ScrapLounge

JESS

It is with a heavy heart that I type this post.

The bubbly, friendly, effervescent Jess Shun Wah was tragically taken from us on January 15.

Jess joined The Lounge family in March 2008 and was an enthusiastic chatter in the forum.
She only uploaded a few LOs in the gallery and would eagerly ask help about how she could improve her scrapping or how she could incorporate certain techniques and products into her scrapping.
She was always offering comments on the LOs of others.
Due to her own personal journey to become a Mum she was especially drawn to to LOs featuring babies and children.

Many of us first met Jess at the Stick 'n' Giggle retreat on Mount Tambourine in July 2008.
I remember when I walked into the room, thinking what a gorgeous smile she had and even though we had only been "friends" through The Lounge forum she was genuinely interested in what I had to say.
She certainly was a kind and caring soul and interested in people and their lives even though she was going through many personal struggles herself.

A memorial page for Jess has been sent up on Facebook by her friends and you can join here

You will be missed by your friends here on the Lounge Jess.
Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to Rob, Jess's husband and her family and many friends.

“You can shed tears that she is gone,
or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back,
or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see her,
or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her only that she is gone,
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back.

Or you can do what she'd want:
smile,
open your eyes,
love
and go on.”

Sleep in peace dear Jess.

You will not be forgotten.

PRIMA BLOG GIVEAWAY

What a great giveaway.....pop on over to the Prima blog and you will find a great giveaway.
And let's face it.....who wouldn't want some of these goodies in their stash...???

All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post to be in the running.
BUT HURRY...!!!
The competition closes on Friday, January 29.

And while you are there, have a look around the blog.
But keep a dribble cloth handy - there is some SERIOUS drool material on this blog.
It truly is a beautiful site full of lots of images and ideas of how to use Prima products.

Have a great day

~shazz~
xo

WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE - January 27

Welcome to this week's
WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
In my weekly browse through the gallery I came across across an area of scrapping that I just "don't get" - the world of digital scrapping (aka "digi scrapping")

And I wondered to myself, as you tend to do, why I don't "get" digi scrapping.
It's not like I don't know my way around a computer - I like to think of myself as somewhat computer literate and being married to a computer nerd programmer hasn't hurt either.
Maybe it's the lack of tactile processes in creating a digi LO - I am, after all, a very tactile person.
It's definitely NOT the lack of admiration for the beautiful work that digi scrappers create - some of the digi LOs in our gallery are breathtaking.

Maybe it's just the fear, for want of a better word, of something I know nothing about.
So one of my goals this year is to learn how to create a digi LO and to create one and upload it into the gallery alongside all the other digi gorgeous LOs.

But until I learn how to do this, let me show you what I mean by breathtaking digi LOs.

Marg

Naomi

Sara


Grace

and finally a LO from The Lounge member who has embraced digi scrapping  the most...


Karen

Thanks ladies for the inspiration

Have a happy, scrappy Wednesday

~shazz~
xo

BE(E) INSPIRED - 1

Hello and welcome to a brand new area of The Lounge blog where our aim is to inspire you to create.
Every so often (I would like to say "on a regular basis" but my life tends to get a little crazy at times) we will upload something to inspire you.

It could be a photo, a sketch, a poem, a song title, a colour combination, a challenge to use a certain type or number of products.....anything really.

So are you ready to be(e) inspired....???

This week's inspiration is the photo of our cute little bee.
Will it be the colours that inspire you to create....or maybe you have a "nature" type photo that is begging to be scrapped...???
And don't feel you have to scrap a LO - you could scrap a card, or even an OTP.
The choice is yours...!!!

And if you would like to share your LO with us, you can upload it here into The Lounge gallery.
Everyone who uploads a project into the gallery for a challenge will be in the running to win a RAK from me - chosen by "Russell the Random Generator"....LOL
(make sure that you write which challenge it is for e.g. "BE(E) INSPIRED - 1" and tell us what part of your project was inspired by that week's inspiration)

I can't wait to see what you all come up with.

Have a happy, scrappy Monday

~shazz~
xo

Free Handmade Flower Class at Chook Scraps Tomorrow!

The lovely Sue-Maree from Chooks will be running a class this Sunday, 24th January at 4 pm WA time.

It will be a LO featuring the teabag folded flowers similar to the one she has used on this card:

For further details of this class and materials requirement list visit the

Chook Scraps Forum

Handmade Fabric Flower #1 by Liz Kable

Since January's Technique Challenge is to create your own 'Handmade Flowers' to you on your page, we thought we'd share some super cool how to's by our fabulous Creative Team member Liz Kable.

This first one is a sweet little fabric flower. 

Step 1 - Take a square of fabric in your desired size

 

Step 2 - Fold the fabric in half diagonally

 

Step 3 - Fold the fabric again

 

Step 4 - And fold for a third time

 

Step 5 - Cut a curve around the top of the fabric

 

Step 6  - Open up your fabric

 

Step 7 - Turn your fabric over and place a button in the middle

 

Step 8 - Pull fabric up and tie it off with the button inside

 

Step 9 - Open the fabric back out and you will have a flower, you may then decorate it with extras.


Thanks Lizzy, that flower is too cute!!  And what a great way to use up those buttons that are just never going to make their way onto your page :)

JANUARY 2010 CYBERCROP

Here we go again for another year...!!!!
It's a the first Scrap Lounge cybercrop weekend for 2010.

The one weekend a month our families have to fend for themselves;
the weekend when takeaways are totally acceptable and nutritionally balanced meals to feed the kids;
the weekend that kid time in front of the TV, the Play Station/XBox/Wii is not only acceptable, but encouraged;
the weekend that you promise your hubby or partner all sorts of things so they will take the kids to the park or local pool just so you can get "Challenge two" finished and uploaded;
the one weekend that housework and your other home duties just fade into the background....!!!
LOL

Well that weekend is here...!!!

