Ideas and Inspiration are all around us of course - sometimes things just pop into your head but sometimes your mojo needs some motivation!
I love to spend time browsing other blogs and websites (see my Blog List on the left and Useful Places on the right).
YouTube is brilliant for tips and techniques, and magazines such as Scrap365 and Scrapbook Magazine are full of ideas.
Online Challenges are fab and I can't get enough of them! They encourage you to think outside of your usual box, try new techniques and use up old stash - and sometimes there are even prizes! At first, I was a bit shy of uploading my stuff to galleries full of the most amazing pieces of work, but everyone is so supportive, I soon got over that!
Here are a few of my favourite challenges ...
- Summer of Color 2012 - every Sunday for 6 weeks - make any piece of art inspired by an icecream flavour as the colour prompt. This one's over now, but it was SO much fun and I can't wait to see what Kristin comes up with for next year!
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I made a series of six ATCs for the Summer of Colour challenge -
These were inspired by the Strawberry Lemonade Sherbet below |
- UPDATE Summer of Color 2013 was also fabulous - and this year we got to vote for which of Kristin's mouthwatering combos we'd like to play with next. Here's my Week One - Citron Green and Turquoise. This year I finally got started on an altered book art journal and I'm loving it!
- WOYWW - every Wednesday - not so much a challenge as a chance to have a snout around other people's craft rooms and see what they've been up to! You also get to bare your crafty soul and the state of your workdesk to the whole world and have a nice chat with other creative peeps - try it, but be warned ... it is addictive!
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| Here's my workdesk on a relatively tidy Wednesday |
- Simple Recipes - first Tuesday each month - the recipe posted on UKScrappers contains colour combo and various elements to include as well as an optional sketch, then on the third Tuesday of the month and alternative layout is posted.
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This was my take on the Simple Recipe for April
by Sarah of SJ Crafts (see her blog on the right) |
- Tags of 2014 - Beginning of each month - Tim Holtz posts a tutorial for a new tag demonstrating various products and techniques.
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| These were my first four done all at once to catch up! |
- Scrap365 - monthly - submit a layout inspired by the sketch, using your own choice of stash. Scrap365 also do a cocktail-inspired challenge every month now, called "Shake It Up!", plus they have regular calls for submissions on various themes - see their blog for details.
- UPDATE - Scrap365 now run a regular feature in collaboration with CSI - two of my favourite inspirations rolled into one wooHOO!
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| This one was inspired by the sketch above from Wendy McKee |
- CSI - weekly - you are given a Case File to solve, by using all 5 colours in the Scheme, at least 2 pieces of Evidence and at least item from the Testimony list and there is a set of CSI Coordinates for each Case which you can print off - little images, words, journalling spots and papers - FABulous and FREE! UPDATE - I'm on the design team for CSI now, and I am thrilled to bits to be a CSI Detective as you may well imagine! :o)
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| CSI Case File #31 |
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| My solution |
- Scrapbook Magazine - bimonthly - lots of scraplifts and sketches and an invitation to submit them for future possible publication. There is also a "Budget Challenge" which I would love to have a go at, and this month they have announced the Scrapbooker of the Year competition...hmmm...do I dare? UPDATE I did dare - and was a runner up, received a really fabulous prize and now I'm on the DT for the magazine, with several commissions under my belt and lots of ideas for more in the future ...
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| This one was inspired by a sketch from Cathy Schellenberg |
- Tag Tuesday - I have a place on the team now and love it! Every week, Carolyn comes up with a theme to get your mojo going and inspire a tiny work of art. It's great fun to see all the different ways we all interpret the same theme. For Christmas, we're going to do a real-life tag swap which should be great fun :o)
- 123-Challenge - this is a brilliant idea, really simple but genius! The idea is that you are given three elements to include in your scrapbook page - a colour, a word and a technique. Here's an example ...
... and here is my page using those three elements ...
UPDATE I've just joined the 1-2-3 Design Team - very exciting!
UPDATE I've just joined the 1-2-3 Design Team - very exciting!
Playing with mixed media is my latest addiction, just experimenting and having fun with it, so I treat myself to a mixed media kit from FrogDog Studio every month and they also have a brilliant blog with inspiring ideas and challenges.
Search for posts on Ideas & Inspiration and Challenges in the Tags cloud on the right.
Also check out my blog list on the left and the links on the right for lots more ideas and inspiration ... you'll be wandering in Blogland for hours - have fun! :o)
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