Inspiration Elevator Challenge- scrappy layers

Our main purpose here at IE is to challenge ourselves, each other and YOU to take the creative process to the next level;  to inspire growth and change in our scrapbooking beyond the mundane.
You can see all of Inspiration Elevator's previous challenges at on Facebook .

 This month's challenge is issued by the creative Katherine Sutton. Katharine has a fabulous, eclectic style where she showcases all kinds of mediums and keeps the focus on her great photos. This month she has a warm seasonal challenge for us. Here it is in her own words:

" 'cos Autumn is all about layers of leaves and layers of jumpers (in the northern hemisphere) I would like to challenge you to add lots of layers to your page....this could be layers of paints, inks, stamps, papers, glassine paper, acetate....lots of lovely layers."

 My page started as a mass of pop dot clusters all over the page but I realized I wanted a more clean look because I wanted to display this page in my office..

Papers, die cuts and chipboard are all Crate Paper. Flair is from A Flair For Buttons on Etsy.

I lost my precious iPod Touch a couple of weeks back so I had very little material to work with.
Thankfully a friend who lost her entire photo library last year (THE HORROR!!!) convinced me to back-up everything up into iCloud so my photos are safe.
I just don't have access to them till I buy a new Mac device and since I refuse to pay outrageous data charges or buy a new iTouch with an inferior camera it's gonna be a while before I can print my pix.

Die cuts are the easy way to create layers. 

We encourage you to check out each designer's creation this month: here's a complete list of this month's participating designers!

 Katherine Sutton

Lisa Moen

Lisa Speigel

Ann Jobes

Michelle Hernandez 

Jayne Morgan

Christa Uttley 

Wendy Robinson

Why not give the challenge a try yourself? Then pop by our Facebook page and share with us what you created!

I have a second back up- Flickr. So this fall photo is safe.

Thanks for swinging by!

Inspiration Elevator Challenge- Scrapping loss

This week's Inspiration Elevator theme- surviving loss really speaks to me.

As scrapbookers, journalists in our own lives, image creators via social media, we often forgo
getting real for keeping things light and positive.
There's something to be said for that, after all, those who love you already know your trials.

But talking publicly about what's really happening in your life is also a fantastic means for catharsis. And for finding out how you really feel.
Sometimes the most important stories are the saddest.
Those are the stories that show personal heroism and tenacity- true character.

Journaling, photographing, getting creative with talking about the hard times helps me immensely.
The main benefit is in helping me work out how I truly feel.
It keeps the negative inner talk to a minimum and helps me gain perspective.
Most importantly, it makes those little moments most precious.

As usual, I worked on this late at night so my lighting for the photo is way off- my apologies.
My page is about my marriage. Lately our communication has been fraught with negativity.
I wonder about the nature of our bond, is it strong enough to withstand all the external frustration we feel in our current economic and housing situation?
 Am I doing all I can to keep it strong? Could I lose the central relationship in my life?
That second questions scares me because I've always thought my marriage was strong.
I waited a very long time and made sure I was emotionally ready for the marathon.
My page isn't about loss.
It's about the fear losing something precious engenders.
I realized love doesn't change in a relationship but it can take second place over ever changing challenges if you let it.
I won't let it. And I made a page to remind myself.

Our main purpose here at IE is to challenge ourselves, each other and YOU to take the creative process to the next level;  to inspire growth and change in our scrapbooking beyond the mundane.
You can catch us on Facebook  and share your creations there; we'd love to see how we have inspired you!

This month we are thrilled to welcome back as a guest designer with our team, the artistic and genteel, Scarlett Salomone. Her creative works are as lovely as she is!

This month's challenge is issued by the talented Wendi Robinson. Her first time to issue a challenge for IE and it's a great one! Here is her challenge in her own words:

LOSS... One thing we as scrapbookers do is post about lots of happy things, wonderful moments, things that make us smile, and things we want to remember. Too many times we avoid scrapping the not so memorable, or sad times. Most of us have experienced a loss of some kind, whether is be a loved one- sometimes it's expected, sometimes the loss comes too soon and unexpected. Other times we lose a pet, a job, feel like we've failed at a situation, or loss of a friendship. This time, let's scrap those harder moments that come into our lives. Scrap about a LOSS of some kind.

