30 Minute Scrapbook Challenge!

I tried something new with this one - I challenged myself to scrapbook the entire page in 30 minutes. I collected my supplies, set a timer and I was off!

The only thing I didn't get done in the time was the journalling, but otherwise, I reckon that was pretty well done. I love how the page turned out, the colours are great, there's embellishment, it's definitely something I would do again. Fantastic as it cuts out all of that faffing. So simple.

This is again a picture from York, this time at the top of Clifford's Tower, which I had never thought of visiting before. Which is silly, because you pass it with every bus ride into town... There are so many beautiful places in York, perhaps I'll make a mini travel guide, if anyone would be interested?

Oh, and I also challenge you to make a page in 30 minutes!

Sunshine Memories

Aha! Yes, yellow and grey, a colour scheme that works!

This is a page from my visit to York at the beginning of June, and here is a picture of the city walls which Him and me decided to walk around. It was a beautiful day, and it was great to look after the historian in me.

I used a lot of stamping on this age because I wanted to keep the yellows all in these bright tones, of which I only had plain shapes to match. So I just used a heart stamp from Elle's Studio and some little word stamps (I love this 'smile' one) to make my own embellishments. I like the way it turned out, and I'll have to make some more of them. Then all that was let was to keep the circle theme going with a doily, a spotted vellum and some dots.

I love this page. It was an amazing weekend, and I'm so proud of this page as it captures it so well.

What am I Afraid of?

Where do I start? I'm afraid of a fair few things, from the irrational such as spiders, to the normal of looking a fool in front of people, but there are a couple which are, I feel, a bit more specific.

Fear of presenting in front of a small group of people I know.

I can present an assembly in front of 600 people, but ask me to do a five minute presentation in front of my class, even if it's only a class of, say, twelve people, and I will freak out. Something about knowing the people makes it all the more difficult, as though they will judge me more. It's hard to describe, because it's not a fear of public speaking, it's more a fear of speaking formally in front of people I know informally, and the fear that they will judge me harshly for it.

Fear of the Future.

I find it very difficult to look beyond the end of my degree. I imagined a future once, but that was shattered when I lost someone very important in my life. I don't want to set those same foundations if they're going to be ripped away from me again. Arguably, that was what did me the most damage in the long run. The future that I had invested so much of myself in could no longer exist, and that is what destroyed me.

Favourite Childhood Book

There is only one answer for this:

Winnie-the-Pooh.

I have loved the books by A.A.Milne since I was very small, I cannot remember a time before them. I was given my first Pooh Bear when I was two days old. I remember a time at primary school where we were asked to memorise a poem, so I chose "Tiddly Pom" and recited it in front of the school. There is just something so innately endearing about the little yellow bear, stuffed with fluff. I love him, and he is a huge part of who I am.

Dream Job

As you know, I am a history student. My dream job would ideally have something to do with this subject, as something I love. I would love to write, research, either fiction or non-fiction. TO be able to inspire and weave words together. The trouble is finding the right subject, and actually continuing it to the end. I made my history teacher a promise that I would dedicate my book to him. I just don't know if it'll ever happen.

My more realistic career plan is to work in a museum, as either a curator or an educational coordinator. The latter would be great, as I enjoy working with children, but I wouldn't want to teach all of the same children all o the time. I wouldn't want to deal with their malicious behaviour because it would ultimately bring me down. But this is a happy medium. I still get to pass on the love of history to a younger generation, but I get to spread that far and wide. 

I want to work with history, I know that. It's just working out the specifics.

Aca-Awesome

Yes, my sister and I went to see Pitch Perfect 2. No, we did not care that we were the oldest people there.

I struggled with this layout too, and I think it was the yellow, I just didn't know how to use it this time. My problem was that I wanted to keep the page light to emphasise the dark pictures. I'm not sure it works though, and perhaps a grey with yellow tinges would have been better suited.

Ah well.

Timeline of my Day

This is a tricky one, because I don't have a regular timeline of my day. It's the Summer Holidays now, but even during term time when I'm at work, or if I'm at uni, I do not have a regular timetable for my day. And if I did write it down, it would make me feel rather lazy... But then I have to remind myself that I am still recovering from glandular fever...

Typically, I would wake up between 8:00 and 8:30. I would usually then stay in bed until at least 9:00. After this I would eat breakfast, brush my teeth and get dressed. I'd then spend a couple of hours doing whatever hobby I wanted to do that morning, which could be scrapbooking, knitting, sewing...

At 11:23, and alarm goes off on my phone. I set it to snooze and I have nine minutes to get ready for work: eat a small something, collect my coat, lock up etc. I would then drive to work, usually arriving about 11:45. I would work between 12:00 and 1:00pm, be home by about 1:30 when I have lunch, and then wait until everyone gets home.

