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

Two things that came out loud and clear from the comments at the weekend? A bunch of you love the sketches. (Yay!) But you wish there was a way to go straight to all of them. (Oh.) Well, actually there is! All the sketches are right here, and there’s a link at the bottom of each individual sketch post to take you there, but maybe that’s not very clear… so I’ll get a button added like the 4×6 Photo Love button and that will make things easier.

And if you have two landscape 4×6 photos, that will make participating in this week’s sketch challenge easier. Plus this week there is both a video and a prize! Oh, it’s just happy crazy scrap land here, I tell you.

The printable camera I used is from a kit called Picturebox and you get thirteen printable camera images for £1.50 (about $2.45 in US dollars). Then you can print them at any size, on any paper and use them on as many pages as you like. (Digi scrappers, you can also paste them into your pages, of course.)

As part of the week of giveaways, this week’s sketch is sponsored by Little Musings and one participant will win a collection of free goodies! Please like them on Facebook here to keep up to date and thank them for supporting this week of scrapbooking fun!

To enter the challenge, create your page based on the sketch and upload it to your blog or a scrapbook page gallery. Copy the URL for your entry and paste it into the linking box below! The deadline for this challenge is the end of next Tuesday – the 23rd of August 2011 – at midnight, UK time.

Since the last sketch is still open for a prize until this Sunday night, I’ll wait to share my favourites from that and next Wednesday I’ll share both lots together for double the fun!

xlovesx

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Oooh, I do love a little hot pink. It can brighten up the greyest of days, and once someone said something that really stuck with me: ‘I think the reason I always think you look younger is because you wear hot pink’. Ladies, someone only has to say that to you once to make you a believer, right? Hot pink it is. Also, I just really like the word ‘hoopla’ because it is fun to say and I will find any reason to throw it into a conversation. Sometimes that’s the only reason you need.

Today’s bit of hoopla in hot pink includes the chance to win a prize pack of Cosmo Cricket scrapbooking supplies! And I tried to meet a challenge from SJ, who suggested I try to scrap in a 7×7 square on the 12×12 page. Find out how well I stuck to that rule! Watch the video to see this page come together.

To enter the challenge, you need to create a project somehow inspired by this scrapbook page. It can be very similar or quite different, as you could use the entire layout as inspiration or you could pick just one thing – a hot pink background, using the Upcycle collection, starting with a 7×7 square, misting the background, scrapping that one photo that doesn’t go with anything else… or anything else that caught your attention!

Create your page and upload it to your blog or a scrapbook page gallery like Two Peas or UKScrappers. Then leave a link to that page (not your main blog address) in the box below. One entry will be chosen to win a prize pack of Cosmo Cricket scrapbooking supplies! (Please follow Cosmo on Facebook or Twitter to help say thanks!) Entries close this Sunday (21st August 2011) at midnight UK time.

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Although the scrapbooking challenges from this past weekend are still open until Sunday, there were a few prizes to be won just by leaving a comment and one extra-special prize for someone who really made the most of the weekend. A drumroll please – here are those winners!

Ali is the winner of the Proud to Scrapbook giveaway.

Inga is the winner of the Saturday wake-up call giveaway.

Wendy is the winner of the Sunday wake-up call giveaway.

Congratulations to each of you! I’ll send you an email with the details needed so I can send you your prizes.

And then there’s that other prize… a $100 shopping spree to Two Peas in a Bucket to spend on whatever scrapbooking supplies you might like. It was so difficult to choose. I’ve loved looking at all the layouts posted and reading your comments and seeing so many fabulous mentions of being proud to scrapbook on message boards, Twitter and Facebook. After much deliberation, I think this lady deserves a big round of applause. Sabine has posted pages for eleven challenges so far and joined in the discussion on pretty much every post and just been so enthusiastic and positive all weekend! I’m so happy to send you $100 to take shopping, Sabine! I hope you find something lovely!

The scrapbooking challenges don’t close until Sunday so you still have time to enter and there is a new challenge (with a video tutorial!) each day this week, so there is even more to keep you creating. There are prize packs to win from all those fabulous companies who have helped with this weekend: Jenni Bowlin Studio, American Crafts, BasicGrey, Pink Paislee, Studio Calico, Pebbles, Lily Bee Design, CosmoCricket, Simple Stories, Little Musings and Two Peas in a Bucket. I couldn’t make everything so shiny and fun without them. And I really couldn’t do this without all of you. Thank you so much for being proud to scrapbook and happy to create things by hand! You make this the most awesome job in the world, I do believe.

xlovesx

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As promised, a little something special to continue throughout this week, and I hope the video fans will enjoy! Each day this week, stop by to see a new video with a layout tutorial, then enter for a chance to win a prize pack of goodies from some of your favourite manufacturers. Today’s video features products by Jenni Bowlin Studio and I have a JBS prize pack to send to one lovely scrapbooker!

To enter the challenge, all you have to do is create something inspired by the video. It can be very similar to the page if you like, or you can take inspiration from any element you like – the colours, the photo placement, any technique – whatever takes your fancy. Then upload your project to your blog or a page gallery like Two Peas or UKScrappers and leave a link to the post (not your blog’s main page) in the box below.

Deadline is next Sunday (21st August 2011) at midnight UK time!

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And with that, Sunday is quickly drawing to a close on this side of the world, so I want to pause and draw up a handy list of links to all the challenges so far, but also tell you a bit about what to expect in the week ahead.