Wendi Robinson

Katherine Sutton

Lisa Moen

Ann Jobes

Guest Designer: Scarlett Salamone

Wonderful challenge Wendi!
Swing by the blogs and see what the other designers have done to represent their personal challenges and triumphs.

I hope you are inspired and take a swing at the challenge for yourself.
Remember- little moments matter

Guess which pre-schooler is mine?

Inspiration Elevator- public display scrapbook challenge

Welcome to another month of Inspiration Elevator!

Our main purpose here at IE is to challenge ourselves, each other and YOU to take the creative process to the next level;  to inspire growth and change in our scrapbooking beyond the mundane.

You can see all of Inspiration Elevator's previous challenges at our blog and catch us on Facebook and Instagram (soon!) too.

This month's challenge is issued by the innovative Michelle Hernandez. Michelle's style is about telling the story with a clean and simple, yet artsy approach, an awareness of current trends, and garnished with her use of chipboard and often neutral colours.

Here is her challenge for us, in her own words:

The challenge for June 15th is- make a public scrapbook page. You are making a page to go up at work or to give away to a family member to put up in their space. In your blog post you will tell us how knowing this page isn't going in a book or in your home changed your style. Did you go all out and make something that is 3D? Did you suppress your love of a particular color or product? How do you feel about the page being public- outside your regular audience of scrapbook lovers who read your blog or open your books at home?



Sorry for the fuzzy page- I work off my ipop and apparently Blogger doesn't like
whatever programing language ipods use to display images.

When I thought up this challenge I had several family portrait projects in mind. Working on those made me realize how much my style changes when i'm working for someone else.

I tend to keep my palette low contrast and light.  I also stay away from messy techniques and mediums because I assume most people don't want a page with lots of paint spatter or wonky layers.

I made this for a co-worker who loves the color blue. Yes, I know.

I wanted to keep design time to an hour so I used a single collection pack and made my layers neat so she wouldn't mind putting it up in her cubicle. 



My co-worker's cubicle is full of photos. She really liked her page- it's very different from her style
but she assured me that was a good thing. WHEW!

I used the Twenty 3 collection from Cosmo Cricket- arguably one of the most challenging color combos I've ever come across- orange, pink, mustard yellow and grey. Or as far away from blue as possible.

This page will match our office decor and hopefully be quiet enough to allow her to use any horizontal 4x6 family photo. I plan to make a second page for her in her favorite color but that will come later- picking and matching items is what usually takes me hours to decide.

Here's a complete list of this month's participating designers!  We encourage you to check out each designer's creation this month, then come on back and give the challenge a try yourself!

                                                                Michelle Hernandez

Jayne Morgan

Wendi Robinson

                                                                  Katherine Sutton

Lisa Moen

Lisa Spiegel

Ann Jobes

Guest Designerchristyriopel.blogspot.ca- Christy Riopel 

We have a couple of regular artists taking a summer hiatus and look forward to the return of Joanne Burton and Christa Uttley in the fall.

Meantime, if you've wanted to participate as a guest designer with Inspiration Elevator, just contact team lead, Ann at ann jobes at bell dot net. 
 

Now it's your turn to get creating about art you share publicly, and share your blog link at the IE blog. We would love to see what you were inspired to make! 

Thanks for swinging by!

Michelle

Inspiration Elevator- Scrapping those Selfies

Ah the maligned selfie.

I've dropped quite a few Instagram accounts because the content is almost all "selfie".
Not just selfie which can be totally fun
but exposed tatas selfie.
Or duck face selfie.
Neither says anything genuine- or rather it says entirely too much- all negative.

I think women should fully own their image.
As story tellers it's crucial, we wield the camera and write down the details.
If we don't make sure to turn that camera around once in a while we will be invisible in our own story.
Regardless how we currently feel about our physical state, our children enjoy seeing us smile and celebrating life.
It sets a good example to love ourselves as we are.
Even better- it measures how far we've come when we've decided to change something.

This month's Inspiration Elevator challenge is- take a selfie!

I like scrapping selfies because they make the creative process easier.
I can focus on my current feelings or on a story I want to tell- not on trying to find matching embellishments for a theme page.