Tea is between 6:00 and 8:00, I have a bath or shower at about 9:00, and I'm in bed by about 10:30. Whether or not I got to sleep exactly then or stay up for a bit is variable by my mood.

Very dull, not a lot to talk about... Ah well, hopefully I'll have more interesting days someday.

What is in my Handbag?

If I'd have thought about this in advance, I would probably have taken a picture... But I'm writing this (in advance) four hours before I leave for my holiday and I've already emptied my handbag... So I guess I can just give you a list of the usual suspects:

My Purse, which has inside it all my money and my cards, including my Student ID, my National Trust Membership, my library card etc. I also keep a spare pair of earrings in the coin section.

My phone, which I tuck my driving licence into the pocket of.

An umbrella.

My sunglasses.

A compact mirror.

Red lipstick.

A notebook and pen.

Receipts that are probably several months old.

Sweet wrappers.

A pair of headphones.

There are probably things I have forgotten, but my handbag is rather small, so I can't fit too much junk in it... it seems to still hold an awful lot though!

Favourite Quote

I don't really have a favourite quote. I love the use of words that hold such a deep meaning to them, that spinning of a phrase that is so memorable. Quotes are little tiny pieces of other people that we can relate to, wrapped up beautifully by a combination of letters. I don't have a favourite because they're all used for different reasons.

I have quotes which make me laugh, quotes which give me hope. I've found quotes that sum up pieces of my personality into words I hadn't even thought of yet to describe it. I have quotes that have given me advice, quotes which give me strength through school, exams, through my long distance relationship. 

I have quotes from characters in books that I love that bring me joy for the story as I remember them, those places where you read them and your heart swells with pride, and possibly even make your eyes well up with tears.

Words and quotes are such powerful things, how can I pick one?

But seeing as this requires me to, my favourite quote is not from a book, a film, a song, or anyone famous at all. It's from my Dad. He used to say this all the time, and it's stuck with me through the years:

"If you can't do anything about it, stop worrying. If you can do something, go do it."

If I Won the Lottery...

...I would probably be very boring and keep it away for a rainy day. I've got a lot ahead of me in the future, that sort of money would be useful when buying a house, or even if I ever had a wedding, or even further in the future, wanted to send my children to good schools.

Goodness that's a scary thought... children.

I'm not saying I wouldn't do anything with it. I'd want to pay off my student debt, maybe treat myself to a few nice things: some craft stuff or a really nice piece of jewelry perhaps. Maybe a holiday or two - I''ve alwasy wanted to see a fair few of the capitals in Europe, perhaps a roadtrip round there or something? But I wouldn't get rid of it all that quickly. I'm hoping to have a long life ahead of me, I still need to work for my living, but that would be a nice cushion to fall back on.

The Crown Jewels

This layout was a realisation to me. I love these sorts of gold, heritage colour schemes, but I really don't have enough of it, or the embellishments for it. The pages have gotten a bit sparse, but they'll do for now.

Visiting the crown jewels was influenced by the state opening of parliament just as the Yeoman Warders were, in that, some of the crown jewels were actually being used at the time of our visit! Seeing them all though was a bit underwhelming, but that may have just been due to the fact that I was close to passing out while we went round...

Maybe just a little bit...

Most Proud Moment

I know a lot of my life is academics orientated, and I'm afraid this is going to be the same. I was proud of what I achieved in my Upper Sixth, and that day last August when the email came through from York was the best feeling in the world. I had achieved my dream of nearly ten years in the making.

Similarly, I returned to my school in October for our Speech Day where all of the awards are handed out. I was awarded the prize for Endeavour, or, triumph in the face of adversity. It was an acknowledgement of the struggles I'd had to reach my goal, my mental state, switching schools. Holding that plate in my hands was a tangible reminder that I had overcome so much and gotten so far. That all of the tears were worth it. That, not everyone had suffered the way I did, yet I had still managed to succeed. 

It was proof of how strong I had become, without even realising it.

First Celebrity Crush?

Celebrities really aren't my thing. I find them dull. If I do form an attachment, it's usually to a character. In which case, this would have to be Fred Weasley.

I don't remember exactly what it was that drew me to Fred and not George (although Oliver Wood was in close third place). I don't know if it was the glamour of quidditch, or the appeal of a ginger, or just someone a little bit cheeky to counter balance my prim-ness, but I remember distinctly, at a fairly young age, wanting to have a Fred Weasley in my life.

However, I can vouch or the saying: 'be careful what you wish for'. At university, I met someone who very closely resembled Fred both physically and personality wise. It was not a good mix. We did a couple of group projects together and he drove me insane. He never did any of the reading, I did all of the work, it was infuriating. The only thing we really had in common, besides our chosen subject, was our share in sarcastic humour. Which, when not working, was indeed quite fun to have someone to bounce off.

