Update on Scrapbook Competition

Dear Scribblers

Way back in November, I told you I had made a snap decision to enter into the Scrapbook Magazine's 'Scrapbooker of the Year'. Well, I didn't win, although I received a rather nice letter back, along with a ton of scrapbooking goodies - result!

I thought you might like to see the 3 pages I entered.

City of Christmas Lights

This was a multi-sensory page. Fairy lights (which work) around the edges to go with the theme. Tinkling bells were attached to the paper bows and behind the fabric ribbon woven Christmas tree in the bottom corner, I added a felt pouch containing pieces of a pine car freshener! and drops of cinnamon essential oil on cotton wool. Very Christmas smelly! There was hand-written journalling and more photos hidden on the tag in the top corner.

The journalling read:

No wonder Las Vegas is called the American City of Lights! Especially at Christmas, where The Strip looks like Santa the Stage Magician has waved his magic wand, or an illusionist has dazzled with illuminated delights. The sights, sounds and smells of Las Vegas - memories of Christmas 2004.

Polo, Pimms and Picnic

This was about a fun day out in the summer. I wanted to show 'white space', stitching (the metal letters onto the page, and in the top corner) and use an opening out folder. Journalling was created digitally, and printed out on photo paper to match the quality of the pictures.

The journalling read: 

We had a wonderful day in glorious surroundings. It began with a scrumptious PICNIC of delectable savouries, cup cakes, strawberries and champagne. Then up to the clubhouse for PIMMS on the lawn in the sunshine.

We watched some fantastic chukkas of POLO by the impressive riders, and their splendid steeds, followed by the presentation of the cup and prize giving, before adjourning to the marquee for tea and cream scones, all in aid of an extremely worthy cause, Hope for Tomorrow cancer charity.

"I Love Acting - it is so much more than real life!"

There was no journalling on this page, as I felt the title said enough. For this, I used the quote from Oscar Wilde. I made the page as a stage, and cut out some pictures to stand on the page as characters in a play. The photos sat on different heights of sticky tabs to give the page depth in a decoupage style. Other photos, I 'mounted' them in frames to look like a backdrop.

I had fun making them, and they are now sitting proudly in my memory album.

Happy Scribing!

Most of the products from Bo Bunny, Dovecraft, Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen, and Hot Off The Press - (apologises to other makers who I can't remember.)

Project of the Day: Try a page which includes your other senses and not just two dimensional pictures. Try adding scent, a touchable fabric, pop-up elements or charms that jangle. I'm sure you can think of many more ideas than this. Please add your ideas to the comments, as I would love to hear what you have invented. Get crafting and keep scribing.

Note: My apologises to all those waiting to read about journalling your life. The chapters will be posted shortly, life has been a little crazy in January here at the home of the Crafty Scribe, but never fear I haven't forgotten, and will be raring to go very soon. Thank you for your patience. 

The Crafty Scribe Communiqué - Poet Fest!

Communiqué - News Flash - Communiqué 

Dear Scribblers

My Year as A Poet http://365poet2010.blogspot.com/ - by The Crafty Scribe is now fully open!

Please go along and subscribe via the RSS feed, Networked Blogs and Blogger. Also share it and pass on the details to all those you think will be interested.

Project of the Day - Have you started something new for the new year. It’s all about DO IT NOW!

Happy Scribing!

Communique Ends - Communique Ends

The Crafty Scribe Communiqué - New Year, New Project

Communiqué - News Flash - Communiqué 

Dear Scribblers

Happy New Year to you all!

Have you made any resolutions? Are you starting any new projects?

I’ve decided to have a go at poetry for a year. If you want to see my efforts, please go to:

http://365poet2010.blogspot.com - My Year as A Poet by The Crafty Scribe

I hope you will visit and subscribe to my blog to get a new verse everyday.

Project of the Day - Make a list of your resolutions and goals for the year (or see my previous post.) What can you begin today? Do it now!

Happy 2010 Scribing!

Communiqué Ends - Communiqué Ends

Starting Next Week Here on The Crafty Scribe - Scrapbooking & Journalling Your Own History

Merry Christmas, Creating Histories & New Year's Cleaning of the Brain

Dear Scribblers


Sometimes you wonder where the time goes. I can't believe it's Christmas week already!