The page below was all about my feelings on moving.
I had some really cool chipboard and a neon pink Jet Blue luggage tag but that's it.
I could have used some travel themed printed items but since my feelings were mixed up this seemed more appropriate.

Scrap FX tags and chipboard. I used the PhotoBooth app to make a strip but since that's hard to print without
Photoshop and a home printer I made it into a 4x4 on Instagram and used my local Walgreen's for the print.

 What is Inspiration Elevator?

The purpose of the Inspiration Elevator challenge group is to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to mature as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and grow.

You can view all of the challenges at the Inspiration Elevator Blog. 

This month we are celebrating our anniversary with a BLOG HOP!

So be sure to hop from blog to blog below as some of our designers are offering prizes! We also welcome Katherine Sutton as a guest designer to Inspiration Elevator! Katharine has Guest Designed for us and her fabulous style will inspire you to take your scrapbooking to a new level!

Now for our Challenge:

It's a 2-part challenge since it's created by Christa and Ann!

The first part of the challenge is to use a selfie. We are all a part of social media to some extent, so selfies are everywhere. "Call it another trend in narcissism, or call it art, but the "selfie" has become a mainstay of our virtual identity." 
Here are a couple articles for taking a good selfie, if this makes you uncomfortable (as it does for me - A)
http://www.bustle.com/articles/7142-how-to-take-a-selfie-pro-photographers-give-us-all-their-best-self-portrait-secrets
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-tuttlesinger/six-tips-on-how-to-rock-a_b_3750316.html

The second part of the challenge is this: 
This month we'd like you to share something about scrapbooking. It could be why you scrapbook, what you love best, what you get out of it, your most amazing experience or, where you see your craft/hobby/art in the future. 


Remember to hop around to the other blogs and see what out designers have created and what prizes are up for grabs! (Be sure to read the instructions as each designer has her own requirements to win!)

 Ann Jobes
Christa Uttley
 Joanne Burton 

Lisa Moen  

Cathy Harper  

Lisa Spiegel 

Michelle Hernandez 
Katherine Sutton

I hope you feel inspired to play along with our challenge this month, and when you do, please share it using the linky tool on our Inspiration Elevator blog and/or our Inspiration Elevator Facebook page. We'd LOVE to see what you made!

This is totally about my new haircut. Taken 2013.

Have a great week!
Michelle

Inspiration Elevator Challenge- Letter to your Teen Self.

Hello happy people!!!

I've been sooo busy avoiding any and all crafty pursuits. My mojo is gone fishing for the moment.

This latest Inspiration Elevator challenge freed me up a bit.

I started thinking about what I would write, how to make it relevant to my life today and to my primary audience (always Miss Lola) when suddenly the page's design mattered less.

This is a good thing as I usually get so wound up making an "original" design, my story (the whole point of making a page) takes a back seat.

AHA!!!! Here is how the page appears when I link up to my Flickr! 

You can also see everything else in my Flickr account... excuse me as I learn the internet.. again.

Here I'm using an iPod Touch and the AfterLight app to shoot and retouch my pages.
Blogger seems to be compressing the files and rendering them incorrectly.
You can try clicking on it to get a clear look- my apologies.
I started off with the 2 A Flair For Buttons flair and a Crate Paper background.
I didn't want the page to look like one of my usual scrapbook projects so I resisted
adding a photo at first but I have a bunch of these under exposed Instax Mini shots
lying around- each of those prints costs a dollar so you better believe I'm using them all!

Basically the text reads- don't sweat the failures- you get one thing right and it's the most important thing of all. 

I was talking to a past and even MORE resistant version of me so I get pretty stark in my words.

If you think I'm overly pessimistic and broody at 40 you would have LOVED me at 16.

The teen years are hard for everyone, your moral values and ideals are mostly set in place but you fall all over yourself either trying to prove you are independent and grown up or running away from doing so.

So without getting bogged down in the details (which my teen ear would have rejected anyway) I decided to give my past self some comfort. I'm not the walking error machine I was convinced I was. 

I was -am- pretty freaking great at figuring things out.

I'm almost ready to give up the hunt for perfect design and just keep doing this in all my other pages.
Scrapbooking has gotten too complicated.