So perhaps it was the humour in Fred Weasley I found most attractive, as it was the trait I was most likely to like,

Piercings or Tattoos?

I am very dull. I just have my earlobes pierced. I can have one earring in each ear. I usually stick to studs, but I have been known to have some longer ones occasionally.

Funny story though, when I had them done, the lady used a device like a stapler. she drew a cross on each ear and then stapled my left ear first, then my right ear. I actually went into shock and nearly passed out...

Great excuse to eat a bar of chocolate though!

In the wise words of Remus Lupin:

*gesturing at the chocolate*

"Eat. You'll feel better."

The Yeoman Warders

Another Tower of London post here. A very simple layout, just a little bit of paperlayering behind the photo to allow some breathing room for the amount of writing. There was a lengthy story to accompany this part of our trip, including my being a history nerd and getting huffy over Shakespeare, so I wrote it up onto a strip of old lined paper. And I mean really old, that paper was white once.

I wanted to emphasise the red and gold that he had been wearing as it was an unusual occurence: we visited the Tower on the same day as the state opening of parliament, so all of the warders were wearing their state finery to mark the occasion.

An Old Photo of Me

I have an embarrassing picture circa 2010....

I wore that hat or all four DofE expeditions I trudged my way through...

Perhaps you'll get some earlier ones at another time...

10 Favourite Foods

Only ten?! In no particular order:

1) Chocolate - all versions. Liquid, dark, white, milk, caramel - mint is a particular favourite...

2) Pasta bake with bacon and mushrooms.

3)Spinach.

4) Garlic bread.

5) A humble egg sandwich.

6) Bacon.

7) Roast beef with Yorkshire puddings.

8) Blackberry crumble.

9) Puff pastry anything.

10) Bread and cheese, good cheese, like brie... and crusty bread...

Three Personality Traits that I am Proud Of

I had to do a task where I chose six of these a few weeks ago, here are the three I like the most:

Driven

I have goals. Ever since the age of ten I knew that I wanted to be at university. That's nearly half of my  life. I knew I wanted to be academic, that I would need it to get to university, so I made sure I got the best education I could. If I wanted to try something new, I would go and do it. I taught myself to knit,not because someone suggested it but because I wanted it. Targets are a key part in my life, and I don't see that changing.

Hard-working

This follows on from driven, and in order to get to where I want, I'm not shy of putting in the required elbow-grease. I enjoy it, even. Nothing like poring over books for hours on end to be paid back with the most satisfying results. The hard work is worth it, and I'm proud that I have the self-will to keep at it.

Kind

I can relate to people. I've been through enough myself, I will always offer an ear for someone who needs to air some issues. As my confidence has grown, I have found that I interact with people more, smile at strangers, help them in the street. Random acts of kindness. I want to leave a good impression on this life, and you don't get anywhere meaningful without being kind.

My Guilty Pleasure(s)

Guilty pleasures is one of those awkward topics of conversation. I mean, what makes a pleasure guilty? And if it does make you feel guilty, does that detract from the pleasure? Or is the pleasure being taken from the guilt? It's all rather confusing in my opinion.

Personally, the things I take pleasure from, I don't feel guilty about. 

I am a hugger. I love to give and receive hugs, to curl up with someone I love for hours on end. I'm not guilty about that.

I love to scrapbook. I do this to help preserve these moments for the future and for my own mental well being. Therefore I do not feel guilt in buying things because I know that I will use them.

I enjoy reading. That's nothing to be guilty about.

I am currently having an eighteen year old (and going strong) love affair with chocolate. But I moderate. Therefore, no guilt.

I don't believe in forcing ourselves into negative emotions. The universe gives of plenty of those by its own volition, it doesn't need our help too.

May Favourites

Just a quick one with my may foavourites. I used a picture of my sister and myself, and a journalling card with numbers. It was quite a busy background, so I backed the two smaller pieces with some pink mettalic paper. And that, really, is it. See, very speedy.

My Earliest Childhood Memory

My earliest memory is from my fifth birthday. I was at school in Reception class, and our teacher had this tradition of the birthday bumps, where she would lift us up five times to represent each year.

So, little five year old me was very excited.

When it came to the birthday bumps, my teacher got up and started to lift me...

One...

Two...

Three...

And she stopped.

She muttered under her breath something about me being to heavy. The class clapped louder for me, but I was still hurt. I didn't get my five birthday bumps.

And they wonder where my self esteem issues are rooted.

I will admit that I was a chubby child, but there was something medically wrong with me causing it. There's nothing wrong now. It's just a shame that that's the earliest memory I can recall, that feeling that plagued the rest of my birthday.

Oh well.

Meaning of this name?

