Wednesday 25 June 2014

Getting to know ME

I must apologize for being late with this post; sometimes life gets in the way.
My dear friend Heather Jacob invited me to play along with a
BLOG HOP with a DIFFERENCE 
It’s a getting to know you blog.

At first I was going to decline, because I’m a bit intimidated by new things,
but with her gentle encouragement, I decided to give it a go. 
Having said that, Heather is a tough act to follow.
CLICK HERE
 to go to her beautiful blog
I’m in awe of her Art and creativity.
Heather designs for CSI, Meg's Garden, Maja and Dusty Attic

My list of friends with links are at the bottom of this post
They will be posting next week 30th June

1. What am I working on right now?

Currently, I’m making some Baby cards for my daughter in law,
using Martha Stewart crafter’s clay
 to create a resin type embellishment.
When I finish a layout, I bundle all the scraps into a bag,
so that when I go to make a card, all the co-ordinating scraps are in one spot.
I love to use dies, especially on cards.
I’ve also started a mini-album about a one year working holiday
 I took with friends, before I was married.  I’ve scanned some slides
  and am shocked at the terrible quality of them.  
Still, they tell the story of a young girl, heading off to see the world,
someone my sons have never met. 
I’d like them to know of my adventures before they were born.


2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Primarily it differs because I’m a journalling junkie.  
I love to tell the story about the photo and not just, 
who, what, when, where and why. 
I try to give a glimpse of the subject’s personality and feelings.
 For retro or older photos, I like to describe the social mores of the time,
so that our Grandchildren will understand
what it was like to live when I was a child.
3. Why do I write/create what I do?
We have such fun with the Grandchildren and enjoy
their funny little sayings and questions. 
I want to record their stories, so they will know later,
 just how much they were loved and what joy they brought into our lives.

4. How does your writing/creating process work?
Writing comes fairly easily to me and I find it a pleasure, rather than a chore. 
I jot down little conversations I have with the Grandchildren.
I’ve always kept a travel diary and refer to it when journalling.
However the creating can be problematic, as I am a painfully slow scrapper.
  I often start without any idea about what I will make
and the page just evolves (or not); sometimes it ends up in the bin. 
I thank Heather for the freedom to be able rip it up
and start again, rather than persisting with something which is just not working.
 Luckily the Grandchildren allow me to take lots of photos, 
as long as I’m quick about it!
5. How do I become inspired and stay inspired?
Being on Design Teams keeps me inspired;
talented artists from around the world encourage
me to try new techniques and styles. 
I’m driven to record the children’s stories,
because although we think we will remember,
they grow and change so quickly,
that even now, I look back and think,
“I might have forgotten that, if it hadn’t been written down."
They love to look at their albums and remember special events.

6. What is my signature style?
I like to try new styles and techniques,
but lean toward clean and simple with lots of journalling
typed right on the front of the page.
If you'd like to visit three inspiring blogs, 
check out my friend’s posts on 30th

Janice Nicholls
A talented scrapper and a gentle spirit who
encouraged me to submit pages for publication,
to start a blog and to apply for Design Team positions. 
Without her, I would have done none of these things.
Janice always has stunning photos to work with.
Her style is layered and distressed with great use of chipboard and washi. 
I was lucky enough to meet Janice IRL recently.

Valerie Thorpe
Is at home with lots of styles, I am inspired by her
interpretation of sketches and bold use of colour. 
She has ventured into the world of mixed media lately
and is coming to grips with the unpredictability of the medium. 
Val shares my love of words and has a lyrical, poetic voice.
She has the ultimate in a scrapping studio, with a place for everything.
Apart from scrapbooking we share a common interest,
as we are both Grandmother to twins.

Denise van der Venter
Denise uses lots of layers, flowers, chipboard, paint, stencils
and anything in the Mixed Media line.
She runs a fabulous design team called Scrap Africa,
for which she provides most of the sketches and ideas for other challenges. 
She is calm, organised and very supportive; truly a joy to work with

Links to my friends joining in this blog hop
Janice Nicholls

Valerie Thorpe

Denise van der Venter

all these artists will be posting for this blog hop next week 30th June,
I’d love you to hop over and find out more about them.