And now a word from our sponsor:

You may recall that the purpose of this challenge group is to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to grow as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and extend ourselves. You can view all of the challenges at our Inspiration Elevator Blog, here. 

Our challenge this month was posed by the very talented Ann Jobes. Here's how she expressed this month's challenge:

My daughter subscribes to Dance Spirit magazine and I sometimes browse through it, too. One of my favourite monthly features is an article that features a different dancer each month, some photos of that dancer, and a description of their current work, and (the best part!) a letter. The theme is a Letter to My Teenage Self. The content ranges, depending on the dancer and his/her experience, morals, ideals, etc. So this month's assignment is to write a letter to your teenage self. You can take any approach you'd like to this - scrapbook page, art journal page, canvas. However the prompt inspires you. And your content is of course up to you, as well. Some topics might be: what would you try to teach yourself? Or, what would you counsel yourself to do or not do? This does not have to be a page about regrets. It could be about congratulating yourself on something you did right that has contributed to who you've become today. 

Here is a photo of a recent magazine feature, if it inspires you:

Please visit the other Inspiration Elevator designers' blogs and see how they solved Ann's challenge:

Ann Jobes 

Laura Whitaker

Lisa Moen

Cathy Harper

Joanne Burton

Jodi Wilton

Michelle Hernandez

We would LOVE to see you take up Ann's challenge this month, so if you do, please share it at our linkup on the Inspiration Elevator blog.

Get writing mi gente!

Pumpkin picking madness.

Inspiration Elevator- Facing Your Greatest Life Challenge

Hello!

So I've blogged plenty about my greatest life challenge.
It wasn't moving to Utah.
Now that it's getting closer to spring I could ALMOST like it here.

My greatest life challenge was seeing my little girl look like this:

Lola was born 6 weeks early with a condition called Chylothorax where
liquid normally recycled though the heart and out the body drained into her lung
cavities. Luckily her actual lungs had developed just enough to allow normal breathing so
she spent three weeks in the NICU with tubes inserted into her sides to drain the liquid.
She was in constant pain and I couldn't hold her for the first 4 days for fear of dislodging the tubes.

Miss Lola- hyper active, able walk at 10 months old, curly headed and sleepy eyed, currently refusing to eat anything for breakfast- is perfectly fine these days.

In 2009 I found out I was having a baby and lost my job job all in the same day.
To say I was shocked and awed doesn't explain the half of it.
And life has been crazy ever since.

Jobs we thought stable are now gone.
Neighborhoods that were affordable suddenly became the center of the cooliverse and filled with grocery stores selling exotic fruit vinegar for 20 dollars a bottle.
Moved to find new opportunities but found our backgrounds were still lacking.

 "Starting over" isn't fun- it's excruciating.
The hardest part is letting go of your expectations and your past.

So this is my page for the month:

For my page I chose to add the story to several tags behind the photo for a cleaner layout. 
I recently showed Lola the hospital photos because she asked about the small holes under each arm.
I told her those marks make her very special as only 1 in 10,000 children are afflicted and survive birth.
I used Jenni Bowlin stamps, Basic Grey alphas. The wood alphas are from Recollections
and the little wood hearts from Cocoa Daisy's January kit.

Here is the group challenge:

You may recall that the purpose of this challenge group is to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to grow as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and extend ourselves. 
You can view all of the challenges our Inspiration Elevator Blog, here. 

We are thrilled to welcome back Audrey Yeager this month as a guest designer. Audrey recently came into ownership of My Scraps & More online store, and has graciously offered a prize this month! Read on to find out how you could win!

Our challenge this month comes from the very talented Michelle Hernandez. Here's how she expressed this month's challenge:

"Inspiration Elevator Challenge February- Phoenix Rising.
I'm going through one of the toughest times of my life right now. Huge changes, dashed expectations, embarrassing set backs- it's all overwhelming, all the time. I have the love and support of my family and my health- so it could be worst but still - it sucks.
My challenge for February:
Tell a story visually or through your journaling that speaks to your greatest challenge and most importantly how you dug yourself out. This should be a celebration of your faith, personal resilience and/or creativity. A story you'd like to tell your kids, grandkids or yourself when things get rough. "

Michelle Hernandez

Ann Jobes 

Laura Whitaker 

Lisa Moen 

Cathy Harper 

Lisa Spiegel 

 Joanne Burton

Jodi Wilton 

Guest designer: Audrey Yeager 

We would LOVE to see you take up the challenge this month, so if you do, please share it at our linkup on the Inspiration Elevator blog. 