Crafts from a Ravenclaw began in the summer of 2011. I was fifteen, and trying to think of a name that would both protect my identity online, and give some idea of the content I wanted to make. At that point, I thought I was going to make a lot of Harry Potter inspired crafts, and, at the beginning, I did start out making a fair few. Yet, as I have grown up, my taste in craft projects has developed too.

Some may sit and think that the title is no longer relevant to the content I am creating. I would disagree. I am still crafting regularly. Although you're not seeing it currently on the blog (because I am useless at taking the required pictures), I am knitting and sewing still, but they're just not as interesting. I still make my felt hearts as a default present, I make simple canvas bags as presents too, and recently a friend commissioned me to make 10 pairs of bird wings for a school play, and 24 little drawstring bags. So I am still crafting, but these little things don't feel worthy of being shared.

The other part is Ravenclaw, so while, yes, I don't create as many Harry Potter items as before, I still feel this relates to me. I still love Harry Potter, and I am a Ravenclaw. I am hardworking and driven, and I aspire to be a learner. I miss my degree. 

The main craft I turn to now is scrapbooking, but the reasons for that, I think, require a different post. In my opinion, it's quite nice to look back  and see how this blog has evolved, how much it's grown, and how much I have changed. I like that this part of me has been documented, and I'm proud of what I have made here.

20 Facts about Me

1) I cannot resist a tube of rolos.

2) I was a competitive swimmer for six years when I was younger.

3) I'm pretty good at drawing hands.

4) I love vanilla candles.

5) I hate cats.

6) I tried to join a Harry Potter Society, but decided against it because it wasn't nerdy enough.

7) If I hadn't chosen history, I would have wanted to have been an atomic physicist.

8) Speaking of physicists, I'm in love with the film 'The Theory of Everything'.

9) I'm currently in a long distance relationship.

10) I was captain of my school's school challenge team.

11) I have four bookshelves in my room and all of them are overflowing, though not necessarily with books...

12) I feel the cold, and am most comfortable in mediterranean weather.

13) I'm slightly addicted to snapchat.

14) I'm not a tidy person.

15) I'd rather have a small group of close friends than a large group that don't mean as much.

16) I adore receiving letters.

17) I get more nervous doing a class presentation in front of twelve people than doing an assembly in front of nearly 700 people.

18) I love falling asleep to the sound of rain.

19) In my AS Levels, history was my worst grade. After my A2's, it was my best by a long shot. Amazing what a year can do.

20) I've had the same teddy since I was born and he still comes almost everywhere with me.

Coming Home

Chronologically, this layout is from a while back... it's from the first week of March when we collected all of my stuff from York to take home. I was quite sad with this and I cried a lot, but it's good to document both the good and bad in our scrapbooks. This is life, after all, and it's not all sunshine and roses.

I'm not very fond of this layout. I don't know if it's the colours or the papers or the embellishments, but something just doesn't feel right. It's like stroking an animal the wrong way. It feels wrong, but I can't place my finger on it. I got to use some sequins though, which was quite fun.

August Blogging

Hello there lovely people!

If you've been a long time reader, you may remember that back in 2013 I set myself the challenge of blogging every day in August. I have decided again to take up that challenge for the year of 2015 (perhaps make it an alternate year thing?).

This year is going to be slightly different. I hope to keep my regular posts going at their normal schedule, with this 31 Day Blog Challenge I found on pinterest (see below for image)

So this is day 1, with our introduction, and so on. Hopefully you can join me in this endeavour, and let me know what you think! Perhaps you can join me? 

A rediscovering of card making

It's been a while since I've made a few cards. I hadn't really had a purpose before, I'd sort of lost my penpal, and at university I just used bought notecards (because I have a lot of them). So when I acquired a new penpal, almost by accident, I made the effort to start making cards again so I could send them to her. To make a good impression, you see. As it is, I think I may have found my very first papercraft-y friend in real life!

So good things all round.

This card is very simple in it's construction, just three little strips of washi tape in the background, with a bicycle stamped using staz-on ink, and a little work stamp below. Took me a bout 3 minutes. But it's so effective, and I'm already developing the idea in my head for a pack of notecards, or even translating it for Christmas. I'll let you know. 

"I'm an Historian!"

This is a very simple layout, emphasising the dark contrasts in the pictures... Yup, that's a wall of armour on the left, and a medieval torture device on the right. Because I am interested in that sort of thing.

It was also one of those layouts where I had to get down a story of a long-running joke. I am a history student, and I like medieval, which comes wrapped up in it a fairly large amount of death, torture and executions. So when you're walking around school reading a book on execution methods, it does worry some people. Understandably. So we have a running joke that because it's history research, this somehow makes my morbid fascination with death ok.

Maybe.

So, I wanted a lot of the focus to be on the writing and the images. There is actually very little else on this layout, just some paper layering, some stamping (because this is a Tower of London page) and a ribbon that came at the top of some sweets. Oh and some letter stickers. Very quick and easy.

