Rebelationary

Well, welcome to the Punky Scraps blog hop! If you're just popping in, the Punky Scraps challenge site is having a blog hop to welcome in the new DT... of which I am now a part :-). If you're on the hop, you should've arrived here from the blog of Sarah Hurley. And if you want to join the hop, start here.

For the next year I'll be a Punky Rebel, putting out layouts, techniques, challenges and inspiration on the Punky Scraps blog along with my Punky DT mates. I'm totally rockin' out now I'm officially a Punky Rebel - there's maybe a bit of a swagger to my crafting, a bit more bristle to my brush. Being a Punky Rebel helps me feel like I fit in somewhere - and since fitting in is something that's always been an issue for me, I'm super happy right now!

Confession time. In the scrapbooking world, I've often struggled with the pink, sparkly side of things: too many flowers, too much glitter for me. It's taken me a while to find my scrapbooking identity, and I know each day will add a little more to it, but even so, I know what is not me. So, to me, the Punky style means being brave enough to go against the grain - and no one should take offence or exception to that. Whether it's the techniques on the page, or the subject, it's about not being afraid to scrap how, and what, you feel. Being a Punky Rebel will help me shake off the last rags of fear I might have about going against the grain, having as I will a support network of like-minded Rebels happy to challenge the norm.


With this in mind, let me show you the blog hop sketch we've layed out to:

What I layed out looks like this:

Punky Nat, the brains behind this whole operation, has a tasty RAK to give away to someone who comments on all the blogs in the hop.

A few close ups of my page:

Now, to continue hopping, head on over to the talented Elin's blog. Thanks for stopping by!

Art Journalling

Last week I went along to an Etsy lab here in Brussels, hosted by Marta of Dutch Handmade and Julie Ann of Turtlewings. The lab was given by Anna Denise, a super-talented artist-and-more. She talked us through our first few pages of art journalling.

Following on from my (now, evidently pre-emptive) realisation that I could draw, this art journalling business really challenged me.

The first page was closer to what I'm used to - paper, dimension, glue - but then we had to go on our individual journeys and journal about our day.

Anna assured us that if we carried on with our art journals, our self-portrait would eventually emerge. I guess I need to be patient.

I already discover I'm better at journalling than I am at art.

But I am persevering nonetheless, because it's fun.

And because it's interesting to see what comes out of your subconscious when you're in automatic mode. Sometimes scrapbooking can be like that, but the art journalling has made me really think more about placement and colourways in my scrapbooking. I'm looking at another long weekend full of journal-able, as well as scrappable, moments, so let's see what I can come up with...

All Change!

There's a lot going on behind the scenes generally at the moment, but in particular I'd like to mention that after a short hiatus, the True XOXO Girls scraplifting challenge blog will be up and running again in a bit with a new challenge.

It'll be blogging inspirational posts throughout the month, as well as giving the chance to win a great kit for scraplifting one of the DT's layouts.

Despite the hiatus, we all went ahead and made a layout for last month anyway.

There's a change in the weather, too: much-needed rain for the strawberry plants. All round this should mean a clearing of the air and a fresh start. Keep an eye out for my next XOXO post because that'll mean the challenge is up and running!

Marriage Musings

With the wedding of a friend next weekend looming, and our own some three months off, there may well be cause for musings on the subject.

For us, the invitations we recently sent out have given rise to a new flurry of congratulations... yes, we were engaged for a long time - long enough that people forgot, apparently - but it's been amazing, and we'll be a little sad to see it end, I think.

For others, plans are about to come together, anniversaries have just been celebrated, or memories are still living strong. I recently scrapped about my friend's marriage, for which I was a bridesmaid. Three years ago, almost, and hasn't that passed in a flash?

The sumptuous Emma's Shoppe papers from Crate formed the most part of this page - and aren't they sumptuous? Just right for a sunny Sunday. Have a lovely day, everyone, and give a few seconds thought to a marriage close to you at this time.

Working Long Distance

....isn't so bad. I have a sea view, a plush carpet to scrunch my toes into, and a nice comfy office chair of a calibre far beyond mine at home.

Speaking of work, I am thinking about relationships, and what it takes to make them work. It's a delicate balance, I've found, between standing up for yourself and giving a lot - amongst many other things. And I found myself turning these thoughts into a layout in response to a challenge that came up for me recently on Scrapbook Challenges. It was to make an olympic-themed page, and I got in the misting, the journalling, and the altered chipboard that were demanded.

Hoping you all have winning days. I'll be working, long distance, but with a smile on my face.