Challenge #341 - week of 6th January 2020

Image from rawpixel.com

Happy New Year to you all and welcome to Whimsical Musings in 2020. 

Did anyone notice I was missing these last weeks? 

I'm guessing not at this busy time of year ;-)

Anyway, back here this Monday with a new prompt for you. I have another prompt that I actually started writing back in November but seems to have got lost in the hectic of the season, so I'll hold onto that for next week. 

But I like to mark the beginning of a new year with a prompt that doesn't directly refer to resolutions themselves but looks at the topic of a new year from a slightly different perspective. I had a look around on Pinterest which I still love so much and from time to time, forget to go there for inspiration. This time though, I came across such beautiful motivational quotes that I thought would be good for today that I went down a rabbit hole and came up with this beautiful image below.

Source here

This week, be inspired by intentions.

How could you take this prompt for your page?

• intentions for this new year or any period in the future
• intentions you had in the past and how successful they were
• are there any scrapbook products with the title of "intention"? I'm not sure but I know there was a Photo Play Paper collection called "No Pun Intended" so there could be!
• talk about the why behind intentions for the future, giving the back story rather than just the plan
• compare and contrast how your intentions have changed over the years
• do you have a story where you had the best intentions but it didn't quite work out as planned?
• perhaps you intended to say something but something totally different came out instead?!?
• make a list, a plan, a record of goals, targets or objectives

Just for interest, here are our previous new year prompts incase you'd like to go back and try a different perspective:

• WM#20 - turning points
• WM#71 - goodbye
• WM#116 - goals
• WM#151 - possibilities 
• WM#194 - countdowns
• WM#195 - things that have never been
• WM#244 - fresh starts
• WM#274 - when one door closes...
• WM#313 - plans

Whichever way you decide to go, I really hope you'll share. It would be great to see what you make.  You can connect with us in our Facebook group here. Tag your entry with #WMXXX (with the number of the prompt instead of the XXX) so we know exactly which inspiration you've taken.

Have a great day everyone!

Challenge #313 - week of 7th January 2019

It's been a while. I know. But are you still here?

The end of November and all of December was a crazy time round here which started with birthdays, parties, more birthdays, Christmas celebrations and ended up with a round trip to the UK, followed by New Year and back to work.

But here we are at the beginning of January and it's the first Monday of the new year which seems like a good time to hit the restart button.

So where does this leave us? Hopefully, a new year of prompts and as always, a desire and will to continue, and a goal to be more organised in getting prompts scheduled ahead of time so that I have a better chance of posting each week.

Sounds like a plan.

And therefore I'd like you to be inspired by plans.

I'm hoping that this has sent your brain off in a million directions as it has mine but let's think about what you could bring to your page this week.

• new year plans - I have them and I'm sure you do too
• resolutions, goals, objectives - I know that resolutions are not so "on trend" these days but sometimes we still make them and even sometimes, keep them 
• plans in general - day, week, year or even life plans for yourself or any member of your family
• holiday plans - are you planning on travelling this year? You could even think about a whole mini-book about the planning process for a big trip.
• the planner trend - maybe you're new to this and would like to record your entry into the wonderful world of pretty planners. Mint green washi friend categorisation and all (in joke relating to an old Paperclipping April Fool's Joke here!
• planning style stash - you might have patterned paper that looks like pages from a calendar, pocket page cards where you can list your goals or embellies from a planning style collection. 

I've treated myself to a Webster's Pages planner this year - not really for the scheduling side of the planner, more for the to lists, noting down ideas, capturing inspiration and general moving forward side of things. Let's see if it helps my organisation!

I think you'll agree that there are a few different ways to take this new year prompt and as always, however you interpret it, we'd love to see! You can connect with us in our Facebook group here. Tag your entry with #WMXX so we know exactly which inspiration you've taken.

Now, let's get 2019 up and running!

#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 #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... :-)

Challenge #244 - week of 9th January 2017

And suddenly 2016 was over and 2017 has begun.

iPhone wallpaper image available at A Night Owl here

I think it's ever so slightly terrifying how fast those 366 days passed by but here we are in the second week of the new year already so let's get started with a fresh year of prompts and hopefully, inspiration.

Pinterest source here

I'd like you to be inspired by fresh starts.