London Landmarks

Another page documenting my Tower of London visit, this time with a little tip of my own.

Wallpaper Samples.

Free.

Widely available.

Vast variety of patterns.

Very good as scrapbook backgrounds.

Yes, this polka dot is a piece of wallpaper. I added the red spots in as a flash of colour, they were just from a stationery sheet I'd had for years. These little sparkle stickers, too, I'd had for years, just without an opportunity to use them,,, So I absolutely had to work a London bus into here somehow...

The signature stamping doesn't show up well in the picture, but it's in the background of the journalling, very pale blue. I'm afraid it didn't work all too well, which is a but of a shame, but it is noticeable in real life.

I made a Kit

For a while now I've been wondering about subscribing to a scrapbook kit club. However, although I'm not a student for now, my funds are still limited, and I just can't afford that much money every month on supplies that I may or may not use. At least for now.

So I started to investigate a project where people make kits from their own stash. This sounded right up my street. While my stash isn't massive, I'm not fond of the amount of clutter it makes in my room because I have no way of storing things. At least this way, I can use items up, making more room in the long run to trial new things.

There are many different sites and youtube videos that can be used to formulate advice for making your own kits, here are a couple I would recommend:

This video from Inkie Quill

The Scrap Stash Kit Club

I started my kit with this piece of paper below, bringing together the colours of navy blue, the pink and a mustard-y yellow.

This is what I came up with:

The paper I chose as a starter piece was in fact a part of a scrapbook collection kit that I bought earlier this year by a lady called Grace Taylor, so I threw all of the co-ordinating papers into the kit, plus some neutrals from a cheap paper pad from the Range, and some Basic Grey papers.

For lettering, I have our types: The Amy Tangerine remarks letters in pink, teal, grey and orange; he Dear Lizzy (I think) gold foil Thickers; some cream tile alphas and a white chipboard alpha, both from hobbycraft. I think this way I can cover a variety of different sizes, and hopefully make a good dent in these supplies.

I also added in some journalling cards, mainly from my Elle's Studio packs, but also a few from the Project Life Spring and Summer themed cards. My other paper choices include a scrap of a polka dot vellum and a few doilies.

I put all of my diecuts in this bag, some are from assorted packs of  Elle's Studio, others are from the die cut pack that co-ordinated with the Grace Taylor scrapbook kit, so there are some lovely florals in there to be used.

Sticker-wise, the collection pack came with two sheets of stickers which I would like to use, and I've added to that three Elle's Studio sticker sheets, and some Heidi Swapp word stickers. I love all f these, yet for some reason I never seem to use them. Part of the beauty of the kit is to make sure that I do use them!

Here I have two washi tapes, from Sainsbury's no less!

And finally to finish things up, I have some baker's twine, two little blue pegs, some resin flowers, a navy button, a pink flair and some gems.

I'm pretty happy with the outcome of my kit, and I'm really looking forward to using it! It will be a new experience, working to a limited amount of supplies, and I'll keep you updated as to how things go!

Tower To Do List

Next in my Tower of London series includes a large photo of a panorama of the inside of the walls, and a postcard with an aerial shot. I love using postcards in my scrapbooking as they give an overview that sometimes just isn't possible to capture in a day's visit,

I kept the focus on the pictures, emphasising the green of the grass, the amount of which surprised me a fair amount, for some reason it wasn't what I'd expected. Everything was kept pretty simple, another overview page. And, of course, the signature stamping I kept in place, this time along the bottom of the journalling card.

The Tower of London

Ah, the first of several layouts, I guarantee you!

We went to the Tower of London during half term, in order to let the historian in me have a little bit of exercise. It was the most spectacular day,. and we had gorgeous weather for it, but I will save all my stories for the individual pages. This one here is only an introductory page, holding the map and our tickets.

The clocks in the background are actually part of a wallpaper sample that I cut up! Wallpaper samples are seriously a fantastic resource when it comes to free paper, you can just tear a piece off of the tester roll and be off with it. They don't need to know that you have no intention of buying the wallpaper!

I decided that to tie all of my Tower of London pictures together that I would use that little diamond border stamp throughout each page,, just to tie the whole event together in a subtle way in my album, so keep an eye out for that!

Inspiration Realisation: 4

Another instalment of my series where I take my hoarded inspiration and actually convert it into projects.

Inspiration for this round:

First of all, if you haven't heard of Adele from Inkie Quill, what are you doing?! Go check her out right now! Her videos are freaking amazing! I love her to bits, but I'm sort of scared of the youtube community, so I watch as a silent observer. But Adele, if you ever read this (which is highly unlikely), I love your videos so much. Thank you for sharing your - wait for it- radness with the world. and thank you for also reintroducing the words 'freaking' and 'rad' to my vocabulary.

