Try again...

It always amazes me how just one little embellishment can spark a whole layout.  Well two little embellishments actually.  

Back in September we had a family day trip to a small country town.  We looked around the town, had a picnic lunch and enjoyed being outside and together.  I thought it would be a great opportunity for a selfie with my kids.  While I was trying to get the photo, the two of them kept fighting and hitting each other.  I just kept clicking away, hoping they would stop so I could get a good photo.  I never really got a good photo but I did get some very entertaining ones.  

I printed off the photos ages ago but couldn't get inspired to create anything with them.  When my order from Feed Your Craft arrived I couldn't open the packet quick enough to see what was inside.  As soon as I saw the "try again" and "of course" mini flairs I thought about these selfie photos.

I also used my silhouette cameo and sketch pens to add the "camera" and "click" images on my layout.

What inspires you to create??

love me :-)

Hello there 2016...

After giving a lot of thought as to how I would tackle PL for this year (see previous post) one of the things I wanted to do was a 12x12 cover page instead of the usual pocket style. One of the reasons I chose to do this is because I wanted my first page in  my album to be a 12x12 layout of our first few minutes of 2016.  I specifically ordered these mini flair buttons from Feed Your Craft just for this project and they have been sitting on my desk waiting to be used.

I always take a group shop after we have counted in the new year, popped poppers, wished everyone a Happy New Year and sent kisses all round.  This year our NYE was going to be a quiet one with just four us.  But during the course of the day it grew to 14.  I took this selfie and so glad I did. The photo is grainy and blurry but  it really reflects the mood and the high spirits that everyone was in.  I was going to add to much more to this layout but the photo and just a few embellishments was all that was needed.

How did you NYE celebrations go, truly wonderful I hope.

Love me :-)

Why I Journal - tips and ideas Part 3

I have always put the words first in my memory keeping and to be honest I find it very hard to scrapbook/project life if I am limited to how much journaling I can add.  I do believe that photos are very important but the words bring the photo to life, give it meaning and emotion.

Quite often a story I want to tell is sparked from an embellishment or a stamp.  These are also great things to use if the words just won't flow easily.  I wrote a blog post about my "bucket list" (a prompt from 2015 Blog-tember challenge) and I wanted to get the story down on paper and into my album.  When I first got these mini flair buttons from Feed Your Craft my first intention was to use them to document a holiday that we had recently.  As I was looking at them, a different story started to unfold in my head.  The words on the mini flair and my blog post were coming together in my head and I realised that I could use these to tell a different story.

Quite often when I get new products like these mini flair or stamps I just stare at them for awhile, letting my head just take them in.  I let them flow around in my brain and as I sit there stories start to emerge.  If the stories come quickly I grab a pen and paper and start making notes but if the story is not there I just let them sit on my desk and wait for the story to appear.  It may sound a bit strange but this process has worked for me for many years and I have been able to tell so many wonderful stories.

This particular story was important for me to tell as I want my children to grab life and enjoy all that it has to offer, the good and the bad.  This has been my personal mantra all through my life and I want them to understand that a good life just isn't handed to you, you have to go out and get it.  I want this layout to encourage them to do so.

You can read these earlier posts about tips and ideas for journalling here and here.

Don't always be in a rush to use product, let them inspire you to tell stories and record your history.

If you would like to order some of your own mini flair buttons head over to Feed Your Craft and use the coupon code TRACEY20 to get 20% of your order.

What inspires you to tell stories?  I would love to hear how your stories unfold.

Love me :-)

So Excited to announce...

You may have already heard but I thought I would share it here too.

I'm totally excited and thrilled to announce that I am part of Feed Your Crafts first ever Creative Team and super thankful to be working along side these amazing ladies.

If you haven't heard about Feed Your Craft then pop on over to her shop and discover her wonderful handmade flair buttons.  As well as being the creator of super cute flair buttons, Elise is super creative so check out her blog here.

Can't wait to start this new journey...

love me :-)