My addiction to scrapbooking has enabled me to
make friends in cyberspace,
some of whom I’ve since met in real life.
What a joy and an honour.

If you have persisted to the end of this long post,
thank you so much,
I hope you will discover some new scrappers
and become inspired by their Art.
Photobucket

13 comments:

  1. Love your post Helen. Fabulous reading about your creative life and seeing your gorgeous works too. So inspiring! It was fun to see that your creative process is a lot like mine. I often have no idea what I'm going to make, and then it just seems to come together on its own. A great read and so lovely to learn a little more about you!! ox

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  2. Oh Heather is a tough act to follow ;) but you've done beautifully...I loved reading more about you & your process! I especially love that you have so much journaling detail on your pages...simply priceless :) Thank you for sharing.

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  3. FABULOUS post----loved getting to know you more & seeing the gorgeous work you do (that OS one is beyond amazing!!) .....& I'd have to agree --- the stories you tell draw me in every time---& I ain't even family!!!! I'm GLAD you did this ---- it's a super post:):))

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  4. I love to read more of your creative process and your love for journalling. You inspire me to tell more about the story behind the photos and I do love your clean and neat scrapbooking. I have been asked by Linda Eggleton to be part of this hop...but my day job (which will always be my priority) does not give me time to do it.

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  5. Really lovely to get to know you a bit more.. your creations are always beautifully created and well thought out!! Thanks for sharing!

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  6. wonderful Helen absolutely wonderful !!!! your way with words brings so much joy and happiness to me , I love to read all about your happenings and your layouts and photos of your grandies are magical ... loveeeeeeeeeeeeee x

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  7. What a wonderful post today Helen! Love to see the glimpse into your world. Your way with words is always one of the things about your pages that inspires me. Your work is divine - I love your clean style yet always elegant at the same time. Fabulous tfs!

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  8. Thanks for sharing this. I have just started to follow your blog. Was drawn in by your use of color and overall design, but I love that your projects each tell a STORY, too.

    I often drive home from visits with grandkids with my head full of stories to tell, hoping I won't forget them before I can get them to page. And the kids love to read about themselves: sometimes they set up experiences then invite me in with my camera. Or we'll be in the middle of something, and they'll say "You have to make a PAGE about this, Gramma!"

    Love the work you shared here and the little bit of insight into how it comes about. Love that you are scrapping your family's and your own history. Great stuff!!!

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  9. This is a super post Helen and I really did enjoy reading about you and what you are up to! Your mini-album sounds great and I would love to also know about Helen the young woman! ;-) Your journalling is certainly one of the most delightful parts of your scrapping and I thoroughly enjoy everything you document and how it is documented! Your beautiful clean styling certainly works so nicely with your journalling and is a fabulous combination! I love having you on the team at Scrap Africa and I have certainly enjoyed your friendship and support! Thank you for tagging me and your kind words....

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  10. I left a comment but didn't show up, so will try again. Love reading and learning more about you Helen and the process behind how you create. All the layouts you have showcased here are just gorgeous, as is all your work. Love how you journal and it has inspired me to do more journalling as well on my layouts, otherwise when I am not here how are those left behind going to know the story . Thank you for your inspiration and encouraging nature
    Mary x

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  11. Lovely post! I thoroughly enjoyed it!! You have a truly individual & beautiful style & you are at the core of what scrapbooking is all about. Good on you!

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  12. What a wonderful post....it is so good to read and learn a little more about you Helen.
    Your journaling has always inspired me ....I need to journal more and tell the story.
    Thank you for tagging me....and Thank you for your kind words about me.
    I feel very lucky to have met you IRL xx.

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  13. You have a wonderful and such a delightful creative style and its awesome that you are documenting your grand bambinos' lives in such a beautiful fashion. I have popped in here from Denise's blog and just love the fun hop. I am also now your latest keen Follower via Google Friend Connect xxx
    Hugs
    Desíre
    {Doing Life – my personal blog}

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