So, inspired by Adele, I decided I'd like to scraplift the layout created in the video above, and attempt my own grab 5 (I hope she doesn't mind!)

My five items are:

1) This 6x6 paper pad that has been in my stash since 2007. Yup. That long. I needed to get rid of it.

2) These wood veneer quotes by Studio Calico.

3) The Elle's Studio Cienna stamp.

4) Some lilac washi tape.

5) And something from my sequin/gem tin.

This is what I created!

IT'S AN OCTOPUSH LAYOUT!!!
Because I am weird and play underwater hockey and when I made my protective glove I dyed the silicone lilac and lime green. Because I'm awesome. Everyone knows its me. Which, when you're playing at the bottom of the pool, is always a good thing, as communication isn't really that easy...

Anyway, the scrapbooking.

I managed to use all five of the products I'd chosen in this layout, so that's the grab 5 part checked. It's a really great idea, and I hope to try it again. In terms of the actual layout, I flipped the page 90 degrees so it ran horizontally instead of vertically. I loved layering up all of the little pieces, the purple and green, though outdated in terms of the supplies in the scrapbook world, remain one of my more favourite colour combinations.

Which probably makes me strange, I know. 

First Job

First of all, a note on the blurred photos. It is done intentionally to protect my privacy, please don't say anything about it.

This was a simple layout that I used to commemorate my very first pay cheque. I know, I'm nineteen, this is pretty late for that sort of first. In my defence, I had not been idle, I'd just done five years worth of volunteering instead, with arguably more relevance to my future employment opportunities. But enough of that rant, it's a defence I've had to jump to several times before.

All the pennants on the layout I cut by hand, just making the most of the colour scheme in the photos and trying to bring a bit of lightness to it. I used an Elle's Studio heart stamp in blue and cute them out as a simple embellishment. Really, it's a very simple layout, for a very simple subject. But, for me, it's very important.

Star Wars Day

As promised, I eventually got around to trying to take my pictures with the less glaring lighting of outside...

May 4th, to nerds (like me) is Star Wars day. And for the first time this year, I did in fact dedicate my day to Star Wars. I watched all six films from start to finish - starting with IV, of course - in that very one day. My eyes were so sore after it...

This is a photo I took while I was watching it, I mean I dressed up and everything. And, I decided to combine it with an image from a piece of Star Wars wallpaper. Yes, you did here that correctly. I bought myself a roll of Star Wars wallpaper (Homebase sale, only £5). I'm determined to find plenty of uses for it... and a scrapbook page is a great place to start.

The actual layout of this page is so simple, you can decipher it by yourself. I was just adamant to use Darth Vader in my album. It really is just too cool.

20 before 20: Update

Back in April, I made myself a list of 20 things to do before I turn 20. As we've just passed June, which marks halfway through the yea, I thought I'd give a quick update on how I'm doing.

1) Visit a Museum.

Yes! I visited the Tower of London with my mum and sister during half term.

2) Visit an Art Gallery.

Not yet...

3) Walk York's City Walls.

Yes! I went up to visit The Boy the first weekend of June and we made an outing of it.

4) Visit a city I've never been to.

Not yet...

5) Go to watch a Rugby match.

Not yet...

6) Sew a piece of clothing I'd be proud to wear.

Yes! Two in fact! I made a couple of skirts from some gorgeous fabric in my stash which I keep meaning to share with you.

7) Finish my two travel journals (from Holidays 2014 & 2013)

Not yet...

8) Declutter 100 items.

Yes! This was the first thing I ticked off.

9) Sign up for a class.

Not yet...

10) Volunteer/Get a job.

Yes! I've had a job at Mum's school for about two months now.

11) Knit something to wear.

In Progress! I'm about 2/3 to 1/2 of the way through knitting myself a jumper... it's just taking me a while...

12) Write an article for something.

Not yet...

13) Swim 1Km in one session.

Yes! Although 300m of it was breaststroke, but I'm counting it anyway.

14) Rearrange my room.

Yes! Just have to tidy up and then I can show you some pictures.

15) Sign up and complete the 100 Happy Days Project.

Yes! Just trying to work out what to do with it now...

16) Yarn Bomb.

Not yet...

17) Go for a picnic.

Not yet...

18) Have a Harry Potter Marathon.

Yes! My best friend and I had one the other weekend.

19) Visit a Christmas Market.

Not yet...

20) Go and see a show.

Not yet...

So as you can see, I am about halfway through, so I should be perfectly on track to finish these in this year! I'll keep you updated!

Afternoon Tea

This is a layout also from April (I was very social in April) about an Afternoon where my friend Nikki and I went out to visit a National Trust Property. Unusual for teenagers? Most definitely. But then you remember that I am an historian, and add in that Nikki is an art student, and it begins to make a bit more sense.

