Scrap the Girls in February ...

Scrap the Girls say "Interpret this prompt however you like!"

Hmmm ok  - to me this is more suited for a boy page.  That sentiment then got me thinking about a lively discussion via podcast I listened to recently about manufacturers of scrapbook products producing "boy" lines and "girl" lines and whether that was typecasting children and whether this is a good or bad thing.

Without getting into the why and why-nots, it occurred to me that there really was no reason why I could not use the same bright, colourful and cheery papers (considered more for boys perhaps) for my girl ... so I did just that.

Some love with Orange Paperie ...

Orange Paperie have a more traditional challenge for this month calling for hearts and journaling on our pages.

I've done a vintage page for  the family album - I love black and white photographs, so much character and expression.  I've also used a lovely quote from Brigette Bardot about photographs.

Scrap the Boys in February ...

The challenge criteria this month on Scrap the Boys  is to create a layout featuring your boy/s and “Someone Special” in their life!

I am so fortunate that despite the 5+ years age gap between my children, my daughter adores her little brother and the feeling is returned ten fold.  They are loving and close and the very best of buddies.

10 things with Jennifer ...

Jennifer Wilson is undertaking a new workshop at Big Picture Classes called Before Your Story which sounds not only like a lot of fun but a seriously worthwhile project for those of you who haven't completed an album about your own life.

I have done pages about my younger years but fully recognise I do need to get more stories about "me" into my scrapbooking albums.

A little prelude to the class is a blog hop with a difference where Jennifer shares 34 stories (in honour of her years on this planet of ours) of things she wants her daughter to know about her which didn't quite make it into the album for the workshop and she's invited us to join her in making our own lists.

I'm not sure I want to try a list quite as long as my age (lol) and even 34 things might give me pause for concern but I think I can handle 10, so 10 it is.


1.  I was a mean volley ball player in my youth.  Can't say I was ever sporty at school (I did what I had to do!) but for some reason I really liked playing volley ball and was good at it.

2.  I was the only kid at my high school to ever drop maths for the Higher School Certificate - apparently it was unheard of and created quite a storm when I did so.

3.  One of the first dates I had with your father was riding around an open range zoo on push bikes - I nearly died!!  It wasn't until we were returning the bikes to the hire place that your Dad informed me he was a prior youth cycling champion !!!

4.  When I took my very first plane ride I didn't do things by halves ... I traveled from Sydney (Australia) to Vancouver (Canada) all by myself.

5.  From the time I left the family home after completing school until setting up with your Dad after we were married, I had lived in 12 different locations.

6.  I have always lived at an address with a number 3 or a number 7 and in the present case one with both a 7 and a 3!  The only exception was when I lived on a rural property where the identification was by name rather than number.

7.  I am terrified of heights - have been from a young age.  I went on this cable car to reach Mt Pilatus in Switzerland while on my honeymoon and the only thing I remember is sitting in the middle of the floor with my arms wrapped around a central pole hyper-ventilating.

8.  I'm none too keen on snakes either.  That comes from many close calls while living on a farm as a kid.

9.  I would have liked to have become a librarian - I have a deep and abiding love of literature but circumstance got in my way and it never came to be.

10.  Having a daughter and son I count as one of the most fulfilling and sometimes most frustrating things I have done in my life but I would not have it any other way and count my blessings daily.

Hope you take the challenge too.

Some Scrap Lifting ...

Such a pretty little card (and a very neat idea) by Wida Millar on  Scrap Lifting.

What a wonderful way to use up all those little bits and pieces we have lying around our craft spaces.

Here is my take on the process :)

Getting down and dirty ...

Playing along with Unstampabelles this month where they dare us to get dirty.

I used an ink pad and stencil to create my brickwork background - think it achieves the dirty look.  Went with a masculine card to counteract all the cute and smoochiness of a normal February :)

Feeling the love ...

Well I couldn't let February pass me by without making a sentimental card or two.

This one was for Emergency Crafters where the challenge was to use red or pink and also for Southern Girls Challenges where the criteria was to add a little bling.

ARTastic in February ...

We have a delightful artwork for you this month on ARTastic.

Joshua Miels with Pretender

Criteria - Paint and Ink

and here is my interpretation ...

I've pulled the colours from the artwork and the random nature of the paint and ink work.  I was also inspired by the bold black and white portrait and the way the paint made it appear like light was shining onto the face.  This prompted me to use a similar image for my page.

We'd love to see your interpretations of our inspiration this month.

Remember we happily accept all forms of paper crafting for your entry including digital and encourage international submissions.  All we ask is that you create an original entry for our challenge although you are most welcome to combine with a sketch and/or colour challenge if you wish.  You have until 11.55pm on the last day of the month to submit your entry.

  

It's ok Charlie Brown ...

A very cute challenge is up on Child's Play Challenges.

It's Classic TV show time!  And what a fantastic show this is! I still look forward to watching every year, even if my guys are outgrowing it.  We want you to use this photo as inspiration for your layout. Want to use a reference from the show itself? Great! As long as you can tell us how you are inspired by 

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown

My layout is a little different ....

Love to see your take on Snoopy, Charlie Brown and all the gang this romantic month of February.

Caravan heaven ...

It certainly is an interesting inspiration picture on Archi-scraps this month ... shipping containers in a block puzzle ... a blocked caravan ... a blocked car ... how about a tractor ... red, blue and grey or a combination of them all.  Wow so much scope ... where do you start??

The very first thing I saw was the caravan - it just screamed out at me and I remembered a time which seems so long ago now, when I went caravaning in something that looked remarkably like this.

We weren't a caravan family.  My Dad preferred to camp under canvas and back when I was a kid you didn't have nifty little two-man nylon jobs which you could put up with one hand in 5 minutes flat.  Oh no, these were serious canvas tents, with poles and ropes and 30 minutes of hard yakka to get them upright.  You cooked on a campfire in a camp stove, tea was via a billy and sleep (if you got any) was on a camp bed which sagged in the middle and collapsed under you if you moved too quickly (or heavily) during the night.  A trip to the loo was a dash into the bush with shovel, trailing toilet paper in your wake, a wash was a dip in the river and aeroguard was for sissies.  My Dad loved it, I embraced it and my Mum ... well let's just say she put on a brave face ....

One year my Dad must have relented and hired (or borrowed) a caravan for a long weekend.  My mother was overjoyed, packed it with spare crockery and shiny cooking utensils, proper sheets and blankets and we headed out into the great unknown.  It was bliss - Mum happily producing caravan cordon bleu, serving it on white dinner plates on a table-clothed melamine table.  Me and a girl friend content, tucked up in clean sheets in our matching bunk beds, reading by camp light and Dad?  - yep Dad was happy too .. in his canvas tent, in his saggy camp bed with faithful dog by his side, a good thirty feet from the caravan door.