Challenge #342 - week of 20th January 2020

This post was started before Christmas and then edited and continued two weeks ago, so let's try to get it finished now shall we?

All my Christmas decorations were put away several weeks ago now but I did keep out a few winter items that I think look good and give me a little hygge feel at this dull, grey time of year. I have some stars, some reindeer and a couple of cute little wrapped tea-lights.

They were a hand-made gift from my mum some time ago and I love how cosy and cute they are. The colours don't go with our tree or living room decorations so I always keep them right here in my craft room and love the soft glow they provide. So when my eye fell on them, I thought it would be a fun prompt - one that fits into this time of year with all the cold weather around.

And this is where my inspiration comes from today.

I'd like you to be inspired by knitted items.

Let's think about a few different ways to take this prompt.

• do you have a favourite knitted garment that you just love to wear?
• do you get excited when it's cold enough to justify getting those winter woolies out of the back of the wardrobe?
• perhaps you or someone close to you knit and that could be your main focus today
• how about a knitted gift (I can see two right here in my room!)
• how about a funny story about learning to knit or even teaching someone to knit
• there are a lot of knitted designs in our scrapbooking products - papers, stickers, embellishments that you could use - both drawn or photorealistic
• how about using a real piece of knitting in some way on your page?
• I can imagine being inspired by the word itself "knit" which of course means to join together which could be the drive for your story

Whichever way you decide to take my prompt, 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!

#275 - be inspired by Hygge

It's February and that means one thing... LOAD (layout a day). I'm not as good as I used to be but I try to use LOAD months to really get my motivation and inspiration moving on the scrapbooking front.

This month is no exception and as I write this, I have 13 layouts completed and hope to be able to complete the full 28 layouts in 28 days even if I haven't managed one every day! But a side benefit of this is always the chance to catch up on some of my own challenges.

So here is my "be inspired by Hygge" layout. 

I used my Counterfeit Kit Challenge February kit, Amour which was full of the perfect soft, pastel tones and small designs which helped to convey the feeling of calm I wanted to have. At this point I was already thinking that the kit was more than "killed" and had stated that I was finished with it. But stacking up pretty strips of paper to give my photo a base - and adding in a few scraps of Crate Paper patterns too, showed me that the kit had more to offer.

I used the photo I'd taken for the original challenge blog post here at Whimsical Musings (WM#275 here) to form a base for my thoughts and title. I want this to be more than just something I talk about. I need to feel some more "hygge" in my life. I hope this layout can inspire me to continue working on it.

Lovely, scrummy layers!

This was a great layout to think about and make. The journalling is meaningful and that combination is always my favourite type of scrapbooking. 

Now let's see if I can manage any other of my missing prompts...

Don't forget that if you're inspired to create this week, that you can add your 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... :-)