Scrap Beginnings

It's Christmas time ...

2011-11-26T14:01:00.002+11:00

Time for the final lesson on our Your Place in the Sun journey. I hope you have had an enjoyable time putting together an album or journal on the place you call home.

Wishing everyone a safe, happy Christmas and a prosperous new year.

DOWNLOAD Lesson Twelve - Christmas Wishes

It is still November ...

2011-11-24T14:02:00.001+11:00

I was going to combine November and December lessons into one pdf but that really didn't gel correctly so I have done them as separate lessons.

Lesson Eleven - Playing Tourist is up below and I will be putting up Lesson Twelve tomorrow for you, so I'm very late for November and a little early for December.

DOWNLOAD - Lesson Eleven - Playing Tourist

Last lesson coming ...

2011-11-08T11:13:00.001+11:00

Due to the completely hectic nature of November and December for me down under (my school year ends early December and the run up to the final weeks is very busy indeed) I have decided to combine the last two months of YPITS and this will be up towards the end of November. This will combine my tourist adventure (as promised) and a look at Christmas in your neighbourhood.

See you then.

October - now how did that happen?

2011-10-01T10:06:00.001+10:00

What October already? now how did that happen?

Firstly I'm going to apologise as this month I advertised I was going to look at our communities through the eyes of a tourist. I will still do that but I'm afraid it will need to be next month. My intention was to do some sightseeing in my area during this past week of school holidays and take loads of photos for my own layouts but the weather has played against me and I haven't been able to get out and about like I had planned. So this month I've decided that we are going to focus on recording some of the major natural events that may have impacted our communities over the time we have lived in them.

DOWNLOAD LESSON TEN - When things go wrong

September - Let's Celebrate

2011-09-01T10:05:00.010+10:00

This year is just flying past. Next we'll be hearing "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" when we go shopping!!

This month in Your Place in the Sun we are looking at what celebrations we have in our communities. The festivals, and tournaments - the fairs and fetes - all those wonderful activities that make the places we live special.

DOWNLOAD LESSON NINE - Let's Celebrate

I'd love to see some layouts showing the sorts of things you get up in your neighbourhood. It really is amazing how many different events happen in a year.

August - Beautiful Nature ...

2011-08-01T23:19:00.001+10:00

And so the year keeps rocketing past .....
This month we are looking a little more closely at the things Mother Nature provides for us in our neighbourhood. Let's go smell those flowers and hug those trees, check out the odd sunset and gaze in adoration at the night sky.

Lesson Eight - DOWNLOAD

Love to see some stunning photography this month - sunsets are amazing to capture - all that brilliant colour in the sky makes for wonderful pictures and amazing scrapbooking layouts. I love the dawn photo above - just a little moment in time captured by the lense.

July - Feather, Fur and Fins ....

2011-07-02T14:44:00.001+10:00

My goodness - what happened to June - it came and it went ... just like that!!

This month on Your Place in the Sun we will be looking at the local fauna in your neighbourhood - you may think you don't really have any but look around, you will be pleasantly surprised at just what you can spy if you keep your eyes open.

Lesson Seven - DOWNLOAD

Love to see some layouts in the gallery - I have lots of lovely things to give away but I can't do that if no-one puts any layouts up. I'll be sending a RAK prize to Sherrie this time around for all the effort she's made doing pages - thanks Sherrie.

Mini Album June

2011-06-16T15:04:00.004+10:00

This month we have moved into the kitchen's of our homes - some say this is the actual heart of a house, where much of the day to day living takes place. What do you think?

Mini Album June DOWNLOAD

As always love to see your kitchen pages in the gallery.

INDOOR R & R for JUNE ...

2011-06-01T13:34:00.009+10:00

My goodness is it June already? Wow this year is just flying past.

Welcome to the second part of our topic of Rest and Relaxation - this time our focus will be on what we can do in our neighbourhoods whilst indoors. We'll be looking at the classes we might take at the local community centre, sporting activities we participate in, even heading to church on a Sunday.