Extra incentive? There is a great RAK this month!

So, how do you win Audrey's prize? It's simple - leave a comment! 
Audrey will choose one random comment from one random blog to win the $15 gift certificate to My Scraps & More. 
Thanks so much, Audrey!

Swing by their blogs and check out how they met and beat their greatest monster.

Princess hair flipping lessons. 2/14/14

Have a great weekend- even in 2 feet of snow NYC. (LOL- it's 60 degrees and sunny here in SLC- how's THAT for silver lining?)


Michelle

Inspiration Elevator Challenge: 10 years from today

You may recall that the purpose of this challenge group is to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to grow as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and grow. You can view all of the challenges our new Inspiration Elevator Blog, "http://inkspiration.typepad.com/inspirationelevator/" 

 Our challenge this month comes from the very talented Jodi Wilton . Here's what she had to say in her very own words: 

"My challenge for January. The New Year is always about bettering 

ourselves; looking into the future, and making goals (some attainable, 

some not so much). Scrapbooking is about recording the story and most of

 these stories are in the past, so we don't forget the memories we 

created. For this challenge I would like you to scrapbook yourself, your

 family, or a particular family member 

and where you (or them) would like to be in ten years time. The focus 

for this challenge is on the journaling. Your layout or art journal may 

be in the form of a letter to your future self. Your layout may or may 

not have any photo at all and be all about the journaling. Dip deep! 

Really think about what you can (or they can) accomplish! What are your 

dreams? What are your goals? Good luck ladies!"

This was a great challenge. I often thimk about the future but don't get very specific. I visualize a future where I own a home and plant a garden. Where my daughter wants to hang with her parents even if they are super embarrasing. Where my husband has the job he wants and the telescope he's been dreaming about for years now. 

Im so sorry if this photo looks fussy- it's taken with my ipod and I can't figure out how to fix it- it looks clear when I check it out close up. A mystery.

An experiment in minimalism and restraint. Perhaps not my best page
but it's exciting to try a new thing.

Jodi Wilton http://luvalotland.blogspot.ca/

Michelle Hernandez  http://myanaloglife.blogspot.ca/

Ann Jobes http://www.lovestnpaper.com/

Laura Whitaker http://scrappinaroundtheclock.blogspot.ca/

Lisa Moen http://lisasscrappyhideaway.blogspot.ca/

Christa Uttley http://dowhatyoulove-maxadriane.blogspot.ca/

Lisa Spiegel http://lisaspiegel.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Joanne Burton http://scrappingoutsidethelines.blogspot.ca/ 

Thanks for stopping by!

Michelle

Inspiration Elevator Challenge- Christmas photo memories

Hello hello!

Perhaps you've been wondering where I disappeared to for a month.

I started a new full time job with a schedule I haven't been able to squeeze spare time from.

I've wanted to get back to blogging and creating but this hobby sucks up time like no other.
Or maybe that's just my process- I knew what I wanted to do with this page- I just needed 4 hours to do it in- lol!

One of my all-time favorite Christmas spot is Macy's Department store in 34th street.
We won't  be in New York until Thanksgiving so I used a photo from last year.

That's Lola scribbling a "Letter to Santa" from our visit to the store last year.
She's literally just making lines but I LOVE the look of intense concentration on her face!!!

For this page I used some Studio Calico paper I got at TJ Maxx, wood star buttons from Prima,
red tag from Cocoa Daisy and a star flair from A Flair For Buttons.

You may recall that the purpose of the Inspiration Elevator challenge group is to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to mature as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and grow. You can view all of the challenges at the Inspiration Elevator Blog.

I have a very odd ideas about proper/good parenting.
One of my biggest quirks is the tell no lies rule.
It's absolute and can land me in plenty of social hot water.
Lola has no idea who Santa is- funny how this doesn't seem to interfere with the magic
and meaning of the holiday.
Here she's writing "Santa" a letter.
She has no idea why but that doesn't take away from the fun.

