pretty paper. true stories. {and scrapbooking classes with cupcakes.}

Congratulations to MargaretC, who wins the quirky Long John plush from Stuffed Nonsense.

And now for the impressive list of winners from the Christmas Crafting Weekend!

Journal your Christmas class giveaway winner Jane

Melissa’s Christmas card challenge winner Abbey

Share your Christmas album winner Angela

Wake up call winner Pauline

Pam’s Christmas card challenge winner Leo

Pocket pages winner Adel

Creative tag challenge winner Rachel

Early bird link share winner Iris

Leah’s Christmas card challenge winner Scribbles and sticking

holiday gift tag winner Tilla

writing our memories winner Marianne

sketch of the week winner Blupixy

If you have won a prize, congratulations! Please email me (shimelle at gmail dot com)

There’s a new giveaway every Friday night, so check back next week for another chance to win just by leaving a comment.

Have a great week!

xlovesx

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Some exciting news from Jenni Bowlin Studio this weekend, and a JBS-themed video to share with you today! I even have something special for someone feeling lucky out there!

The news from JBS is two-fold: first, Jenni is adding a brand new section to her Mercantile website just for old things: one off vintage and antique finds sourced by Ms Bowlin’s amazing eye at estate sales, auctions and markets. Starting tomorrow unique items like old cameras, books, clocks and totes will be up for grabs should you fancy something old but new to you.

And second, Jenni is teaching a brand new online crafting class too. Home for the Holidays includes beautiful holiday crafting in Jenni’s signature style, and one of you can win a place on the class plus a gift certificate to go shopping for a JBS treat! To enter, leave a comment on this post! Easy. Entries close at the end of Monday night. (By the way, winners for the Christmas Crafting Weekend will be posted on Monday!)

For more about Jenni Bowlin Studio, check out the JBS Inspiration Blog.

xlovesx

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Oh! The glory of an internet connection! Let me catch up with you a bit.

We have moved, but we are still very much living in stacks of boxes. We’ll get there. We don’t have any internet or phone there yet, so thank goodness for the modern conveniences of mobiles and coffee shops with wifi and all such things. And for today, I’m meant to be cropping at a weekend away with friends, but they have been ever so kind as to not ridicule me too much for sticking my laptop on my cropping spot since there is a decent internet connection here. Roll with the punches – that’s this whole adventure!

We left off with discussion of Christmas projects and one option for page numbers in a Christmas journal. This year I wanted my page numbers to be coordinated but varied, and the Simple Stories Christmas papers turned out to be perfect for this. The 6×6 paper pad includes several sheets of small accents that are easy to cut into boxes, so I started by cutting all of those accent sheets and inking the edges so no matter what I would have those ready.

From there, I started adding a few little embellishments and numbers from my Christmas kit, including some labels and some dimensional pieces and plenty of number stickers. They aren’t overly embellished, because I prefer to be able to work them into various styles as the month goes on. For me, I like a balance of items that are prepared and ready but still have the potential to be customised as each day unfolds, so some days I’ll add these straight to the page and other days I’ll dress them up more with gems, ribbons, twine and whatever else happens to match that page. As soon as I have the printer set up, I’ll be adding some numbers from Rhonna’s printable numbers which I love.

For now, these will all sit in a bowl at the side of my desk, and then with each entry I’ll add a number, all coordinated but no two alike. Perfect for my album this year.

Are you making page numbers? Share a link or describe them in the comments.

Nice to be back – and now to work my way down a BIG to do list! Hurrah!

xlovesx

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This weekend, one commenter will win Long John plush from Stuffed Nonsense.

StuffedNonsense is based in the merry old town of Cheltenham and is created and curated by Bex and El. Connoisseurs of curios and creatures for over three years Bex and El spend their time tinkering away with lovely fabric and temperamental sewing machines. All the delightful creatures that you see before you come straight out of their heads, a mysterious place of whimsy and wonder.

Visit Stuffed Nonsense at their blog to keep up to date with their latest stitched wondery.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post describing your favourite type of fabric.

Entries close at midnight Sunday UK time and the winner will be posted Monday evening, so be sure to check back to see if it’s your lucky day!

Good luck!

xlovesx

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Congratulations to Claire, who wins the pretty Isosceles Necklace from Stone & Honey.

Claire, please email me (shimelle at gmail dot com) with your address.

There’s a new giveaway every Friday night, so check back next week for another chance to win just by leaving a comment.

Have a great week!

xlovesx

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This weekend, one commenter will win this Isosceles Necklace from Stone & Honey worth $64.00.

The creative force behind Stone and Honey is Teresa Robinson, who crafts each piece of Stone & Honey jewelry by hand in her Portland studio.
Inspired by the beauty of the natural world, the collection is made from carefully selected rough gems and minerals in combination with brass, sterling silver and gold.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post describing where you would wear such a pretty necklace.

Entries close at midnight Sunday UK time and the winner will be posted Monday evening, so be sure to check back to see if it’s your lucky day!

Good luck!

xlovesx

Comment [62]

Right now, my scrapbooking space look like this. It makes me sad. It has also made me rather tired, but I can cope.

We are moving house. We had no intention of moving house, but we rent and our flat is being taken off the rental market, and we had our little window of time to find somewhere new. We love our neighbourhood and didn’t want to move to another area, so we are moving around the corner to another flat in another building. It’s such a short move that our postcode is only changing by one letter.

So I’m afraid I need to hit the pause button just for a tiny bit. I was working on scrapping stuff right up till the last minute possible, but all my studio furniture and boxes will be moved at 8am tomorrow, so earlier today it was time to clear the desk, empty every shelf and box every last inch of pretty paper and ribbon.

Part two of the Christmas Journal page numbers? It’s in a box. The finished starting point layout from the last SP post? Also in a box. I am really, really ready to be out of boxes.

If I owe you an email or need to process your class registration, please give me twenty-four hours to get things out of boxes and I will be right on it.

I’m looking forward to seeing pretty, happy albums and things in those shelves just as soon as physically possible.

Thank you for your patience.

xlovesx

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A crafting weekend here wouldn’t be right without a sketch, would it? So a sketch this week with two examples – one travel page and one Christmas page, complete with silly childhood photo!

This sketch will work with any paper you like, but it’s particularly useful with patterned papers with a framed edge. I find those papers such a challenge with the frame around the edge, but easier when the frame can be turned inside-out as it were! I used two portrait 4×6 prints on this example and one 4×5 Polaroid on the example below, but this sketch will work with a variety of photo options, so adapt it to the pictures on your desk.

Of course, this is Christmas crafting weekend so it just wouldn’t be right to not include a Christmas take on the sketch!

Your challenge: use this sketch to create a holiday-themed layout OR to prepare a page in your Christmas journal, ready for photos and journaling later. Take a picture and upload your page to your blog or an online gallery. One randomly selected entry will win a $10 gift certificate to Two Peas in a Bucket to go shopping for scrapbooking supplies! Entries close next Sunday, the 20th of November.

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