#62 - be inspired by home

Another catch up layout post today and a layout about a trip over the summer "home" to the UK. It's funny, Germany is most definitely "home" for me but of course, the UK will always be "home" too. It can be complicated for people to understand where I'm talking about when I use the word because it could be either and could refer to the location I'm currently in or the "other"!

This is another layout that was also made for my Simple Scrapper Creative Team assignments using a new sketch as well as a recent Story Starter™. Simple Scrapper offers a premium subscription membership where you can find hundreds of sketches and Story Starters™ as well as many further resources inspiring you to create beautiful pages and tell meaningful stories in a supportive, communicative community environment. You can find out more information here.

The sketch appealed to me as it featured five photos with space to write out a good chunk of journalling. As usual, I tweaked it a little to squeeze in that top right photo into a title space which allowed me to fit in my top 6 photos from the weekend - three portrait and three landscape. Of course I took quite a few other photos this trip but it's a good overview of this short three-day trip from start (flying over the pretty fields of England) to finish (back at the airport and a quote that rang true for me) with all the bits in the middle including a family party, brunch on the High Street with my mum and a stroll across a typical English park complete with bandstand!

The sketch was interesting in that it included a whole bunch of circular embellishments and I decided to get happy with the Big Shot and cut out a whole lot of different sized circles from the papers that I found in my Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit (July 2019 - Mingle).

I was very brave and decided to stamp directly onto the background paper. I'm a terrible stamper and am terrified of really messing things up so I rarely attempt such a brave step. But I went for it and used a fun hashtag stamp from SC or Kelly Purkey I think and then a cheap no-name set for the days of the week. It turned out so well and I was thrilled. Maybe this will encourage me to do it more often!

A mixed-font title was needed because I wanted such a long one and it would have taken up too much space and definitely would have left me very short of various letters if I'd only used Thickers.

And there you have it. A layout for my Creative Team assignment which used up a Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit and fulfilled a Whimsical Musings prompt at the same time. That's a success in my book.

As always, I love it when you share too and if you've been inspired to create, don't forget that you can add your own creations to our Facebook group here. 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... :-)

** This post includes promotion for Simple Scrapper's premium subscription membership for which I am on the Creative Team.

Challenge #319 - week of 18th February 2019

I don't know about you but I love love love looking through the photos on my phone when I have a few minutes to kill. Having those memories right there in your hand when you're in the mood is one of the best inventions ever! And of course, there are Apps that support that desire to look back in time while you're standing in queue at the supermarket. One of my favourites is "Timehop" which reminds you of photos you have in your photo stream or on social media in previous years.

Last week I had just such a reminder - one of my favourite ever photos of my beautiful niece from 6 years ago popped up and I realised that I had a brand new one of her that I could match up with it for a "Then & Now" shot. Now that makes me happy

So this week, I'd like you to be inspired by then and now.

How you could take the prompt this week:

• a then and now composite photo such as the one I've posted above using an App or make your own collage to use on your layout.
• just take two photos and bring them together in a then and now concept on your page - like we did before reminder and photo collage apps ;-) 
• take a now and then story and compete two times - technology or growth are typical topics for these types of pages.
• Compare your own story at a point in the past with that of a child of the same age today - it's the same principle but a different comparison point of view.
• make a photo or a story heavy page with your comparison.
• My Mind's Eye had a collection line called "Now & Then" which you might have in your stash - this could be the time to use it up (heading over to my own MME supplies to see!) and I noticed that there were several digital kits featured online when I entered the search criteria "then and now"
• how about combining old and new products to give the prompt a different twist. 

I hope you'll give this prompt a try and find ways to look at "then and now". It would be great to see what you make.  You can connect with us in our Facebook group here. Tag your entry with #WMXX so we know exactly which inspiration you've taken.

Have a great day everyone!

#301 - be inspired by something you just had to have

A few prompts ago, I asked you to be inspired by products you just had to have (WM#301) and presented my "must have" collection - Dream Big by Simple Stories. I don't really know why I felt the need to pick it all up but it's really true that I just had to have it!

Now that it was in my possession, what was I going to do with it? I don't make cutesy layouts after all, so it doesn't really fit my type of scrapbooking. Mmmm - the WM prompt was really designed as a push for me to find a way.

There are many gorgeous patterns which are fairly standard - stripes, spots, hearts and florals so I felt sure I could work these elements more than the unicorns, rainbows, tiki dancer or mercats!

Next up came a prompt for a sample page for LOAD1018 where I was asked to be inspired by My Fair Lady - or influential figures in my life.

That was easy - it would have to be my grandad who I've written about many times before. So this time, I decided to write this story from a different perspective. That of the fundamental feeling he gave me overall. He never sat me down and imported grains of wisdom or had inspirational quotes that have been passed down the generations. He simply made me feel as if anything was possible. He was quietly supportive and there for me if I needed advice - practical advice. We were totally different but also, very similar and we all still miss him - even though he died almost 30 years ago.

I found a photo I hadn't used before of "his" bench - commissioned by my mum in his memory -  and used this bright, happy collection to keep the feel of the page positive and optimistic. I didn't want to feel sad looking at this page and the cutesy collection proved perfect! I picked out elements carefully and I'm not sure that you'd ever know that other papers were covered by unicorns and girly motifs!

Lots of layers, stitching and messy thread along with splats and sprinkles give the page dimension and texture.

As always, I love it when you share too and if you've been inspired to create, don't forget that you can add your own creations to our Facebook group here. 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 #305 - week of 1st October 2018

Wow, it's October and the year is flying by. Of course, you know that I'm smiling every day because it's autumn and simply the best time of the year. I seem to be more organised, more energetic and get more done - (well, within reason ha ha!) - with the longer evenings and the full feeling of autumn in the air that seems to feed me.

But it's at this time of year that our social calendar fills up even more than in the summer as dinner arrangements are made and squeezed in before crazy season starts with birthdays and Christmas in November and December.

Which got me thinking about this week's prompt. I'd like you to be inspired by dinner parties.

Now, we call them dinner parties round here but you might have a more relaxed name for them - I'm talking about simply getting together with friends around the dinner table. You might cook together with friends and then sit around the kitchen island nibbling and chatting together. Or it might be a more formal occasion where the cooking is done behind closed doors and presented on your best wedding dinner service with fancy napkins and crystal glasses. The latter is more me because a) I'm chaotic and untidy in the kitchen which means I don't want anyone to see it! b) we are foodies and c) I'm more old-fashioned and still get a huge kick from getting out our porcelain and crystal and using it. :-)

You might want to talk about dinner with friends or with family. For special times on the calendar such as Easter, birthdays or Christmas. Or relaxed events where it just sort of happened unexpectedly. You might have silverware, dinner service or glasses with a story to capture this week. Or you might want to recall a particular dinner with a special meaning or story behind it.

For example, once we invited friends for an English Bonfire Night dinner for them complete with a menu and theme! We even had flower arrangements on the table created in English Wellington boots which were quite the eye catcher! It was a lot of fun, and explaining the whole story to them, with the history of Bonfire Night and what English elements we had included, was all part of the evening. I wonder if I've made a layout about this? Perhaps this week is the week!

I really feel that food, drink, eating together and spending time with friends and family are at the core of a happy life and recording these times in my albums is very important. I hope you agree and find a way to take this inspiration for yourself this week.

And if you are inspired, I hope that you'll share. You can do that in our Facebook group here. Tag your entry with #WMXX so we know exactly which inspiration you've taken. 

#292 - be inspired by ferris wheels

I made this layout a couple of weeks ago when I had the luck to spend time with my scrappy bestie and Whimsical Musings friend, Pam, on a visit to see her in NYC. It's such a thrill to actually sit at the same table and create alongside her. I'm always in awe of her process and how easy she makes it look! A really wonderful experience for me. I took a small set of supplies and picked up a few bits and pieces while I was there with her at Paper Source.

I have to say that I returned to a tried and trusted design that I think I use far too often - either a horizontal block or a vertical one, usually along one of the 1/3 lines - but with five photos that I wanted to use, it seemed the ideal choice!

It's rare that I don't use a kit these days but in effect, the fact that I had a small amount of limited supplies with me constituted a kit, didn't it! 

Anyway, another layout made and a prompt followed! I call that a result. I'm almost done with layouts from this super short trip to Vienna with my brother but there might be one or two more small stories to tell. Watch this space.

As always, I love it when you share too and if you're inspired to create this week, don't forget that you can add your own creations to our Facebook group here. 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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#287 - be inspired by awards

Of course I needed to scrap the award party I talked about in the original prompt post (WM287 - be inspired by awards here) and document my sweet sister's success. Even though she didn't win the award, she was (and is) a winner for us.

It was such a fun event and a great excuse for me to fly over to the UK for the shortest of visits as well as to get dressed up in my party gear!

I again used my Counterfeit Kit Challenge May kit, Funky for this fun page and decided to fall back on my tried and tested grid design to get 6 photos on the page without covering up all of that gorgeous background paper. So pretty that I just couldn't bear to cut into it or to not see as much of it as possible.

I layered up each of the square photos with pretty papers and tissue paper to give the layout some depth and dimension. Then I raided my kit box for all the pretties that added to the celebratory feeling of the page.

These little gems have found their way onto so many pages from this kit and I love them! I wonder if I can track down some more! I'll have to ask Scrapabilly if she has some more for me!

