My First Solo Challenge on UK Scrappers

Hello, this week Im hosting my first solo challenge on UKS.

I love doing the weekly challenges and have helped host before as part of my Team and crop group.

I wanted to use a sketch as they are great for kick starting a.sluggish mojo.  I also wanted folks to use some paint or ink as I love getting messy.  I sew on a huge proportion of my layouts so sewing was a given.  Finally as this week sees the remembrance of the birth if Scotland's greatest poet, Robert Burns I asked that a either a title or a quote from a poem, not necessarily a Burns One was used.

Heres the sketch I used which I found whilst wandering around pinterest.  The photo is of myself and four of my scrapping friends and UKS teamies at Lochhouse Farm on one of our twice yearly visits there.  My quote is from the Burns poem, Green grow the rashes o, and reses "Auld nature swears, the lovely dears, with every hour that passes o, her prenticed han' she try'd on Man, and then she made the lasses o" which basically translated from the Scots says that nature was practising when she made men but perfected it When she made women.

Lucky Snapping Nostalgia - New Beginnings

When I logged on, on Monday to look at Kathijo's challenge I wasnt sure what I would blog about.

Hhmmm nostalgia and new beginnings, it was a toughie for me.

Should I hunt for a happy version or go with the first thing that popped into my head.  I turned 50 last year and decided at the start of the year to Make a Project Life type album to mark the year.  Im not quite up to date with it yet but am determined to finish it as I really enjoyed it and its been a great record of the year.

I wanted the year I turned 50 to be a happier year in my life because the last big birthday in my life was my 40th and at a party in the house with family and friends all around I remember thinking how truly blessed I was.  This thought was shattered into pieces some two months later When I discovered that my husband of then almost 20 years had been seeing one.of my very close friends.  I was devaststed and after a couple of years of trying to hold my family together he eventually left and last year finally married her.  Turbulent years followed him leaving as I began to slowly put back the.pieces of my life and hold it together, not always successfully, for my two kids.  I became determined that as I approached 50 it would mark my "Life Begins" and that I would start to see the glass was half full and not half empty.  In my 21 year old son and my 19 year old daughter I have two fantastic reasons to have a better life and in changing jobs due to redundancy four years ago I now work with the most supportive and lovely crowd of people who keep me going on a daily basis
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I have slowly emerged from my shell, discovered scrapbooking, co run a local crop, joined a Team on UK Scrappers where I have met the most fantastic friends a girl could have who have been the the greatest support and we now meet up several times a year and we have the best ever retreats in Moffat, Scotland a couple of times a year where we scrap and laugh till we cry.

Life can still be tough but I am learning to love the litle things and count my blessings once again. The former me would never have been brave enough to do any of these things.

I think I will mark these prompts in a mini book or art journal as the year goes on so Im looking around for a suitable format.

I will leave you with a pic of four of us friends and teamies at Lochhouse, our wee scrapping paradise

Kate Crane Art Journal Calendar

For the last few years I have wanted to join in with Kate Cranes art journalling calendar but have never been brave enough.  This year aided and abetted by some very talented UK Scrappers Friends Im giving it a go.

All the details are on Kates blog. the Kathryn Wheel.

I am blown away by the level of talent of all those joining in.  Im very much a beginner to art journalling so this year will very much be a learning Curve for me

Anyway here is my January and February pages and so far I have completed it every Night.  I dont promise it will always be something positive but thats life, warts and all and I guess ts important to journal the good and the bad.  I have an idea for my March pages so I will he.making a start on these soon.

Lucky Snapping - Lets Reflect

The next part of the Lucky Snapping 2013 that I am joining in with is taking part in the second week of the month and is hosted by Anne. 

She is encouraging us to build up on the positive things in life and using the initial letters from the words Silver Lining build up a wee book full of positives to sustain us through the bad times in life. Every time I hear Silver Lining I think of the 70's and David Essex singing every clouds gotta silver lining in Hold Me Close.

The first Word is serendipidty and we are to look out for something nice but unexpected which happens this week.  Well at work a few of us are going to attempt a diet (yes I know again!) And I had said I fancied having a go at The Hairy Dieters but Id need to wait till payday to splash out on the book which Michelle had already got and it looks fab.  Well When I got info.work on Wednesday there was a surprise waiting for me on my desk as Michelle had bought the book for me so that I could plan my Shopping list and we could both start together next week when we get paid.  How kind and thoughtful was that.  So that was my first serendipitous moment from this week.  My second was that Freddy our Office cleaner had heard me.wondering out loud how much it would cost to get a joiner to repair a wee section of my living room floor where the hatch for the radiator was.  He also cleans in B and Q and asked me to give him the messurements of the piece I needed and he got t all cut to.size for me and even supplied the screws I needed and instructions so that my son Fraser who is only 21 could have a go at fixing it.

Anne is suggesting we do a mini book and as Im dipping my toe in the world of art journalling Im going to try and make an art journal for this wee project. Heres the photo of my Serendipidty pages.  I still need to make covers and a wee introduction yet.

Lucky Snapping 2013

Last year I attempted to join in with a photo a day challenge as part of my Photo Fifty album buy the prompts just didnt fit in with what I wanted so I gave up and did my own thing.  Some of the lovely ladies kept it going and have started their own.challenge this year at Lucky Snapping in 2013.  The first part of the challenge is.being organised by Jen and is in the first week of the month.  Her challenge is to  take  a photo of your favourite view during the first week of each month and then you can either do a 12 x 12 layout or incorporate it in a mini book.  Im going for the mini book option so am currently looking for a.good mini book format preferably 6 x 6. 

Unfortunately my favourite views are 125 miles away in Beadnell and living in a built up new town theres not a lot of choice.  I chose this view from the James Hamilton Heritage Park of a man made loch which has this little island in the middle, Im hoping theres enough scope here to show the changing seasons.  With only needing to take one photo a month Im hoping this will be an easy one to keep up with over the year.