In the process of making this layout I realised that I scrapbook a lot of food photos... somehow I find it more acceptable to take pictures of inanimate objects than of the people I'm actually with. It makes for a more difficult scrapbooking process, a lot of the story - the who, what, where, if you will - having to be told through journalling. 

And I struggle with journalling. 

It's not that I don't like it, I've always loved writing, but I feel it's a bit of a hiccup in the creative process. It  breaks everything up. In addition, I've found that in order for me to be happy with what I'm writing on my page, I'll have to write it out into a notebook first so as to avoid any repetition or grammar mistakes. I don't know if anyone else has a similar process, but if anyone has any tips and tricks to share that may make the whole shebang feel a bit more cohesive, I'd be open to suggestions.

Anyway, about this layout.

The materials are primarily Elle's Studio, working with the pieces that I received in my National Scrapbooking day package. The colour's are gorgeous and work so well together. I just used a wood veneer to add a different texture, and then had ab experiment with some ink splatters. I used watercolour, and as you can see, I got a bit carried away. But the colours are gorgeous, and I hope to try the technique again.

April Favourites

April! Just a simple one, as per usual for my monthly favourites. April was a good month, I enjoyed it thoroughly. And the sunshine was glorious! so good to feel the warmth again!

Both of these papers I'd found difficult to use on a normal basis, so I used them here. I think that's probably the best way to go about these favourites, as a challenge to use those difficult pieces on a layout instead of hoarding them forever more...

Unimpressed

This page sits opposite the one I shared previously, and I maintained the colour scheme across here too. There's even a small slither of the same paper hidden there too!

This picture refers to an incident of great disappointment... after our meal, we ordered a cookie pizza, expecting it to be soft, gooey and amazing. No. It was rock solid, so one of my friends took a knife to it, in an attempt to chisel anything decent off of it. There wasn't any. It was a very sad moment indeed.

This is another layout that I caught inspiration off of pinterest, and it's a fantastic way to use up scrap paper, and all of those odd bits which aren't big enough to use on a layout by themselves. The most hassle is trying to decide where each strip will go,and because the background is so vibrant, the embellishment is allowed to be fairly minimal.

This is a great idea if you want a fairly easy page that will use up a pretty hefty amount of scraps.

P.S. even if the scraps aren't long enough to go all the way across the page, cut them in half, and hide the split beneath the photo... you won't believe how many of these actually use that system!

My Crazy Nutters

And here is my next meet-up with my other lovely friends! This photo was actually taken at a rail station at night... because we're classy like that.

The layout is similar to something I've seen pop up a few times on pinterest, splitting the page in half on the diagonal. It's a very striking design feature, and I enjoyed then creating this trail of embellishments all of the way down that line. I pretty much collated all of the pieces I could find in the colour scheme and threw them at it... This process seems to have worked surprisingly well!

The title is not something I would usually use, but I wanted to use those letters. Unfortunately, there were very few of them left, and this was the only thing I could create that was a) relevant, and b) achievable. Ah well, it doesn't look too out of place.

I actually made this layout before I received my Elle's Studio goodies, which was a shame, because their colours fitted so well to this scheme... I think perhaps this paper was even an Elle's Studio one... I can't remember. But either way, it turned out great all by itself.

Happy Girls are the Prettiest Girls

 I will just quickly say that I am aware that the photos recently are looking a bit funny. I may have to change how I photograph them during the summer, because that wood background is actually a garden table outside, and with the strong summer sun it does something weird to the pictures.

This page sits opposite the one I previously shared, and because the writing was on that side, I had full reign to lay it out and decorate it exactly how I wanted it.

Again, it's quite a simple page, I used a border strip in the background, and then cut out embellishments from two pieces of paper. Finished off with a couple of pieces of wood veneer and a title in mixed fonts (which was an experiment I actually quite like) the page was complete. and a very pretty one it was indeed.

Quote, I believe, is from Audrey Hepburn, and it is very true.

Golden

The photo I used here was one we took at one of our sixth form group meet-ups... I have a few of those that I scrapped recently to share with you; everyone was home for Easter, which made it all so much easier. I loved the golden tinge the lighting gave to the photo (I don't edit my photos at all) which inspired the whole page.

This layout is unusual for me because the background is quite dark, but I wanted to try something different. I actually really like it, it sits well with the page opposite it.

In terms of actual construction, it's very simple, just three 6x6's layered beneath a square photo, with a 4x6 journalling card for my writing (and look! I've actually written on this one!).

For the embellishments, I found a diddy heart punch whilst I was going through my stash and I just had to use it... Apart from that, I had some metal leaves that had fallen off one of my headbands that I'd kept, a small wood veneer frame, and a border strip that I'd trimmed down to little pennants.

In terms of construction, it is a very simple process. But it is amazingly effective.