We are thrilled to welcome guest artist Misty Russell and her eclectic, artistic style to Inspiration Elevator this month.

 November's challenge comes from the very talented Joanne Burton. Here's the challenge she posed:

"November's Challenge: Back in Time.  I love looking through old photos (or not so old photos!) and remembering the great memories that go along with them. Some pictures evoke a strong emotional response while others just bring a sweet smile to our face as we recall the details of when it was taken. With that in mind, I would like each of you to pick a favourite photo and go back in time! I want you to take your photo and actually revisit the place where the photo was taken. Then take a 'picture of the picture' in it's original setting and scrapbook your new photo. **If you are absolutely not able to revisit the place where the photo was first taken, then pick a favorite picture with lots of memories attached to it and scrapbook that. 

In either case, I want you to journal the story behind your photo. Make your journaling and photo come together in such a way that we feel like we are back in time with you!"

 I hope you will stop by and see what the rest of the incredible Inspiration Elevator designers have created:

Joanne Burton 

Jodi Wilton 

Michelle Hernandez 

Ann Jobes 

 Laura Whitaker 
Cathy Harper

Lisa Moen 

Lisa Spiegel 

Guest Designer Misty Russell 

If you feel inspired to play along with our challenge this month, please share it using the linky tool on our Inspiration Elevator blog and/or our Inspiration Elevator Facebook page. We'd LOVE to see what you made!

Have a great weekend!
Michelle

Inspiration Elevator Challenge- Nostalgia

Hello!
Today I'm bring a page I made for this month's Inspiration Elevator Challenge- Nostaligia.

I have a different perspective on this challenge because I don't really scrap to capture moments or even record my life.
I do it because I love messing around with paper and because it gives me a good reason to keep shooting photos- something I would otherwise forget to do in my normal day to day routine.

Basic Grey film strip paper- I'll need to get a couple more of this print. The flair is from A Flair For Buttons, chipboard and white laser cut tags from Scrap FX. New York flag from Reminisce. I also cut some leaves from vellum just for the heck of it. Since we put our things in storage and brought essentials with us when we moved to Utah, I don't have much in terms of items that are nostalgic but the printed film strips are good stand-ins- read below to find out why.

My page doesn't have a lot of journaling this month.
I've covered the subject of Brooklyn longing so frequently in the last couple of months I really just wanted to make a page to match this summer 2013 photo I love.

I am deeply nostalgic for my college days when I spent all day (literally) in the darkroom developing film and printing black and white photos for my next critique class.

The photo is of a near perfect day in May.
We walk the Brooklyn Bridge.
Discover new parts of the park by getting lost in the streets.
Finally, the sun is setting,
Saidy has brought her nephews and Lola finally has someone her own age to play with.
The food truck tacos we buy are delicious.
The salsa band playing outdoors in the park is so amazing we get up and dance in front of everyone.

Lola sits on David's shoulders the whole time.
Then... fireworks!!! Someone is getting married and we get to share in their joy.
And I cry
I AM SO HAPPY!
I know we may never get to come back to a summer concert in Brooklyn Bridge Park again.

I'm painfully grateful. 
New adventures and perfect days await in Utah but nothing compares to golden evenings by the water;
Lady Liberty waving her torch just a quarter mile away.

Quiet subway rides home

You fall asleep yet it is us who sit dreaming

This is home.

Those banner stickers are from the Target dollar aisle- they've been on a roll lately with the kraft stuff.

Onto the official challenge~

You may recall that the purpose of this challenge group is to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to grow as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and grow.

You can view all of the challenges our new Inspiration Elevator Blog, here.

We are also pleased to welcome Denise Morrison and her stunning artistic style back to Inspiration Elevator.
Our challenge this month comes from the very talented Lisa Spiegel .

Here's what she had to say in her very own words:
"October is my favorite month of the year. Hands down. The temperatures here in Southern California finally start to drop, we wear a light sweater, maybe even a little boot. We pull out the scarves and the jeggings and put away the capris and tank tops. Leaves begin to change and we prepare for Halloween! My whole house is decorated, from top to bottom, and it is no small feat. I even swap out my dishes and serving ware in preparation for Fall and Halloween and I love to just keep the festivities going all the way through the Thanksgiving and then holiday season. My house will not return to "normal" until January. 