I'd love to see what it is you can do or have done in your own neighbourhood so don't forget to show us your layouts in the gallery. As always there will be prizes for those participating.

DOWNLOAD - LESSON SIX

Here is one of the layouts I did for this month - one of the things I have done locally is craft classes. I think I've done them all, over the years - from folk art to decopage to embroidery and colour wash.

Our winner of a RAK prize from me is RENEE. If you could please send me your address I will get this into the mail for you.

Mini May ...

2011-05-15T12:39:00.001+10:00

It's a mini mini for May as we do the first of our 4x4 pages. Use cute quotes and sayings, add a photograph or two, raid your stash for appropriate embellishments or get creative with paint and mist - it is totally up to you!

Mini Album May DOWNLOAD

Have fun :)

Outdoor R&R for MAY ...

2011-05-02T22:42:00.003+10:00

Welcome to another month of Your Place in the Sun. I hope your album is coming together nicely for you and you are now looking at your community through new eyes. For this lesson we are going to focus on the things you and your family (and others in your neighbourhood) do outside for rest and relaxation.

DOWNLOAD - Lesson Five

CHALLENGE - Remember anyone can play along.

Let’s put together a layout (or two) that feature what you and members of your family and even the neighbours in your street do locally for outdoor rest and relaxation. Think of the sports all of you play, the leisure activities you are involved in, what happens at your local park and all the different kinds of things you do outside in your community on the weekend after a busy working week.

Link your layout in the gallery above by the 1st of June to be in the running for a prize.

The winner of a RAK from me for April is Sherrie. Please email me your postal details so I can get this away to you.

Mini Album and a Mini Challenge

2011-04-16T20:48:00.001+10:00

Here is our next page in the mini album. Mine is coming along nicely how about yours?

Mini Album April

Thought we might have a mini challenge to go along with this. I love you all to play along. I will draw a random winner from those that enter. This will be a mini treasure hunt - please gather the following items and take a photograph of them and then email the picture to me at scrapbeginnings@gmail.com

One postage stamp
Two paperclips
Three pins
Four inches of ribbon
Five small circles
Six brads
Seven small flowers
Eight 1" squares of patterned paper
Nine buttons
Ten inches of twine or string

Have fun!!

April lesson ... At your service

2011-04-03T00:10:00.001+11:00

Gosh I can't believe it is April already - my this year is flashing past.

This month we are checking out what services we have in our communities. Where we shop, buy take out, fill our cars with petrol - all those little things we take for granted but can't live without. Let’s look at our communities with open eyes. Consider what you can do in your local neighborhood and what you need to venture outside for. Take specific note of what services you have available to you and if you find them lacking or surprisingly plentiful.

DOWNLOAD - Lesson Four

There are lots of ideas here for layouts so I am really looking forward to seeing some fresh layouts linked to this blog.

MARCH WINNER - I'm afraid I haven't had enough entries this month to do a major prize draw but I have pulled out a random winner of just a little something from me. So congratulations Marisa - I'll get this into the mail for you today.

March Mini Album ...

2011-03-20T22:48:00.001+11:00

So sorry for the delay in getting this up. I've managed to work out my problem (Adobe products are awful!!) - it's kind of sad when the free online versions work better than the stuff you paid for :).

Anyway here it is: March Mini Album

I've also done a little prize draw to thank you all for your patience. Congratulations REDROB123 - if you could send me your address details I will get your prize into the mail for you.

A small problem ...

2011-03-18T12:03:00.000+11:00

Sorry everyone. I've been having issues converting my word document to a pdf - there's a bug in the software somewhere and I haven't been able to find the problem. I heading off to a scrap retreat now and will have a good look at the issue when I get back Sunday night. Hopefully I can work it out and get the mini album tutorial up for you then. So sorry for the delay.

Let me know what you have planned for the weekend and what's happening in your life right now. I'll do a little prize draw. Have a great weekend.

What discoveries have you made?

2011-03-15T17:42:00.000+11:00

Tell me, what have you discovered about the history of your community? Do you have any famous people associated with your neighbourhood? Any massacres, major battles, bank robberies?

Have you discovered any secrets about the site of your home? Was it the local tavern, blacksmiths or a house of ill repute in years gone by? Was it part of an estate of one of the founding families of your area?

Tell us all - we're eager to learn all your secrets.

February prize winners ....

2011-03-08T09:58:00.001+11:00

Thanks to everyone who has put in layouts for this past month. They are all wonderful. I am so enjoying seeing your neighbourhoods and the different ways you have chosen to portray them. I can't wait to see what you do to highlight some of the history of your area - please don't be put off by this topic - it really will be a fun journey of discovery to find out what went on in the past in your town. Your layouts don't need to be complicated - just get the story down.

So I have done the February draw - everyone who has uploaded a layout to the gallery or sent in answers to the city scramble has had their name included and I have pulled out two winners.

Congratulations go to ...

SHAZZA

JOLANDA

Please send me your addresses so I can post out your goodies.

This month I am offering one main prize of a gorgeous chipboard card lacing kit - this is super cute (you will want to win this one). I will add a second prize if more entries are submitted and I will also have a name draw for a special something for those doing the mini album.

Happy scrapping! I'll be back soon with our next instalment of the mini album.

Marching into History ...

2011-03-01T23:31:00.002+11:00

Welcome to March and our third lesson in this series. This month we are delving into the deep recesses of your communities history.

I'm really looking forward to seeing your layouts this month and learning a lot about your hometown history. I find heritage research fascinating.

Download Lesson Three - Your place in history

The gallery is a bit light on this month so I'm going to give you until the end of the week to get your "In the Street" layouts from last month into the gallery so we can make a draw for prizes. I need to have submissions before I can make a selection of winners.

And keep those scramble answers coming - there will be a nice prize pack up for grabs but again I need to have a few entries so I can have a draw.

A city scramble for a prize pack ...

2011-02-26T13:07:00.003+11:00

Thought it might be time to have a bit of fun. Since we are from all over the planet - how about a word scramble of cities of the world. These are all capital cities and are reasonably well known. Unscramble them and send your answers to me HERE (please don't answer in the comments) - each correct answer will go into a draw for a prize pack of scrappy goodness from me. If you would like a bonus chance to win please tell me in which country these cities are located and I'll put your name into the hat a second time. A winner will be drawn next week.

TIGONAAS

MOSKLOCTH

KLAUB

TAWOAT

STINKGON

PAMKLAA

TAJKAAR

SHOTGINNWA

BENCARAR

KIKJAYVER

Want more?? for more chances to win ....

Tell me a) what is depicted in this picture b) which city it is located in c) which country it is the capital of

Mini Album for February and more prize draws ...

2011-02-15T21:12:00.002+11:00

Time for our second page of our mini album. I was actually going to do two pages this month but decided that since this was the first official inside page we might leave it at one this month and become more adventurous next.

Mini Album February

I have loved seeing all the fantastic front covers everyone has produced. There are some gorgeous and very cute little pages. I've put everyone's name into a bowl and my daughter has kindly drawn out a name.

Congratulations CARLA - you have won a surprise prize pack.

I've also enjoyed hearing all about your weather conditions - looks like for a lot of you it is a matter of extremes, hot here and freezing cold there. I've done another draw for a little something and congratulations go to you too SHERRIE.

Ladies - If you could let me know your mailing addresses I will get these away to you.

Looking forward to seeing some more wonderful mini pages in the gallery (and of course more insights into Your Place in the Sun). I'll be back in a couple of days - we might just start playing a few fun games and do some more prize drawers.

Whether the weather be hot ....

2011-02-10T09:27:00.000+11:00

How is life treating everybody? - hope you have all downloaded Lesson 2 and are busy working on your layouts. Love to see some more of your gorgeous work in the gallery. Don't forget page 2 of the mini album will go up on the 15th - you have until then to get your cover linked up and be eligible for the prize draw.

Thought it might be time to do another little comment giveaway.

We had an extremely hot start to February here in NSW. Last Saturday (5th) was officially the sixth successive day that the Sydney area had sweltered in 30-plus temperatures. Sydney has never experienced such consistently high temperatures since records were first kept in 1858.

Thousands flocked to beaches and the harbour foreshores to cool off, while the mercury climbed above the 38-degree mark (100 deg F) on Saturday. Here we recorded a whopping 41.5 degrees. Thankfully a cool change moved through on Sunday morning and dropped the temperatures back into the 20s where they have remained for the past few days.

Tell us what the weather is doing in your part of the world.

I'll be doing a random draw for a special little something from me.

Lesson Two - In the street ....

2011-02-02T11:48:00.003+11:00

So sorry for the delay in getting this up for you - you know the old saying about best laid plans ....

This month we are checking out the things that happen in our respective streets - hopefully you will be able to put these prompts to good use and we will have some more wonderful layouts in the gallery to appreciate.

Anyway here it is:-

DOWNLOAD - Lesson Two - In the street

Also time to draw some winners from the gallery - thank you so much for your participation, they are all just wonderful. I've put everyone's name into a hat (per number of layouts you have done) and done a random draw.

First up we have MARISA. Congratulations you have won the Happy Birthday pack.

Next is LEAN - well done, you have the Girly Inspiration pack.

And lastly we have DEB who has the Jetset pack kindly donated by Shazza.

Congratulations everyone - please get your postal details to me so I can get these away to you.

Oh and don't forget to keep those mini album covers coming. Our next mini page will be put up on the 15th and you have until then to get your links into the gallery. There may be another little prize draw then :)

Lesson 2 is coming ...

2011-02-01T14:02:00.001+11:00

Just to let you know I haven't forgotten Lesson 2 - just been sorting out a few "starting high school issues" and I've had a couple of unexpected things fall into my lap at the last minute. I'll have the class up for you in the morning - I'll do a random draw for the January prize packs and get the new ones up for February then as well. Thanks everyone.

Some layout inspiration ...

2011-01-23T11:23:00.001+11:00

The gallery is looking sensational ladies - thank you so much for putting up your layouts and letting us see some of the lovely homes you all have. I decided it might be better to put the gallery into the centre spotlight (so to speak) so we can all grab some layout inspiration.

I thought it might be time to show you a couple of layouts I did last year for my own album. Some of you will remember these from my previous class but those new this year might like to see some of my other takes on the class.

This layout was derived from the concept of what do you see looking out from your home. Are there views you don't fully appreciate or really notice because you enter or exit your home mostly from the garage or a side door and rarely venture out the front door ... what do you see if you look out?

Here I documented the four seasons of my front yard through my deciduous feature tree. In my part of Australia the seasons seem to blend and it is hard to keep track of a definite change in the months - my tree does that for me!

And of course the layout showing the front of my home.

Mini Album and a winner ...

2011-01-15T18:19:00.001+11:00

It's mini album time. Sorry I'm late getting this loaded - my family are off on a week's vacation tomorrow and I've spend a very large chunk of today getting sorted and packed. Every mother knows when the family goes on holiday not only does she have to pack her own gear but for all the family members as well !! Oh and I had to laugh Miss Debij from Coffs Harbour - guess where my little family is headed bright and early in the morning !!

DOWNLOAD Mini Album - January

The gallery is looking sensational so I'd love to see some mini album covers added to the mix. I might even be persuaded to do a separate prize draw just for mini album participants :)

And speaking of prize draws - thank you so much for all the comments for Who, Where and. What a terrific cross section of scrappers and so many wonderful places - can't wait to find out more about your place in the sun. I've done a little hat draw (well it was a coffee cup!!) and my husband (the kids are in bed lol) has pulled out Kirsty as our winner. Let me have your street address Miss Kirsty and I will have two packets of alpha's winging their way across the ditch just as soon as I'm back from hols.

Who, Where and ....

2011-01-10T21:06:00.000+11:00

It is wonderful to see more people joining everyday and and thank you so much for the lovely comments on the first lesson. I can't wait to see some of your layouts appearing in the gallery.

Thought it might be time to introduce ourselves and tell everyone where we come from. You don't have to be specific if you are shy - general location is good enough. I'd also like to learn something different or unique about the place you call home. There will be a little random prize draw of two packets of alphabet stickers for some lucky commenter .... um commentee??.

I'll start ....

I'm Jane (obviously) and if you have read my profile you know I live an hour north of Sydney in Australia. My interesting tid bit is that the land my house and community now sits on was once orange orchards.

Welcome to Lesson One ...

2011-01-08T14:23:00.001+11:00

Welcome to class !! I'm so very happy to have you join me on our year long quest to discover more about our collective communities. We are going to have such fun.

First things first:

Download - Lesson One - No place like home

I also want to tell you that from here on each monthly lesson will be available on the 1st of the month - it probably won't go up here until the afternoon as my family have sport commitments in the mornings.

As a special bonus I’m also going to provide another handout which will be available on the 15th of each month. I thought it might be fun for us all to complete a small mini “house” album together which will run alongside our main albums. This will be a very cute album containing all the special things we hold dear to us in our own homes. Please stay tuned for the first handout on this next week.

Prizes - good news!!! we will have some each month. You can see what is on offer this month over on the right hand side. What do I need to do to be in the running for a prize? I hear you ask. 1) Do a layout and link it via the Inlinkz box at the top right. You will need to have either a blog or picture hosting available to use this but if you don't please do not despair - just email me your layouts and I will put them up for you. Each layout gives you an entry. 2) Become a follower if you haven't already - each follower will also receive an entry. 3) Leave a comment on this post and the posts that follow over the coming month. Each comment is an entry. 4) Get a friend to join us (email me and let me know you sent them and you will have another entry).

Every so often I'm also going to do a fun give-away that is separate to the normal monthly prizes. It might be something that goes with a particular month or it could be something you can use in your mini album - who knows. These fun giveaways may ask you to leave a response to a specific question, or I might set you a small additional challenge. Whatever it is I assure you it will be fun and worthwhile.

This class is all about having some fun. I'd love you to look to some of my prompts and ideas for inspiration, to perhaps think about what I have put forward and how it relates to what you see and do but please, feel free to create your own layouts and get topics scrapped any way you want to do it. I don't want you to feel guilty over missed lessons or falling behind. This class runs all year, what you don't get done this month you might get done next. I want us to be able to gather each month and enjoy the experience because we all love scrapbooking (or creating a journal or blogging).

And finally - Please don't be put off because my layout examples are done digitally. I do scrap with paper in equal fashion but I started this album last year digitally and it is my intention to continue it as such. All the layouts can very easily be produced using paper supplies.

I think that is it - if you have any questions please ask.

Class starts January 8 ...

2011-01-01T10:22:00.000+11:00

Happy New Year to everyone - I hope that the next 12 months are prosperous ones for all of you (and may they pass a little more slowly than the last 12!!).

Well, we are on count down mode for the start of class - I'm getting excited and I hope you are too. This is going to be a wonderful 12 months together - all fingers crossed! First lesson goes up on January 8.

Thank you so much to those that have left comments and signed up and have been promoting this class on their own blogs - very much appreciated. I will do the first prize draw later today - to be fair to everyone I've decided to combine all the names from across the categories (which means if you have done more than one thing your name will appear more than once) - I'll be back later today with the first winner.

AND THE WINNER IS ............... RELECASTAS

send me your details and I will get this in the mail for you.

It's not too late either, leave a comment or if you have been thinking of following and haven't as yet please do. I'll be doing another random draw for a great prize from those following along and leaving comments soon.

Pre-class information ...