Beginning tonight at 6.30 p.m. (AEST or QLD Time) - which is 7.30 p.m. EDST or NSW Time - our wonderful CT
Jody ("scrappyjo"), Kim and Lizzy
will be challenging us in all sorts of fun and creative ways with three challenges.

You can get some early bird clues here (if you can decipher them...!!!)

CHALLENGE ONE
(set by Jody - scrappyjo)

Design a LO using the following criteria...

• use orange and lots of it! (meaning predominately orange please)
• use buttons (meaning more than one)
• draw a freehand shape or pattern of some kind that must be clearly visible on your layout!

Here is Jody's example

You can upload your challenges to the gallery here

CHALLENGE TWO
(set by Lizzy)

Design a LO based on the sketch that includes...

• Blues and Oranges as the predominant colours
• A handcut embellishment from PP
  
  Here is the sketch and Lizzy's example
  

You can upload your challenges to the gallery here

CHALLENGE THREE
(set by Kym)

Design a LO using the following criteria...

• use "hot" colours
• flowers
• felt
• stitching - real or fake

Here is Kym's example

You can upload your challenges to the gallery here

One small change to note for Lounge cybercrops this year is the cut off point for uploading your LOs to the Gallery.
This year your LOs, to be eligible for a prize, MUST be uploaded by MIDNIGHT (AEST - QLD time) on the SUNDAY night of the cybercrop.

Hope to see you on The Lounge over the weekend and hope to see your lovely LOs in response to the CT Challenges in the gallery too.

Wishing you a happy, scrappy Friday

~shazz~
xo

MONTHLY CHALLENGES - January 2010

I know it's a bit late in the month to be posting up the monthly challenges but better late than never, isn't that what they always say...???

I am sure you will agree we have some pretty cool challenges set by the amazing CT this month.

MONTHLY SKETCH

Designed by our lovely CT member, Jody (scrappyjo)

And here are the CT's takes on the sketch

Jody ("scrappyjo")

Lizzy

Kym

You can see how other Lounge members have interpreted the sketch and upload your LO here

TECHNIQUE CHALLENGE

The monthly technique challenge is to....
"Create a layout which includes some Handmade Flowers (more than one!).
Your flowers can be made from paper, material, felt, buttons - whatever you like but they must be handmade!"

Here are some gorgeous examples of LOs using handmade flowers by the CT

Kym - her flowers were made by curling punched flowers

Kym - Kym made her flowers using felt

Lizzy - her flowers were made using buttons

Lizzy - these flowers were made by pleating the paper

Jody - her flowers were made using felt shapes and brads

Jody - Jody has used "lollypop flowers" on this LO

Some of The Lounge girls have posted instructions on how they created their flowers
here
here
here
and here

Lots of fun creating there.
You can upload your LOs with your gorgeous handmade flowers to this gallery.

MONTHLY PRODUCT CHALLENGE
sponsored this month by the lovely Jody at
"Stick 'n' Giggle"

The aim of the challenge is this......

"The Product Pack will need to be purchased from the sponsor for the month - January is STICK 'N' GIGGLE!!!! When you purchase and receive your Product Challenge Pack you will need to create a masterpiece using ONLY the contents of the pack, 1 x sheet of cardstock and 1 x sheet of patterned paper! Pop over to: http://stickngiggle.blogspot.com now to purchase your product challenge pack!

In addition to the contents of the pack: inking and stamping can be used, glimmermist is acceptable and alphas can be used for the title.

Jody has a few packs left (I think)

This is Jody's gorgeous LO using the pack

You can see what the ladies who are taking part have done with their packs here

So there you have it....LOTS of challenges and inspiration to keep you motivated and creating right up until the end of January.

Wishing you all a very happy, scrappy Thursday

~shazz~
xo

WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE - January 20

Welcome to this week's
WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
where we are celebrating all things "baby"

I am definitely in the baby mood after spending time with friends and their new little one after Christmas, finding out our best friends are going to be grandparents for the first time (scary but exciting) and helping one of my dearest friends as she goes through her first pregnancy.

So in my weekly perusal of The Lounge gallery I came across the "baby-themed" area and spent quite a while drooling over baby LOs and all those photos of some VERY cute little ones.
Whether it be our own little cherubs, or our grandchildren, or the babies of our friends and relatives, we all seem to, have one stage or another, scrapped baby photos.

Here a few that caught my eye

Renee
(aka "Nee")

Kylie
(aka "kylie27")

Colleen

Lusi

and finally a gorgeous double LO from our very own "mum-to-be"...

 
Kath
(aka "winelover")

See....aren't you all clucky now.....LOL

To see many more lovely LOs featuring some very cute babies, just visit the "baby-themed" area of The Lounge gallery.

Wishing you all a very happy, scrappy Wednesday

~shazz~
xo

INDUSTRY NEWS: KAISERCRAFT GUEST DESIGNER

Well it's 1am here in Melbourne right now and I can't sleep so thought I'd let you all know about a great offer Aussie Manufacturer Kaisercraft have at the moment.  I know how talented our community of Scrapbookers are and would love to see you apply for this Guest Designer spot with Kaisercraft!

I got the following info of their blog just now...

Want to be a KC Guest designer?

 

Want to be a……

We want guest designers to play with our CHA releases (aka Q3 releases)!!

Send your name, contact details, experience  and 2 example layouts to designteam@kaisercraft.com.au

before 30th January 2010 12pm midnight (Australian time).

We’ll be selecting 4 Guest Designer’s for our February and March releases.

Good luck!!