There has been a major change here in the home of the Crafty Scribe. We have a new member of the furry family.

Welcome Merlin!

He's been helping with the Christmas decorations, wrapping and of course card making! I've made over 70 cards this year, and now they are all posted along with all the parcels winging their way around the country to family and friends.


Communiqué - News Flash - Communiqué


There is some Crafty Scribe news too! 


I will be starting a new series called Scrapbooking & Journalling Your Own History


Every person in the world has their own story to tell, and I feel that it is important for you to record your own personal history. You can include your own family tree and genealogy, or just begin with your own birth or any other significant point in your journey. It's up to you.


I'll be beginning with supplies you require, and work all the way through to recording your past, and setting goals for your future.


I'll hope you will join me.


If you would like to get a head start. Have a warm drink - or something stronger, if you are old enough and are sensible about it! ;-) - and a mince pie, put your feet up and dream. 


Think about what areas of your past life you would like to record for your future. Are you going to include past family? Present family and friends? Are you going to go from birth? From school? From adulthood? Will you include photos? Draw? Writing only? How much details would you like to go into, and how you would like to capture these memories? Are you going to scrapbook? Journal? Art book? Mini book? A4 folder? Sketch book? Canvas panels? Artist trading cards? Film? Let your mind wander, bring forward the images of your life. 


When you know what you want, you could begin to collect your crafty items together, ready to be off and running into the new year. Don't worry if you don't know yet, I'll be offering up further tips in the first lesson.


Project for Today: Here's my take on New Year's Resolutions. I like to summarise the past year like this, as I feel it clears the air between the ears and allows new positive beginnings and fresh ideas to enter. 


I call this New Year's Cleaning of the Brain.


Christmas Eve is a good day to do this. Once all your presents are wrapped, and all the cards sent, and the shopping is completed. Take a moment for yourself, and write down (or draw) in a notebook, all those things (people included) you are grateful for, and all those experiences in 2009 you've really enjoyed. Then write down any sad or difficult situations, next to it, jot down what you learnt from it. Knowing what you know now, would you have dealt with it differently? How would you have changed it? This is called reframing - take the negative and turn it positive.


Once you've done this, leave it for a while. Enjoy the holidays, and when you are ready come back to your notebook. If you want to journal, scrap or art about what you've listed. 


Then write in your notebook, all those goals and aspirations you have for the coming year. Don't just write down resolutions, create a personal list of your future dreams. Make it as positive as possible, and write in the present. For example, instead of writing, "I won't smoke anymore." Write, "I do not smoke - I am healthy and my lungs are clear." Or "I am open to my dream job - I enjoy every day I go to work." Make your list as precise and detailed as possible.


Then create the journal, scrap, art page about this. If you complete this every year, you can see what you have accomplished from your resolution page to your review page. You'll be surprised how much more you will achieve if you put pen to page.


I would love to hear how you feel after creating your own pages, or any further ideas you would like to share.

Merry Scribing Christmas

from The Crafty Scribe!

Part Three - Harnessing Your Alternative Computer Programmes for use in Journalling and Scrapbooking.

Part Three - Harnessing Your Alternative Computer Programmes for use in Journalling and Scrapbooking.

Using Your Regular Word Processing Software in New Ways.

Dear Scribblers

Most computer users will have some sort of word processing software on their PC or Mac. Be it a bought package like: Microsoft Word or Apple iWorks - Pages, or using an open source programme such as: Open Office, AbiWord, or NeoOffice.

Have you thought about how you can use it for your journalling, or scrapbooking?

Of course, there is the obvious, using your programme as your diary. Open up a new document and off you type. If you do this, you can import pictures, even links, sound and video clips (if you are not going to print the pages out). However, think about how you will organise it. Will you set up a file named, for example: ‘2010’ and then have additional files inside with named for each month, and then start a new document for each day, or each week? Or inside your ‘2010’ file will you have documents named; ‘January’, ‘February’... etc, and write a whole month in one place? It depends on how much you are going to write. It’s important to be organised from the get-go.

That’s okay for a regular diary, but what about scrapbooking? What else can you do with your word processing programme?