So, Lisa, tell us, how does this relate to a scrapbooking challenge? Well, what I've found over the years is my scrapping even changes over the holidays. I layer more. Reach for the bling and really dig deep to embellish with meaningful objects. Journal my thoughts and stories and feelings. Fall just make me nostalgic. So here is the challenge. Create a layout that is nostalgic...the feeling should be evident from the title, the visible journaling and the embellishments you choose. 
Choose deliberately and with purpose to tell your nostalgic story. I can't wait to see how you interpret this challenge!" 
 I hope you will stop by and see what the rest of the incredible Inspiration Elevator designers have created:

Lisa Spiegel

Laurel Seabrook 

Joanne Burton

Jodi Wilton

Michelle Hernandez

Ann Jobes

Laura Whitaker

Lisa Moen 

Christa Uttley

Guest Designer Denise Morrison

If you feel inspired to play along with my challenge this month, please share it using the linky tool on our Inspiration Elevator blog and/or our Inspiration Elevator Facebook page.
We'd LOVE to see what you made!

Normally dancers go in front of the stage but we had 3 toddlers to care for so we got up and danced
right in front of all these folks- and it spread. It WAS a good day.

Inspiration Elevator- Scrapping a favorite childhood memory.

You may recall that the purpose of this challenge group is to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to grow as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and grow. You can view all of the challenges our new Inspiration Elevator Blog, here.

This month's challenge is issued by the super talented, Lisa Moen. Here's what she had to say in her very own words:

"I have been thinking lately, that I have only done one layout of my childhood and realized that maybe some day, my kids or grandkids would enjoy looking at a few more pages and learning about my siblings, my parents and I.
So my challenge for you this month is to create a page about a childhood memory of yours. It can be a good, a bad, a funny, a photoless or whatever you choose kind of layout.

Just remember to add journaling to tell the story behind your childhood memory.
Can't wait to see your projects!"

I had a hard time zeroing in on a favorite memory. My childhood wasn't bad- it was filled with small magical moments in between a lot of boredom.

Now that I'm writing this my brain is filling with awesome tiny moments:

• Discovering we could get HBO and watch naughty movies like "Into The Night" or "Nightmare On Elm Street" if we put the tv in a certain place and tape a wire hanger to it. 
• Watching my Mom finish the Pac Man level 100. Saying "Mom kiss ASS!" and not getting spanked for it.
• Playing Uno with my Dad, brother and two sisters. Sticking one of the cards on our foreheads- who's ever card fell off first looses.
• PIZZA and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- The Movie
• Garbage Pail Kids cards but not the one called Messy Michelle with all the snot everywhere.
• Playing Bash-A-Saurus- basically using a red plastic bat to bash my sisters and brother over the head- yeah I was THAT big sister. I get bashed too- by all three at once.
• Watching ET.
• Watching "Star Wars Return of The Jedi" on tv with no commercials- Mom let us stay up!
• Dad taking us to Orchard Beach in the early evening when the sun was just setting and the hoodlums had gone home.
• Mom's turkey day feast
• The Christmas we got Laser tag AND 2 small tvs to play Nintendo.
• Sesame Place in the bath tub- because were were too poor top go to the actual park but with 4 kids and some bathing suits who needs 30 dollar water parks?

But I recently took a fantastic photo of a typical New York City Ice Cream Truck so I went with this:

For my page I decided to talk about how when I was a kid the Ice Cream Truck jingle RULED the night. We lived on the fourth floor of a huge apartment building on Grand Concourse in the Bronx.
When we heard the music we knew we had to put our shoes on and RUN like the wind down the stairs.
Woe onto him or her who forgot their dollar allowance- the ice cream truck lady waits for no one.

Detail shot of my journaling:

Still working off my ipod to photograph pages but I figured out how to use a PC to do my photo captions. The page photo above was loaded using Flickr- I had to decipher some HTML code- something I've never tried before. Seriously- I can't wait for my Mac to arrive- I miss it so!