Secret Santa

I'm in love with this page.

As well as trying to keep up to date with my scrapbooking, I'm also tracking backwards to old photographs. This one is not that old, only from 2013. 

This was my form's Secret Santa, and we all had so much fun over the Christmas pudding hat... Definitely one of the bet gifts given. I got sweets, which is unfortunate, because I'm actually not fond of sweets... sigh.

I had great fun constructing this page as I set myself a challenge to not use any patterned paper, and to just throw any type of Christmas motif at it. It ha Christmas trees, Christmas puddings (of course), snowflakes, holly, stars, sweets, candy canes... All in such bright colours! The end result is strangely cohesive... It embodies the chaos and wonder of Christmas for me.

Roses Are White

I may be on a Leave of Absence, but I still have university pride! Because, of course, the University of York is the best. I mean, it has the largest plastic bottomed lake in Europe and everything...

Anyway, the layout marked this years War of the Roses. Less violent (only slightly) than its namesake, its a university-wide sports competition between the Universities of York and Lancaster. This year it was York's turn to host it, so, naturally, we thrashed 'em. ROSES ARE WHITE! (Yet for some reason our sports kits are black and yellow...)

This was also my first layout using the gorgeous pieces that I was so lucky to win from Elle's Studio: the yellow is just perfect. I'm also looking forward to using the stamps more... Stamping has never been my thing, but perhaps now I can be encouraged to use them more!

I love how this page came together, it was gorgeous to formulate, and everything worked so seamlessly, something which doesn't happen to me often! I'm very proud of this layout, and my university, so this one is definitely going into my favourites list.

Inspiration Realisation: 3

Found on Pinterest. Image credit as quoted in the image.

Next in this small project, I decided to pick one of the sketches I'd been hoarding... Sketches are one of those fantastic inventions, though, that can be replicated again and again, but to such varied results! So, I thought it was about time I had a go at using one.

(By the way, take a look at Susan's original post for this sketch, teh examples are truly beautiful!)

I turned this sketch on its side, sticking pretty close to the design, only really switching the place of the journalling and extending the embellishment along the diagonal. I replaced the frame with a cinema ticket, as it helped to tell the story behind this page.

I really enjoyed working with this sketch, and I'm looking forward to try and use it again, perhaps compare the different outcomes.

March Favourites

Another of this year's favourites, this time from March. I learnt from before, and stuck with a busy patterned background. I liked using the black card too, with the white pen. It's something different.

There's not a lot to say with this page, I try to keep them simple. If you want to see the previous ones, see:

January, February

First and Last

This page is very meaningful, and it took a lot of courage to get it down onto paper. It feels good that this page should go live on the blog today, as, all being well, I will be waking up in York, next to Him, for the first time in six months. And it's going to be amazing.

Having my degree frozen meant that I got thrown into a long distance relationship. This means that for a lot of the time, we only really communicate via technology. However, he still has his degree, and sometimes his days were busy and I was left out of the loop and alone a lot of the time. The one thing I clung to was wishing him goodnight and a good morning. We still do this now. It's just a little way of coping telling each other that we're thinking of them. I tried to get all of this down, because, even if this relationship doesn't last, it's still a good lesson to learn.

In all of my layouts that have involved Him, I've tried to keep the colour palettes gender neutral. Here I really liked the idea of using these different greens. The different patterns are all subtle enough but add enough interest to a relatively mundane picture. The birds as the main embellishment though, have a rather symbolic, personal meaning.

This page means so much to me, and I am proud that I managed to complete it.

Inspiration Realisation: 2

In a second post of my new theme of Inspiration Realisation, I turned to a food recipe I had hoarded. Food inspired projects are probably the easiest to realise, as most of us have the ingredients already, it's just putting them together that takes a bit of thinking.

I collected this recipe a few months ago, of Parmesan Pull-apart rolls:

Find the recipe Here

They looked amazing. So I decided to give them a go.

My Parmesan perhaps cooked a bit more than the original recipe, but I love the colour on it. They tasted delicious too, they didn't last very long in this house at all!! It's definitely a recipe that I would try again!

What projects have you been realising recently?

Challenge: Valentine's Day supplies

I had fun with this page, setting myself a challenge to try and use my Valentines Day stash. I hate Valentines Day, but magazines always seem to come with freebies centred around THAT holiday, so they just end up accumulating. So I decided to use them... with a picture of me and my best friend. 

I look rather over excited in this picture, and I am, but perhaps not for the reason you would expect. This was one of the first times I'd been out and about since I got ill. Even this mundane drive made me happy. I was so lucky to have Emma these past months, she's made time to come see poor ill me, keep me entertained and generally look out for me. Not many would do that, and I am eternally grateful. Hence why I loaded this page with hearts.

It's nice to have a best friend.