Here’s a few ideas:

Make Your Own Word Art. Does your programme have the facility of fancy lettering? If you have Microsoft Word, you are way ahead with Word Art. But even if you don’t, choose a font that suits your layout, change the size, colour, emphasis, even rotate it, fade it, add a shadow or border. Make it your own. You can write out a title, the whole journalling section, or write a phrase/poem/’gobble-de-gook’ around a whole sheet as an individual backing paper. Then add it to your digital layout/page, or print it out on your chosen paper type and stick it on. If you need to add to your fonts, try: Dafont, 1001 free fonts, or one of my favourites, Iconian Fonts.

Use Your Software as A Mini-Photo Editor. Import your photo, and drop a text box on it to add your journalling or title right onto it. Add a border to the photo. Increase the photo to page size, and reduce transparency to make your own background. Rotate the photo. Layer photos on photos. Use multiple photos on one page to make a grid-syle layout. Adjust the image, depending on the options available. I find I use my Pages programme, more than I use my photo editing software.

Create Your Own Matt and Layering Shapes. Many programmes contain shapes which you can resize, and re-colour. Or remove any colour to give an out-line, then print it out onto your chosen papers or card, ready for you to cut out and use. You can even add photos, then recreate all your matting and layering together. Or make your own journalling box, complete with your writing. 

Using Templates and Clip-art: Most word processing programmes have a selection of templates or clip-art/copyright-free photos available for use. Spend some time looking at your templates and pictures. Do they give you inspiration for a scrapbooking layout? Can you use them as a basis for your pages and diaries? To give you some idea of how you can work with them, take a glance at my blog header. This is made up of pieces from a number of templates in iWorks Pages.

Project of the Day: Open up your word processing software now, choose a template you’ve never used, and see how you can incorporate it into your layout, or diary page.

I hope this has you looking at your software with different eyes. I’m sure that you will be able to come up with other ideas too. If you have any hints or tips you would like to share, please add them to the comments.

Happy Scribing!

Confessions of The Crafty Scribe

Dear Scribblers

Sad confessions here from the Crafty Scribe. Ill health has lead to a drop in output. In other words, I haven’t been writing, or crafting, or even journalling for the last week.

I’m about 17,000 words down on NaNoWriMo! But am I going to give up? No way! Even if I don’t make the deadline on 30 November, I’ll carry on until the novel is complete, and I’ll let you know when I’ve finished.

I hope all you NaNoWriMo’ers are doing better than me. So tell me, please write in the comment on how many words you’ve reached. Have any of you finished yet? I’d love to hear your experiences.

So my project for today, is to get myself motivated again, and start writing, and here’s your Project of The Day: Unmotivated? Not written or crafted for a while? What do you do to focus? What gets your inspiration fizzing? Write a paragraph, or list, in your diary, or start a scrapbook layout based on your thoughts. You never know where it will lead.

Happy Scribing!

The Crafty Scribe Communiqué - Too Many Contests

Communiqué - News Flash - Communiqué 

Dear Scribblers

I have a confession... I’ve not been writing every day for NaNoWriMo. I know. I know. I’m hanging my head in shame. Although, I am at a healthy 16909 words now, but at this point I should be nearer the 21,500 stage. I have some making up to do.

There has been a good reason for the lax in ‘novel word-smithing’. I made a last minute decision to enter Scrapbook Magazine’s Scrapbooker of the Year competition. Very last minute, the entries must arrive by Monday 16 November, and at the 11th hour, 3 scrapbooking layouts are now, hopefully, racing up to Cheshire.

The contest required that you completed 3 different layouts, based on any theme. There’s points for techniques, originality and overall appeal. The winner gets a bumper pack of crafty goodies, and become a member of the magazines design team. This is the first time I’ve ever entered a scrapping competition, so my hope aren’t high, but you can’t win it, unless you have a go. Wish me luck!

On a journalling note, I used a hand written tag on one page, a block of digital text on another, and just a quote on the last. Once the winners are announced, I’ll post photos of my entries here on my blog.

It’s been a crazy rush, but fun, and I feel I’ve accomplished something. Let’s hope I get the same feeling and finish my novel by 30 November! I should be back on track next week.

Project of the Day - Search your magazines or the web, and find a competition you can enter. Give it a go, you never know, you just might win!

Happy Scribing!

Communiqué Ends - Communiqué Ends