STASH, SCRAPS AND IMAGINATION

I am going to preface this by saying that I am having severe problems with my internet and, therefore, this blog.   Uploading pictures is moving at a snail's pace, images and paragraphs are jumping around the screen while I try to type, pictures are disappearing, extra carriage returns keep appearing in between... and this is my second time around trying to do this post today (while doing laundry, working out downstairs, running back and forth between the steps in making foccacia and I have french onion soup simmering in the crockpot).  Thank goodness I have other things to keep me busy because sitting in front of this screen waiting for it to do what it is supposed to be doing would have me running to the work bench for a hammer to "fix" my computer!!  I think it will have to go into the shop tomorrow so wanted to get this done today.

There has been an ongoing conversation about the [unbelievable amount of] leftover scraps we all accumulate (hoard) and, depending on the depth of the stack, size of the bin or dimensions of the closet where we store it, we all have a certain degree of guilt that we really should be doing something creative with these scraps  other than merely saving them.  

To further explain where I am going with this, this is where I have to admit:

Hello, my name is Anita, and I am a Pinterest addict. 

Pinterest leads to visiting all sorts of artsy, crafty, creative blogs and acquiring a sometimes overwhelming amount of inspiration!  I have found several great card ideas to use up scraps and have started yet another directory in My Pictures to save these.  

           

And mixed media ideas in the form of canvases:

a picture frame/canvas (with a distressed handled glued on the top):

And some scrapbook layouts:

 

In my exuberance to start a new “idea” subdirectory in My Pictures, I didn’t think ahead that I might want to share these ideas and give the talented artists credit for their work.  Arrrgh.  I’m justifying sharing these by the fact that they are already public images having been posted on Pinterest and reposted over and over by Pinterest followers.

Marlene used one of the above card ideas to do this gorgeous double layout:

JANUARY, 2015, CHALLENGES

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!  I wish you a very healthy, happy year full of visits with friends and family, adventures in new places, hiking, camping, enjoying nature and sunny summer days on the beach!

It has worked for us for quite some time now, so I have continued here with borrowed sketches from many talented people and awesome web sites.  Have fun doing these challenges.

CHALLENGE #1:

Anita:

Carrie:

Marion:

Marlene:

CHALLENGE #2:

Anita:

 Carrie:

Marion:

 Marlene:

 

CHALLENGE #3 - a mood board (colour or theme challenge):

Anita:

Carrie:

Marion:

Marlene:

CHALLENGE #4 - You can ignore the colour scheme, this is a sketch challenge only:

Anita:

Carrie:

Marlene:

CHALLENGE #5 - You can ignore the colour scheme, this is a sketch challenge only:

Anita:

 

Carrie:

MARLENE: