WM#261 - be inspired by loss

I know I'm not the only one who uses scrapbooking to work through feelings and emotions and this prompt was perfect for exactly that.

I created a page about the loss of someone very important in the life of my family. And it really did help.

I used my June Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit "Blush", and picked out the darker elements from what at first glance is a colourful collection of product, to bring a quieter, calmer feel to my page. It's simple and to the point. The meaning in the page is there for me to see and understand. The design is simple and classic. It felt right.

Were you inspired to have a little creative therapy using this prompt? I'd love it if you shared your creations with us.

Use the Whimsical Musings Flickr gallery with the tag WM#XXX 
or post in our Whimsical Musings Facebook group with the tag WM#XXX

Challenge #261 - week of 12th June 2017

I'm afraid I'm in a sad mood and therefore, this is a sad prompt. Of course, I'm sure there's a way to interpret this in a way that makes sense for you - and that may not be sad at all - so please feel free to take this in any direction you feel right.

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

On Friday, we lost someone in the family who was and always will be, someone very important to us and I will no doubt take this prompt as an opportunity to make a tribute page to them for our album. Of course, I feel very sad but know that this will be therapeutic for me.

However, you may find that you don't like to include the sad or difficult parts of life in your scrapbook pages, and that's fine. There are even ways to take this prompt in a more positive direction. Perhaps talking about things from your childhood that you miss, a favourite teddy that went astray many years ago, even the loss of things that have affected you positively such as weight for your health for example. But if you feel that sad these events also have a place in your albums, you might want to think about someone who you've lost and make a tribute page. You don't need to share if it doesn't feel right but think about just letting us know that you have.

I made these pages a long time ago about my grandfather who remains one of the most important male figures in my life - and he died 27 years ago. He is still missed every day. But I can look back on our time together and smile in a way that was difficult for me for many years. I still miss him every day but it's not such an aching pain. Even if I'm not such a fan of the style of these pages today, layouts I've made about him have proved good for me and have a special place in my albums.

Whichever way you see the inspiration this week, I'd love you to tell us where it took you. If you'd like you can share your layout with us over at the Whimsical Musings Flickr gallery with the tag WM#261 or you can post it in our Whimsical Musings Facebook group again with the tag WM#261.

Challenge #255 - week of 1st May 2017

Ok, enough!

Enough of the missed weeks. Enough of not completing my own prompts. Enough of blog neglect (both here and my own blog). Enough. I have to do better...

If you are reading this, then you haven't given up on me and for that, I'm grateful. Thank you for being here.

So, how about a new prompt for this new month and my new resolutions?

How about enough?

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

How could you interpret this prompt? Well, you could take it literally as always.

What do you have enough of in your life - in a positive or even a negative way. What is enough? Or maybe what isn't enough? It could be physical things or emotions, feelings or thoughts.

You could establish what is enough for your page in terms of supplies, words, photos or colours - set a goal before even thinking about the topic of your page and see how you get on.

You could use products that you have more than enough of - ahem... my BasicGrey collection is just such an idea!

And here's something I can never get enough of... fresh flowers in my home.

Some ideas to get your May Day brain whirring.

I'd love it if you were still playing along.

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#255 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#255 in the write up text so that we can find it.

If you are still reading, and still playing... let me know!

Challenge #236 - week of 7th November 2016

A change of pace this week.

Tomorrow is my granddad's birthday. He died 26 years ago and we all still miss him every single day. He was a wonderful man, a great role model, and my favourite man in the world while he was still alive.

And Friday 11th November marks Remembrance Day which commemorates Armistice Day 1918, when the guns fell silent on the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" marking the end of World War I. 

Coming so close together, these two events are always linked in my mind and my heart. Happy memories of my grandfather tinged with sadness with him no longer being here and the memories of fallen soldiers as part of Remembrance Day. 

I thought of making this week's prompt to be inspired by sadness but that seems a little melancholy for sure. Not that I don't think there is space in one's albums for a little sadness but let's try to lift it a notch and make it a little brighter.

Therefore, this week I'd like you to be inspired by the remembrance poppy.

A beautiful hand-crocheted poppy made by the über-creative Lesley over at Oh! Blog it! 

The poppy is a symbol of Remembrance Day, bringing to mind the poppy fields of Flanders where so many young men fell during WWI. But at the same time as representing something sad, it's something more for me. It's almost as if the poppy of Remembrance Day is also there for me to remember my granddad and the bright red flower which I wear with pride adds a splash of colour on an otherwise sad, dull November day.

I've scrapped about Remembrance Day before and also featured my hand-made crocheted poppy which reminds me of home. 

You might also have a poppy story and for those in the UK, you might have been lucky enough to see the Tower of London poppy art installation in 2014. There might be a symbol that you chose to wear to remember something specific or you might wish to create a project about remembrance or a relative who served in WWI or another conflict. What about your own Remembrance Day (different countries call it different names but the meaning is always the same)? What about someone special to you who also has a birthday this week? Or you could tie it in to bittersweet feelings like I described. Several ways to take this prompt this week and they are certainly not all sad.

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#236 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#236 in the write up text so that we can find it.