On home, scrapbookers and free gifts
Home again, home again: sweet London town! And oh my do I have a list of things to share with you today! Please excuse my slightly random nature this lovely Tuesday.
If you’ve popped over from Scrap Camp with the lovely May Flaum, then hello there! I have something special for you tomorrow — a free digital/printable download that fits with May’s project. It will be available for you right here on Wednesday so I hope you’ll pop by!
If you’ve been checking out the other scrappers featured in the Ella Publishing awards this week, you’ll want to grab the new e-book that features a layout from each of us plus lots of insight into our creative processes and how we find time to scrapbook. Grab the e-book here. It’s called Time to Scrapbook.
Yesterday I promised more tenuous links from influential scrapbookers to my funny little head, and there are two stops on the blog tour today: Noell and Jenni.
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The next stop on the week-long blog tour of influential scrappers is multimedia maven Noell Hyman, creator of all things Paperclipping. That includes videos, tutorials, podcasts… it’s a scrapbooking media explosion. (My favourite is the Paperclipping Roundtable, where a group of scrapbookers have an impromptu discussion on some aspect of the topic. I subscribed through iTunes on my phone so it automatically downloads and I can listen to people talk about scrapping while I’m on the train! And it’s free!) |
Aside from scrapbooking, what do I think of when I think of Noell? I think of vegan food. Specifically vegan cupcakes, baked goods and other lush treats. One day I tweeted about a particularly amazing cake from the lovely Ms Cupcake UK and Noell replied wishing there was someone selling vegan loveliness in her neck of the woods. I’m vegetarian rather than vegan, but I never stop being grateful for how much choice there is for quality vegetarian and vegan food here in London. Now when I stumble upon something both delish and vegan, I instantly wish Noell could come to try it out! I think I have planned at least a week of an itinerary for her to have a London food holiday if she ever decides to visit. (Clearly if I did not know her name, I would refer to her as Vegan Scrapbooker or something! Thankfully Noell is a much prettier name!) So in honour of Noell, I point you toward one delightfully yum vegan cupcake recipe. Though you may want to wait for it to chill a few degrees outside before you turn on your oven! Don’t forget to go enter to win prizes at Noell’s blog. (And Noell, if you’re ever up for that week of food, you let me know!)
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Next up is supersweet superwoman Jenni Bowlin. Jenni is actually traveling back from a workshop today so her giveaway will go up a little later — keep checking so you can enter to win! But oh goodness, Jenni is such a talented lady. I love, love, love the products Jenni designs and her delicate, homespun scrapping style. I’m still so excited to be designing with her products. |
Jenni’s vintage scrapping style always makes me think of old books, and although she has a far better knack at finding amazing vintage pieces than I do, I would still love to spend a day with her at my favourite place to search for unique old books — the booksellers on Charing Cross Road. Especially the stores that have basements where you can wander from room to room searching through thousands of books that were once part of the collections at public and private libraries, hospitals and schools. My favourite find is a 1926 book called Psychoanalysis for Normal People which is a sort of early version of what you would now find in the self-help section at Borders. The foreword explains how it is important for ‘normal’ people like teachers, nurses and scout leaders to understand psychoanalysis so they can be vigilant of the upcoming mental breakdowns of all those they encounter. It is somewhat hilarious and even more so when you consider this was groundbreaking, cutting edge stuff for the time! I don’t think I could ever cut that book up for artsy projects because it is just too interesting as a social artefact. But also it makes me giggle because I have always thought of Ms Jenni as a very esteemed and classic southern lady, so I could never in a million years imagine her using phrases like ‘normal people’, even in 1926! Somehow, if we went shopping in the same book store, I think she would find something elegant and classy and artistic instead of my silly old medical books! Be sure to pop over to Jenni’s blog for more chances to win in Ella’s week-long giveaway of 100 great prizes!
Two more scrappers up tomorrow… and that free download too, so don’t be a stranger!
xlovesx
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