2010-12-01T22:16:00.000+11:00

Welcome to Scrap Beginnings and “Your Place in the Sun”.

I am so pleased you have decided to join us on our 12 month journey of discovery about the place you call home.

I have a Pre-class information pdf download for you to get started. I hope this will make things a bit clearer and give you a little taste of things to come. There is also a class assignment to offer you a challenge over the coming month before class officially starts in January.

Download the Pre-class information pdf.

You will also notice a list of Frequently Asked Questions. If you do have a question that isn’t covered in the pdf you may find your answer here or please, feel free to email me.

I also have some wonderful scrap goodies to share with you!! There will be four ways to win this month. Do one, do them all, the more you participate the more chance you have to win. A winner will be selected at random from each category once class officially starts and it could just be you.

So please …

1) Become a follower

2) Subscribe to my newsletter (link at right)

3) Add my class button to your own blog and show us your blog link in the comments.

4) Accept the pre-class assignment and submit your layout to the gallery.

Frequently Asked Questions

2010-11-30T21:38:00.000+11:00

Frequently Asked Questions

I only do digital layouts – will I be able to do this class?

You most certainly will. I’ve discussed this more fully in my pre-class handout but basically you can do this class any way you like, in paper, as digital, on your blog, in a journal – it's only limited by your imagination!

When does class start?

Official class will start in January and for this month only it will be available on Saturday 8^th purely because of the hectic nature of Christmas and the New Year. Every month thereafter lessons will be available on the 1^st.

What do I need to start?

Again I’ve discussed this more fully in the handout but basically your biggest decision will be to decide which format you wish to use for the class series. There are no specific requirements for this class and I encourage you to use what you have in your stash.

Does it matter where you live?

No, not at all. You can live in a city, town, or on rural property. You can reside anywhere in the world and I am sure you will find something in this class to interest you. The prompts and ideas will give you many ideas to scrap or blog or journal.

How is the class structured?

Each month will focus on a different topic (or topics) that relate to your community. There will be 12 lessons in all plus a pre-class bonus challenge. Each lesson will include inspirational layouts, sketch bundles, interesting facts and a series of challenges to get you started. At the end of the year you will have a wonderful album of completed layouts to record your life in your own community.

Will there be a way to show my work?

Yes, there is a gallery so you can share all your work. There will be specific blog posts where we can discuss topics of interest.I am currently looking at various chat options which may be added.

Are the challenge prizes open internationally?

The monthly prizes are open to everyone. However, due to the high cost of overseas postage, I do reserve the right to exchange heavy prize packs to smaller, lighter items of similar value to those winners who live in other countries. I also need a minimum of 8 entries in order to do a prize draw - this is to keep the process fair and equitable.

I noticed on your blog that you'll be doing a challenge like "Street Where You Live" next year. Will we be able to pick up where we left off and complete our albums?

Yes you will. This will be a revamped version of "Street" – and while you will find some elements similar to the original class I'm going to change it about quite a bit, add in new layouts and sketches and also focus on some other ideas and prompts I didn't include in the first series, so in essence it will be a different class. You will be able to add more layouts to your existing album, as we will look at community aspects I focused on the first time around from a slightly different angle as well as adding completely different content. The classes will be mixed up slightly so they won't follow in exactly the same sequence as last time nor will each class contain exactly the same prompts and ideas. My hope is that anyone new will be able to complete a full album from scratch about their community and those wanting to pick up from where they left off will be able to do so.

Year long class in 2011 .....

2010-11-29T23:05:00.000+11:00

Have you ever wanted to put together an album about the special place in your heart you call home but didn’t really know where to start? Would you like to produce an album to record the things you see and the places you go regularly within your neighbourhood? Have you taken for granted a large part of your everyday community life? Would you like to see the wider picture of how we fit into where we live and how exactly we interact with the people around us who share the same common ground as we do on a daily basis?

Then please join me in 2011 for a year long free class where you will explore your own community. You are welcome to join this class at any stage - downloads for past months will be available throughout the year.