These challenges are open now until the end of next Sunday, the 21st of August:
Sketch of the Week
Printable Challenge
Stickery Challenge
Starting Point Challenge
Chop your Paper Challenge
Add to the Story Challenge
Grid it Up Challenge
Colour Story Challenge
From the Heart Challenge
Go Retro Challenge
3 is a Magic Number Challenge
Half Page Challenge
Signature Accent Challenge
PLUS these challenges added throughout the week:
Butterflies & Bingo Cards
Hot Pink Hoopla
Scrapbooking Sketch of the Week (This one is open until Tuesday.)

So there is certainly plenty to create and many chances to win! But wait – there’s more to come. There always needs to be a surprise, right?

This week on the blog, you’ll find four scrapbooking tutorial posts, with videos and a chance to win prizes from Jenni Bowlin Studio, Cosmo Cricket, Simple Stories and Little Musings. And the details (and a kit option) for the 2011 run of Learn Something New. So while I promise not to stand here issuing you challenges every few hours for the entire week, I do promise to keep the creative fun rolling with some very special things in store. I really hope you’ll stop by each day to see what’s new!

Thank you very much for all your fabulous creativity and I am so very happy to have met so many lovely ladies who are proud to scrapbook! While the crop was going on this weekend, I ended up in a conversation with one of those people who dismisses scrapbooking as less than cool, and it was pretty fabulous to know there are plenty of us who are happy to set her straight!

US readers, you have a few hours left to use the code SHIPSL for free shipping on a $35 order at Two Peas so go get some goodies in your bucket as a special treat!

Okay happy, scrappy friends — I’ll catch you tomorrow!

xlovesx

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Remember this post wherein the lovely Julie shared her favourite techniques with Lily Bee papers and embellishments?

Or how these letters from Lily Bee have become something I add to almost every layout recently?

Well, therein lies another challenge: create a page with a product or a technique you love so much you use it relatively often. Maybe it’s become your signature accent! Whatever it might be, put it on show and share it with us!

Many thanks to Lily Bee Design for sponsoring this challenge! You can find them on Facebook and Twitter, so you can find their updates on the site of your choice.

One entry will be selected to win a prize pack of scrapbooking supplies from Lily Bee Design. Entries close at midnight next Sunday (21st August 2011).

Feel free to use the comment section to chat about this challenge, as the entries should go in the linky widget!

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This idea of how individual pages make a full album is something that’s on my mind so much recently. It applies to that idea of adding in more photos or writing to help things make sense, but it also applies to the design. We can create pages with so very much in that 12×12 space – plenty of photos and patterned papers and accents. As we turn the pages in our albums, those sorts of pages become less appreciated when our eyes get a bit tired from taking in all the details.

Every once in while, I love the break from a really detailed page to go with something simple that leaves plenty of room for your eyes to relax. It helps if you really love the patterned paper, like this lovely and simple floral from the Ever After collection by Pebbles. That helps a minimal design not look too stark, but still less overwhelming than some more crowded pages. So this page will work like that – with the design kept to just two colours and half the page space!

One other product I love from Pebbles that is easy to miss – Candy Dots. They are simple little dots in pearls, jewels or buttons, with a glue dot there on the back so you can just add them without any messing about with the adhesive. This pink and green wedding was accented with grey, so I used grey Candy Dots in the middle of each butterfly. They are such a simply way to dress up a layout with that special something!

How about a challenge? Create a layout that only uses half the page. It can be whatever half you would like, but somewhere around half the page space needs to be breathing room!

Many thanks to Pebbles for sponsoring this challenge! You can find them on Facebook and Twitter, so be sure to follow them!

One entry will be selected to win a prize pack of scrapbooking supplies from Pebbles. Entries close at midnight next Sunday (21st August 2011).

Feel free to use the comment section to chat about this challenge, as the entries should go in the linky widget!

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So for US scrappers, there’s the free shipping offer this weekend, but I promised something for UK scrapbookers too, and that’s a different kind of bargain.

While I don’t have all the latest CHA releases like some fabulous scrapbooking stores, I can offer you a huge bargain on an assortment of past-season releases. So I’ve set aside a limited number of scrapbooking bargain boxes. Each box includes a variety of things like minibooks, cardstock, patterned paper, stamps (some clear, some wood-mounted rubber), Thickers and other stickers, embellishments and ribbon. There are no duplicates within one box (there is duplication from box to box, though they are not necessarily identical) and all supplies are brand new, they just aren’t this season’s releases. There are no split packets with the exception of ribbon cut from long reels. Almost all of these items are supplies I have used in my workshops, so they are all products I love. The sample above gives you an idea of the brands included – Bazzill cardstock, American Crafts Thickers and so on. All box contents are major brands I’ve used on my pages!

Each box is £20, which includes first class postage to a UK address. The contents of each box would retail for at least double that, sometimes more, so there’s a savings of at least £20 with each box. And no extra shipping! To keep the shipping costs down, I am recycling cardboard boxes! But everything is packed safely and prettily inside! If you would like a bargain box, click the button and do make sure you’re leaving the correct address for posting, please!

All Sold Out! Thanks so much!

Once the boxes are sold out, I’m afraid that’s it on this particular bargain. But if you fancy a bit of a surprise at a great discount, I hope you can grab one while they last!

Sorry, I cannot take non-UK orders for this offer.

xlovesx

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