Everyone can write a little

Yes that's right! Cathy Zielske's new class on Big Picture Scrapbooking involves micro-journaling a la Twitter or Facebook updates. And it rocks! It's one of the most satisfying albums I've made, because it's quick, personal and could be endlessly repeated or reinvented. It's a little more expensive than other classes I've taken, so I waited right up until the last minute to join. I've enjoyed it all thus far - Cathy has a very good sense of humour and this has definitely added more value and interest to the class!


I made the album from scratch, as I didn't have the funds for a gorgeous American Crafts 6x6 Ring binder. I aimed to make something a bit like a Bind-it-all Cover it, since I wanted the same effect as the ring binders. And even though I say so myself, I think I did a pretty good job! I've been saving this Tinkering Ink paper for so long, the most expensive paper I have in my stash, and it suits the purpose perfectly.


The inside covers and the paper for the title page are also from the same pad. It's got some cracking contrasts in it! I love the rich chocolate in combination with the reds and blues.

It's such a simple concept but so effective (well, it is Cathy Zielske after all, the Queen of Simple Scrapbooking!)

There are many more posts just ready to be dropped into the template, but it's just a case of finding the appropriate photos to go with them. It has the potential to build up quickly, and I like that sort of thing.

What's your current project, and do you twitter? My username is SBLove_crafts, if you're on there, drop by and let me know!
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Ooh my very first crop!

Well folks, I had a thoroughly good time last night - me and my friend Paula had our very first crop! I used to work with Paula back in the day, and lost touch when I moved jobs, but we reconnected last year after we'd both had children. Not only did we have this in common, but she also did scrapbooking - the joy of finding someone else who shared my love of paper and glue!

So, after a few months of just talking about it, we decided we'd get together and actually scrap side by side, a mini-crop all of our own. There are no crops that I know of in our area (Sheffield/Chesterfield), but if anyone else knows different, please let us know.

We chose a layout designed by Natalia Harandon in a recent issue of Scrapbook Inspirations (page 40 issue 52 if you're interested) as our inspiration, and arranged a night away from the respective squealers.

After spotting this post about the men's testicular cancer charity Orchid on It's a Creative World, I thought I'd scrap my man. He's a great fan of dressing up, and delights in growing a beard for the purpose of shaving it into various shapes. I chose the best photos, converted them to black and white, and kept the main (tastiest) photo in colour.


Paula also scrapped fabulous photos of her eldest boy at 18 months old, already as tall as his dad's lawnmower - eek! I love the colours she's used - even though they're exactly the sort that I gave away in my last post!


We plan to have another in a few weeks, and will probably do a similar thing. What do you do when you go to a crop? Take your own individual project, or have a joint inspiration piece or topic? Do tell ;)

Get that citrus zing in your craftspace!

Well, inspired by the clean-up giveaway at Shimelle's blog/Twitter, I've had a tidy up myself and have decided to be ruthless. Here I have, for free, two sets of stash each comprising of a 12x12 album, a pack of citrus HOTP 12x12 paper, half the pack of citrus flowers, half the pack of brads, and half the pack of citrus monograms. They're part of my prize for winning BOB2008, and I've been keeping them in the hope that I'd learn to love bright colours. I have come to accept that they're just not me! So, the first two UK people to comment below will get a little stash boost (has to be UK, cause they're so darned heavy, sorry).Whatcha waiting for? Go comment!