whenever I go home to the UK, I make sure that no matter how busy my schedule is, there's always half an hour free to go and visit my granny. She's in good health even though she's so tiny and frail these days. We sit together, have a cup of tea, take a photo together and just chat. She likes to hear all my news about life in Germany and particularly loves to hear about my DH who she simply adores. It's a special connection that we haven't always had and I'm making the most of it while I can.

I'm sure that you have an older person in your life, your family or maybe even your past who needs to be captured on your pages. Maybe one of those "just because" layouts with no particular story to tell - just a treasured photo. If there is a story, all the better. Interview them and capture some details that you haven't before or recall a story that they always used to tell you when you were young. Perhaps there's a list of stories you'd like to know that you could record on a page. A vintage photo that you've found about which you know nothing except who it is.

The first of my two example pages features the birthday girl herself and is a page I made to record our most recent time together. The second layout features a very special vase given to us by my German Oma who is no longer with us. Even though she's not directly featured on the page, it gives some insight into the type of person she was.

If you're inspired to create this week, don't forget that you can add your own creations to our Facebook group here - we love it when you share so please don't be shy! Tag your entry with #WMXX so we know exactly which inspiration you've taken. 

Or simply tell us in the comments where to find you... :-)

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Challenge #276 - week of 22nd January 2018

Almost on time! Ha ha.

Creativation 2018 has come and gone (that'll be CHA for those of us who've been scrapping for a bit longer and I'm sure it had another name even before that!), and there's been a lot of chatter online about the new collections and offers. Considering there's been a bit of a negative feeling that the industry is contracting - and let's face it, it is - there was a LOT of new on offer.

If you're still in need of some visuals from the show, Alice Boll (from Scrap Happy and Scrapbook Wonderland) has a whole LOAD of video from Creativation 2018 - you can find it all on her YouTube challenge here.

This week I'd like you to be inspired by the new releases at Creativation 2018.

Simple Stories Mama Llama mini collection - paper "Oh Llama"

Maybe you actually have something new to use on a page. Or you might feel that some of the motifs or colours are the same as product you already have - now's the time to use it up! It seems to me that there were an awful lot of llamas around so maybe you have a llama themed page that's just waiting to be scrapped - well, it's possible! Perhaps you were at Creativation yourself or were lucky enough to attend a CHA back in the day when it was such a mega-show and you'd like to record your memories on a page. I think there's a few directions to go - whether it's product or story-based.

Don't forget that you can add your own creations to our Facebook group here - we love it when you share so please don't be shy! Tag your entry with #WMXX so we know exactly which inspiration you've taken. 

Or simply tell us in the comments where to find you... :-)

#274 - be inspired by "when one door closes, another one opens"

I was really impressed that fellow Counterfeit Kit Challenge Master Forger Kelly got stuck right in with this prompt and produced a layout by midweek! And a gorgeous one at that.

So, I felt that I really just had to get on with my own take on the prompt and then decided to be, in turn, inspired by Kelly herself and make my own page about the turn from 2017 to 2018. It was the first idea I had when I'd originally thought up the prompt but thought I might go in a different direction. But Kelly's layout was so great that I decided to just follow her lead!

I used my Counterfeit Kit Challenge November kit, Celebrate for this and just finished off all the scraps of paper left in there to form the background for the photos. This may not be one of my all time favourite layouts but I'm happy that I captured our NYE "celebrations". I then broke the rest of the kit up back into my stash and while I was at it, broke up the other kit I had sitting there. 6 layouts from each kit seemed a good result and a new kit is needed for February so it's good to have a fresh start.

With all the dozens of prompts that I've yet to tackle, I think there's quite some scrapping in my future. How about you?

Don't forget that you can add your own creations to our Facebook group here - we love it when you share so please don't be shy! Tag your entry with #WMXX so we know exactly which inspiration you've taken. 

Or simply tell us in the comments where to find you... :-)

Challenge #275 - week of 15th January 2018

Have you noticed that the days are getting ever so slightly longer here in the northern hemisphere? Every day we get a few minutes extra daylight. I bet most of you love that! Personally I love the short days and the long nights. It makes me feel like I have much more time in the evenings to potter around and even scrapbook because they start so early! I truly love this time of year (well, not January per se but you know what I mean!)

Which got me thinking about our next prompt.

This week, I'd like you to be inspired by hygge.

You have no doubt heard of this Danish way of life that has found its way into the hearts of millions as a way of getting more comfort and contentment out of life. The Danish are the happiest people in the world according to survey after survey and many consider that hygge is the secret to their success.

A quick search online will bring up thousands of hits but this blog (Hygge House) caught my eye with a beautiful aesthetic, gorgeous photography and a reminder that hygge is a feeling not a thing!

Photo from Hygge House - http://hyggehouse.com/hygge

Maybe you're interested in bringing the concept of hygge into your own life and a page about that would be perfect. You could create a page talking about all your favourite winter traditions that help to keep you warm and cosy. You could be inspired by the typical colours and materials that seem to appear in any photo tagged #hygge - neutral and natural tones, chunky wool, wood, copper and bronze, candlelight, warm drinks, cosy socks and an open fire. You could go back in time and talk about the dark winter days of your childhood or a time when you were snowed in and had to make your own entertainment in the light of a room full of candles. You could write about your winter dreams and hopes. Or how you are counting the minutes until it's all over and the long days of summer are finally here!

You can add your photos to our Facebook group here - we love it when you share so please don't be shy! Tag your entry with #WMXX so we know exactly which inspiration you've taken. Or simply tell us in the comments where to find you... :-)

Challenge #274 week of 8th January 2018

Happy new year and welcome to 2018!

It's been a while. Times were busy and other priorities took over. Let's see what the new year brings for us all.

Shall we jump right in and see if we can get a bit of inspiration going?

2017 was not the best year. I mean, I've had worse. But it wasn't one I'll look back on with a lot of joy. But in an effort to try and keep moving forward, I'd like us to look ahead.

I'd like you to be inspired by "when one door closes, another one opens". That seems to sum up the changing of the years, seasons and even each small problem that is overcome.

So where will you take this prompt? You could go literal in thinking about changing situations. Opportunities taken. Successfully overcoming difficulties. Unexpected turns in life. Adjusting life's course to take in new situations. Or how about thinking about doors - I seem to take a lot of photos of funky doors when I'm out exploring! This could be a time to capture some thoughts about the changing of one year into the next. Or goals for 2018. Or think about a quote or a slogan that keeps you going?

You can add your photos to our Facebook group here - we love it when you share so please don't be shy! Or tell us in the comments where to find you... :-)