I hope you will stop by and see what the rest of the team has created:

Lisa Moen
Christa Uttley
Cathy Harper

Lisa Spiegel

Joanne Burton

 Laurel Seabrook

Jodi Wilton

Michelle Hernandez

Ann Jobes

Laura Whitaker

Sue Sykes

Thanks for stopping by!

Michelle

Inspiration Elevator Guest DT- In memoriam

Hello everyone
Please bear with me through this long post.
Today I am a guest for a challenge group called Inspiration Elevator.
Thank you so much for hosting me ladies!
Below is the text for the challenge as well as a blog hop for the regular design team members.

                                                      *************************
The purpose of this challenge group was to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to grow as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and grow. 

This month, our challenger was the super talented Sue Sykes. Sue writes an ongoing article for Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine called Leaving Your Legacy and her challenge this month for Inspiration Elevator was also featured in the Winter edition. This is what she wrote:

"The idea of “Leave Your Legacy” first came about in 2007 when I was sorting through some vintage photos of my parents. I realized that while I knew most of the standard information about the images, the profound information about my parents and relatives was missing - information that would give me a glimpse of what they had been like when they were younger. 

To me, scrapbooking is, of course, a means of artistic expression, but more than that, it is a way to leave a little piece of history for future generations in each layout. And so, it amazed me, in talking with friends who scrapbook, to learn just how seldom they scrapbook about themselves. All of these incredible people, and their families may not really know anything personal about them: their hopes, dreams, habits, likes, dislikes, fears and accomplishments. With this article, I hope to encourage fellow artists to scrap more about themselves to avoid that from happening.

I think it's important to document your fears as well as your happy times and accomplishments. Many times, things of which we are FEARFUL, often characterize our personalities. It's also rewarding to be able to look back, once you have overcome a fear, to realize how far you have come. On the heels of my husband's heart attack, this was an obvious choice for me, but it's difficult to put into words the FEAR that you feel when faced with the possible loss of your partner. I want to remember the fear that we both felt, so that it will help us to stick to our commitment of living a healthier, less stressful life.

So what is it that you FEAR the most?

Not only do I want you to scrapbook about a FEARFUL topic, but I also want you to include at least ONE product that you have avoided using. Maybe it's because you are hoarding it and are FEARFUL of using it all, or maybe you are intimidated by it. Whatever the reason, spread your wings and challenge yourself to use it."

I hope you will stop by and see what the designers on this adventure have created:

Sue Sykes

Lisa Spiegel

Joanne Burton

Christa Uttley

Laura Whitaker

Audrey Yeager

Lisa Moen

Laurel Seabrook

Ann Jobes

Cathy Harper

Michelle Hernandez, Guest Designer

                                               
                                                   *******************************
I simply have no words for the horror visited upon us as a nation yesterday.

I am a parent.
My baby is three years old.
She is my shinning light,
the reason I strive to be a better person each day,
the proudest moment of my entire adult life.
To imagine her cowering in terror, confused and wanting desperately to be home,
to imagine her gone,
shattering.

Today I attended a vigil for the lives we lost yesterday.
I made a special effort to go and keep those lives foremost in my mind because they are all that should matter in this vast stream of politics and speculation we are now witness to.
Keep those lives first.

When I made my page for this wonderful group of inspiring women, I was watching a comedy show about parenting and laughing.
The content of this page came easily.
I knew immediately what my darkest fear was.
I had no idea it would visit people who lived so close-by only three days later.
I feel like I should apologize.
I feel like it is insensitive to post.

Materials: Kraft paper, Crafter's Workshop stencil, Heidy Swapp Bronzer mist, Instax print. Wood veneer
letters from Studio Calico, American Crafts date stamp, tape from Target and punches from Ek Success

But to be true to the challenge I will post this and admit my biggest fear is that I will fail my daughter.
I will not be there for her and she will perish.
I will not be there for her and she will turn on others.
Like one young man did yesterday.
So I write these words and make the promise I made when my baby was first born.

I will not fail you.
I will listen to you.
I will fight for you.
I will put you first.
And if the time comes when we, as a family, are faced with a mistake you made,
no matter what that mistake is,
I will set aside judgement and think about what is best for you.
It is the only thing I have control over and the most meaningful thing I can do.

Keep your loved ones close.
Michelle