As always, I love it when you share too and if you're inspired to create this week, don't forget that you can add your own creations to our Facebook group here. 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 #287 - week of 14th May 2018

Ah! I should learn to keep my mouth shut! As soon as I say that I'm keeping up with the prompts, I drop a week!

I actually made a layout using a prompt recently so I'll be sharing soon. But for today, I'd like to give you a new prompt based on a really short 24-hour trip I recently made to the UK.

I'd like you to be inspired by awards.

I went over to the UK to surprise my little sister who had been nominated for an award in the "Pride of Rugby Awards 2018" for the category "Town Centre Business of the Year". I'm so proud of her because even though she's been running creativity workshops for some time, her business has only been in its new premises - where she sells a section of modern yarns and accessories as well as offering workshops for all sorts of creative skills - for a couple of months. Anyway, I took a few photos and this prompt will be a good excuse for me to make a layout about the fun evening we had!

I'm sure you have a story or ten that feature awards of some sort. School, sport, university, work, hobby - you name it, there's usually an award to talk about and celebrate. You, your family, your children, a relative, a friend or even in your imagination. Of course, we are bound to have an item or two in your stash that feature awards in some way - trophies, banners, rosettes, stars, quotes! I'm sure you can find something to be inspired by.

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... :-)

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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#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 #270 - week of 28th August 2017

I've been organising and decluttering over the summer. I've been though all my scrapbooking stash and have tried to let things go that I'll never use and find new ways of storing my products. You might remember our prompt WM#268 which asked you to be inspired by unfinished projects (yes, mine are still unfinished but at least identified!).

But another find got me thinking and moves me to give you this week's prompt.

I'd like you to be inspired by an unexpected stash find.

My unexpected stash find was this dated but still fabulous kit. It was the "Bella Boudoir" kit from my sister's online scrapbooking shop Bellaboo - back in 2007 I think. Look at the fleur de lys, the rub ons, the eyelets, the Making Memories alphabet and of course the Jenni Bowlin shaped papers - all very 2007 but I still like the individual items and am sure I can do something with it.

Your find might be something new, something old, something received or something you just can't bring yourself to let go. It might be something you'd completely forgotten you had, something you wish you didn't or even something you found lost behind your cupboard. Maybe this is a good prompt to encourage you to "tidy" up your scrap area which is bound to unearth some surprises.

This prompt might also inspire you to go back to WM#33 which was our "be inspired by old stash" challenge.

Whatever this prompt means for you (and you can guess that I'll be trying to use this kit!), I'd love you to share over at our Whimsical Musings Flickr gallery here with the tag WM#270 or at our Whimsical Musings Facebook group also using the tag WM#270.

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 #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.

Challenge #233 - week of 17th October 2016

Well, the dreaded lurgy caught me out last week and amongst the aching bones and the sniffles and sneezes, not a single scrappy action occurred which is why I haven't made and shared my page from last week's prompt :-( But I'm on the mend and I should be back up to paper speed in the next day or two. A week of LOAD1016 has been missed which is a shame and I'm unlikely to catch up but let's see what I can come up with before the end of the month.

In the meantime, I'm writing this up before I head back over to the Netherlands to meet up with baby sis and family again tomorrow. The whole family has been there in south Holland for the last few weeks and I was there last Monday too. We visited the very picturesque town of Delft and I made sure I got a photo of a fabulous piece of art that I'd seen in sis's IG feed. It's known rather cleverly as the Blue Heart of Delft and not only represents the heart of the city but also the blue of the famous Delft Blue tiles which could be seen in all corners of this pretty town. Delft is also known as the home of Vemeer - he of The Girl With the Pearl Earring. I'd very much like to go back one day for some real exploring.

Anyway, I digress. This week I'd like you to be inspired by the Blue Heart of Delft.

Pick the colour of the heart itself or the combination of colours in my photo (that pink was perfect as a contrast). Maybe a trip to the Netherlands is the way you'd like to take it or the famous painting by Vemeer. Do you have any Delft Blue or at least replicas whose story you'd like to capture? I'm sure there's something in there for you to pick up and run with.

We'd love you 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#233 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#233 in the write up text so that we can find it.

Challenge #225 - week of 15th August 2016

Arrrghghg, late again! Sorry :-(

Therefore, I'm keeping it quick this week with my late prompt.

I was "home" in the UK last week for new nephews and family time, and today my sister and her family are arriving for a few days. It's got me thinking....

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

You might have brothers and/or sisters and if not, then there must be siblings in your extended family. Or how about how you feel so close to your best friend that they could be your sister. Or the relationship your kids, or fur babies have with their own brothers and sisters. There's a lot of different directions to take this one.

I've done many layouts about my own family over the years but let me just share one or two. I will have to find a different way to take it this time around!

We'd love you to be inspired by 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#225 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#225 in the write up text so that we can find it.