This could relate to your new year goals or resolutions, or just how you celebrated welcoming in the new year. If you participate in Ali Edwards' OLW, you could use this time to record your word for 2017. We have fresh starts all the time in life, not just in January, so that could be the way you go. You might even want to use some fresh supplies, or a technique that you have just learnt. I think there's plenty of room for interpretation to just get you started back into your creative new year.

We'd love you to use this prompt and hope you will share your creations - there are now two ways to do this!

You can either upload your layout into the Whimsical Musings Flickr gallery with the tag WM#244 or you can post it in our Whimsical Musings Facebook group. We've decided that we'll save albums for special occasions so just load up your photo to the group with the tag WM#244 in the write up text so that we can find it.
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Challenge #195 - week of Monday 4th January 2016

Happy New Year!

Welcome back to Whimsical Musings and I want to really get things moving here again in 2016. I really hope you will join me and be inspired.  :-)

A new year, new beginnings, a time for goals and resolutions and one little words.

I found this quote and want to offer it to you as our inspiration this week.

So please be inspired by things that have never been.

Time to dream a little or set the goals for your own 365 days ahead. This can really cover anything you want it to.

I'm excited for the new year and am busy making plans. How about you?

We love it when you share so don't forget to upload your wonderful creations to our Whimsical Musings Flickr gallery with the tag WM#195.

And not to forget - there is an open giveaway that I mentioned on the blog post forWM#193 (see post here). Blog comments here or on that blog post will qualify for an entry and a layout in the gallery anytime up to January 11th will qualify for an extra entry - the more the merrier.

Challenge #194 - week of 28th December 2015

The week between Christmas and New Year is always a bit of an odd one. Christmas is over, and the New Year is still on its way. Most of the time here in Germany, we are off work and are happy the shops have reopened after several days of country shut down and a little glimmer of normality is on the horizon.

I find myself wishing time would go a little more slowly and at the same time, finding myself willing the New Year to begin. I'm not a big fan of New Year's Eve (and I miss the Big Ben chimes at midnight now that I'm no longer in the UK) but I always have the highest hopes for a good start and fresh chances.

Over the years, we've had prompts about goodbyes, new beginnings, turning points, goals and possibilities. And I love the idea of having a prompt that is linked in some way to the turn of the year.

So, this week, I'd like you to be inspired by... countdowns.

You might be inspired by the NYE TV countdown to the Big Ben chimes

or the ball drop in Times Square

or maybe the various countdown apps that can now help you remember every event you are looking forward to...

Screen shot from 14th December - I'm not that far off on my Christmas countdown!!!

Maybe your country or family have a specific way of counting down to some special event or maybe you are just a cross-off-the-days-on-a-calender type of girl (remembering some stories here for me!).

Record your special countdown stories and link up over at our Flickr Whimsical Musings gallery here with the tag WM#194.

And not to forget - there is an open giveaway that I mentioned on the blog post for WM#193 (see post here). Blog comments here or on that blog post will qualify for an entry and a layout in the gallery anytime up to January 11th will qualify for an extra entry - the more the merrier. 

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 #116 week of 30th December 2014

2013 is almost over and 2014 is just a few hours away which evokes different feelings for many of us.

I find it all a bit sad and depressing but I know that many of you see it as a very positive new beginning!

So I made myself a little reminder that the new year is nothing to feel bad about....

We've had a few different prompts around this time over the last few years - life's turning points; goodbyes; new beginnings.

So let's get a little more traditional and think about goals for the year.

I make a point not to have resolutions. Instead I have a mix - I set myself goals or objectives as well as choosing a word (á la Ali Edwards' One Little Word) and sometimes manage to make a layout for Pam's concept of "The List" of things to complete between one birthday and the next. How about you?

I hope you will share your goal inspired layout or project with us over at our Whimsical Musings Flickr gallery (here) with the tag WM#116.

Here's to a great 2014!

Challenge #71 week of 31st December 2012

Happy New Year's Eve everyone. I hope that Christmas was good to you and that Santa filled your stocking with lots of scrapbooking goodies.

Image found here

Before I talk about this week's challenge, I want to give a huge shout out to Pam who held the fort for me during December while I was away on business.  I'll tell you all about it sometime but just take it from me that it was not glamorous and being in the tropics the first two weeks in December is just too disruptive - ha ha! But bless Pam. She was so supportive and even though she was really ill just before Christmas, she kept it going and posted Tara's wonderful layout for us.

We are both hoping for calmer times in the year to come - though she may have less luck than me with that - *wink, wink*!

Anyway, back to this week's challenge.