#211 - be inspired by sunshine

It's not often recently that I've managed to make a layout for a current prompt but increased motivation and productivity courtesy of LOAD516 means that it all came together.

I had the photo hanging around and I knew I wanted to use it for the sunshine prompt. I've used it before on a layout about Phoebe but I thought it would be nice to take the journalling in another direction.

The original layout used products from Kaisercraft and the leftovers became part of the Counterfeit Kit in July last year - Redux. It also had some extras thrown in at the weekend as I completed my Scrapabilly layouts featuring a kit using the latest Kaisercraft papers - Sea Breeze - which matched perfectly too.

I also scrap lifted myself to create the sunburst effect with the papers and had some fun with the sewing machine to add texture and dimension.

Therefore, this layout came together relatively easily if a little long winded with the background and the sewing.

Were you inspired by this prompt? If you were, we 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#211 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#211 in the write up text so that we can find it.

Challenge #210 - week of 25th April 2015

It was a special few days for me last weekend.

First came a rather special birthday on Thursday 21st - a 90th no less - and then came a celebratory British Tea Party for my family. My mum travelled over especially for the occasion even! I think the German side of the family think I'm ever so slightly crazy but they joined in the fun and came all dressed up in their finest including perfectly British fascinators and bunches of flowers in red, white and blue.

Of course, I was celebrating Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday - a little bit of Britain in the heart of Germany.

So, in the spirit of patriotism, this week I'd like you to be inspired by red, white and blue.

Of course, when we think of the UK, the Union Jack flag comes to mind with its true red and blue, but the colour range is wider than that as you can see on this beautiful mood board below by Color Me Pretty (sad to see that the blog doesn't exist any more).

Source - Color Me Pretty on Decor8blog.com

I went with a broader range of tones myself in the window decorations I prepared - moving into a more aqua blue and a slightly orange red - much to the gentle irritation of my husband who felt that only the originals were appropriate! We agreed to disagree seeing as though it was "my" party :-)

Of course, these colours are found in many flags so you might want to go in the direction of your own nations colours, or talk about patriotism, or pick up the colours in a whole range of photos (like my London layout below). What about talking about a national holiday in your country, or a trip to the UK you experienced at some time? I've had prompts about the Queen before, but that is another possible way to go - the "real" Queen or your "own", whoever that might be for you.

We'd love you to be inspired by 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#210 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#210 in the write up text so that we can find it.

#175 inspired by graffiti

I do work through the Whimsical Musings prompts. Just not quite at the pace that I used to. And sometimes I forget to post :-( But I'm trying harder to be better.

But this is a layout I made a few weeks ago using this wonderful Instagram steal from my sister's stream (note to self: find out the date of the photo for my records) featuring my gorgeous nephew and three of my nieces. I adore how cool they all are and the colours in the graffiti covered wall behind them are a fabulous backdrop. It was only after I'm made it, that I realised that it would match the Whimsical Musings prompt WM#175 - inspired by graffiti.

This is layout #1 from my March Counterfeit Kit Challenge kit, Tangent and I was happy to combine these bright colours with the more monochromatic embellishment elements of the kit. I know the airplane vellum paper might seem a bit random but I think it somehow represents the future these children have in front of them.

Did this inspiration give you any ideas for layouts of your own? We'd love to see if you do.

Don't forget that there are two ways to share:

• the Whimsical Musings Flickr gallery here
• the Whimsical Musings Facebook group here

Tag your photo with the challenge number WM#XXX so that we can find them. You can find all the previous prompts on the blog - more than 200 inspirational ideas to get you scrapping.

Challenge #178 - week of Monday 20th July 2015

This morning, our sweet Whimsical Musings friend and inspiration, Pam, sent me some wonderful photos taken over the weekend at her family reunion. They made me smile because they were full of happy smiles and lots of fun and it reminded me that I tend to spend time with my people individually rather than in a whole group!

And that got me thinking that my UK family is now spread out all over the place - with me and my brother living outside the UK at the moment and other siblings no longer living in my home town. My mum definitely misses us all! I consider my reunions when all five siblings and partners and the children in the next generation come together in one place with my mum - obviously, for many of you it will be a wider mix of people including aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins etc. Living abroad, the likelihood of my German and British family coming together is now only for our "round" birthdays and I don't want the next one of those to happen too quickly, I can assure you!

This photo was the last time we were all together, celebrating a special birthday for my sister. I tried scrapping this photo once before and then took the layout apart as it didn't work for me - maybe this is the week to try it again.

Not the best photo in the world but wonderful happy memories for me!

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

You don't need me to tell you that there are many different ways to take this prompt!

As always, we love it when you share your creations over at the Whimsical Musings Flickr gallery and don't forget to tag it WM#178.

You can find past prompts in the page tab at the top of the page incase you want to get inspired by one of the other 177 prompts you can find there!