I'm not a big fan of  New Year. I always find it a bit sad. The old year is coming to an end and that time is over. See, told you I was a "glass half-empty" type of person... So when I was thinking about the prompt for this week, I decided on the theme of "goodbye".

Now, this doesn't have to be maudlin and sad (like me on NYE!), there are many ways to put a positive spin on this.  It could relate to giving things up as part of new year objectives, or a new direction, new home, new job. You could even interpret as trying out a new design type. Of course if you want to take it down the more literal route, that's fine too and so would a NYE page itself. As ever, this prompt is wide open for you to be creative and inspired in any direction you wish. :-)

Pinterest image here

Wishing all our lovely readers a most wonderful New Year celebration. See you over at our Flickr page and here's to an inspired year of crafty goodness here on Whimsical Musings.

#22 Inspired by "new"

Sometimes I read a prompt and my mind decides instantly on a project/page. This happens to me 90% of the time. And sometimes I am even lucky enough to get that idea down on paper. Other times I am not so lucky. This prompt from Lisa instantly had me thinking about the makeover my room is getting this new year... I had a sketch, a color pallete and certain elements I wanted to highlight in the journaling.

Of course, as the week went on, I realized my makeover project was more of an undertaking than I originally anticipated so I had to change gears.

I settled on my new camera, which is also part of my 2012 and a story I wanted to tell. With no printed photos of said camera, no color ink and no time to run to the photo lab, I had to improvise. I snapped a few [bad] shots of my shiny new camera with my [also new] instax 7s. Although the pictures turned out crappy, I decided to embrace imperfection and go with the flow.

The layout was a close lift from [this] Amy Tangerine layout I loved. For the purpose of this blog I try to stick to original designs whenever I can, but this week I was just out of my mojo and needed a jump start.

I hope you were inspired by all things "new". From new languages to new things, new beginnings are all around us. I do wish we take more time to ponder about these and visit this lovely prompt over and over again.

The prompt will be up soon. Will you play along?

xo,
Pamage

#22 Inspired by the new

This week I asked you to scrap something new and it's funny but I often have no idea what I will do for the challenge as I write it.

This week was such a case in point and all week I kept my eyes and mind open for new. There were plenty of things that I could have done but this morning, I was dozing in bed with a horrible headache listening to my husband pottering around, chatting to me occasionally. And suddenly I realised how I live my life with a new language since I met him  - well some of the time anyway ;-) It's become so normal for me that I sometimes forget how new it all was when I first met him and then when I moved over here.

I actually learnt German in school for two years and at the end of that time, couldn't actually say anything so it's strange now that I'm (grammatically incorrect but) fluent these days and it's become part of my life. "Ich liebe dich" is a phrase I never imagined I would need. I love how fate takes you to places you could never have planned.

So I tried to find a photo that hasn't yet been used and this one came up - it's old, from our Nova Scotia holiday back in 2006. But that's ok, the message is timeless. And for a double win, I used my Counterfeit Kit Challenge November Glory kit which has been sorely underused.  I like the combination of colours and I think the splash of blue really lifts the whole thing.

What's new in your life? I can't wait to see.

Pam will be here soon with her share and then come back again tomorrow for the new challenge. I'm always excited to check the blog first thing on the Monday mornings when Pam sets the challenge - we don't communicate what the next prompt will be so it's such a great surprise and gets my brain working right away.

Don't forget to share your creations with us over at Flickr (tag: WM#22).

Challenge #22 week of 16th January 2012

Another Monday, another week, another challenge. And I'm still feeling the January feeling.

Now, January is not my favourite time of the year. But it's still a very specific time in the cycle of the year and this year, I'm finding it more prevalent than other years and this has driven my thinking for this week's challenge.

I change out my blog header each month and under the title I try to come up with a little one-liner that sums up the new month. Over the last couple of weeks, I've found myself saying, writing and thinking this month's. So I'm passing this onto you to see how this will take you creatively.

New year, new beginnings

There are so many ways to interpret this in full or part from resolutions and goals through to new friendships, learning something new, the beginning of a new season, trying out something new or a welcome new addition to the family. You could even try something new on your page - a new paper range you've not tried before, a new technique or the style of a new designer you've seen online.

I looked back over my pages to see if I could find a few examples and came up with these:

The story of a new life

The story of a new tradition

The story of learning something new

Have fun with new beginnings this week and tune back in next weekend to see what Pam and I have created to document the new in our lives.