Cassel

I think it is exactly what I envisioned: finding things around us that have some story behind them. At times, they might seem like "boring" or "ordinary" stories to us but others love that peek into our lives. I think it is a great way to connect as others might share similar stories too! I never imagined that script used in that manner. How creative that is!

For once, I have a layout that I can use for this challenge! You might recognize it as it is from the Basic Scrap Course. Although it was not an actual FAIR (because it was not changing location), it had similar rides. Photo taken at Rainbow Valley, in Cavendish, PEI, in 1996 (or maybe 1997?)

My grandfather was an amateur filmmaker and took lots of photos. I remember when he was filming us, at Christmas mostly, he would walk in a room and his camera was rigged with probably a dozen lights. They emitted heat so we knew when he was closer, even if we had our eyes closed! I remember that he was doing some stop animation, and one of the film was on my first birthday, where he would have all the letters jumbled up, and gradually unjumbled to write "Bonne Fête Carole". He had lots of films and photos and after he passed, my mom got it all. Unfortunately, at some point, my mom got upset for something (no idea what) and she threw everything out. I only found out many years later that none of grandpa's films and photos had survived. 😞 The few very old photos I have, were in my possession before my mom threw everything else.

Find one area, clear it out, take the picture and nobody will know! Or bring your object outside! 😉 In total, there will only be 26 pictures so if you have only 26 objects, that is not cluttered!

Let's make things a little fun for you. Are you looking for ways to spark your creativity and still create something meaningful? This will be a fairly regular challenge for you. Every time, you will be given instructions to use 1, 2, and 3 of something. Would that be more than you usually use? or less? Let's see. Create a layout using : 1 decorative brad 2 patterned ribbons 3 stapled elements You can create those elements or use what you currently have in your stash. Showcase any photo, use any template (if you want). Just make sure you include the required elements.

The idea of one photo a week was quite popular in 2024, and it encouraged participants to take photos and showcase them without having to create a whole layout for them. In 2025, I will offer you a little twist on this. Again, the idea is only to showcase a single photo at a time. You can showcase them as a flashcard, emphasizing the letter (you can use these free cards as a basis to create your own). Of course, if you want a different format, you can use a polaroid frame, a slide, or a playing card (like Susan was doing in 2024). Choose the format you want, and keep it throughout the year. But just make sure to emphasize the first letter! Every 2 weeks, you will be asked to take a picture of something, at home (or around your home) that starts with a specific letter of the alphabet. The goal is just to be on the lookout for ANYTHING that can be photographed. You can stage the object however you want, or just take a picture of it in its natural environment. For example, you can showcase your favorite Mug, or your Pillow, or your Fireplace. You can practice your photography skills if you want, but you can just capture things as they are. Let's just encourage each other. This is a no-pressure thread. And if you skip a letter or two, you can always come back. You know your alphabet so you can easily catch up, whenever you need to. Let's start with the letter A. It could be an apple, your alarm clock, some artwork, your favorite apron, a comfy armchair, an aquarium, etc. What will you showcase?

This service is only offered during the holiday season and typically, only on Fridays and Saturdays. I guess it is a matter of having enough volunteers to offer it. But I agree that it would be great if it was always available.

Operation Red Nose exists since 1984 in Canada. Is there anything like that in your area? Maybe a different type of service? Something comparable? For information on the history of Operation Red Nose, you can check this entry of Wiki. Let's chat.

I might try to join this time around 🙂

Oh, yes, the few customizations are addressed in the first lesson too.

Photos are optional. It's the story that matters.

This article might be what you are looking for. But I'll check to see if it is mentioned in the Scrap Bootcamp.

Which list?

Write like you would leave us a written note. No need for anything fancy, just tell a story! Your story.

@Rene Marker It is cool that you have pictures for it too!

Oh 😞 I will reach out and see if they have a way to extend it. I'll update you as soon as I get anything.

Even if it is a 30-day trial, you would still have time to go through the whole Bootcamp. I am not sure how long is the trial right now. They had a special offer, a few months ago for a 6-month trial, but I think it is no longer the case.

That would be great. FAIRS can take different forms depending on the part of the world so we can even learn something about how they are in your area.

I am sorry Jannette. This will surely be a difficult time for you. Take time to care for yourself, and your family. We are all here for you if you need us.

Thanks @Rene Marker. You beat me to it!

As of 2025, we will be adding tutorials for Affinity Photo, in the Campus. To help you get started, we will offer a bootcamp with basic tutorials and projects you can create. This first Affinity Bootcamp will start on January 13th. Once it starts, you can post your projects (and questions) in this thread. Remember to resize your images to about 600 pixels AND save them in jpg format, before uploading them to the gallery (check this tutorial to upload to the gallery) so it won't slow down the site when we have lots of your masterpieces. Try to follow the tutorials at least enough so that we can recognize what lesson you completed. Now, let's get ready! If you missed the registration link or if you found this thread before I announced it (some people are very observant), HERE it is. Share it around if you want. Remember that Affinity is available for Mac users so if some friends might want to jump into digital scrapbooking but could not join the Campus before because they could not get PSP to work on their computer, this is the time to invite them. Although this Bootcamp is mostly meant to help beginners, we won't exclude anyone for "excess experience". If you have previously participated in the Scrap Bootcamp (using PaintShop Pro), the projects are the same BUT the steps will be different since both programs have distinct sets of tools and commands. It will be a good way for you to compare both! The 7 tutorials will be spaced out over almost 2 weeks. This should make it easier for participants to follow without feeling stressed (it should never be stressful!).

In January, our monthly theme is FAIR. Most towns and communities will have some sort of fair, and they include rides, games, food, activities, and more. Let's find different words starting with the letters of the alphabet that would relate to anything about a fair. It can be the name of the actual fair, but it could be names of rides, food, or even actions that take place at the fair. I am sure we can find quite a few! If we we are stuck on one letter, after 24 hours, let's skip it, ok? Let's go!

It is a new month and new projects. Show off what you are working on in January be it a scrapbook page, a collage, a tutorial, or anything else you want. We are curious and want to see, learn, and get inspired. These threads are quickly becoming a fantastic source of inspiration, support, and friendship. Keep them coming! Remember to size down your image to about 600x600 pixels and save it in .jpg format before posting it (if you are creating a double page, you can resize it to 1000 pixels in width if you don't want to post the pages separately). Here are a few guidelines for everyone: when you post a project, give as much information on your sources or techniques used. It will help others who are curious and would like to do the same. if someone uses something that you like on their page, ask where they got it. Sometimes, you can go get it too and it will be better quality than trying to extract it (as it would have been resized to post in the forum anyway). if it is something that they did from scratch, ask how they did it. It would be so helpful to everyone! if you like a photo and would like to “play with it”, ALWAYS ask permission. Sometimes, there are some limitations and the person is not allowed to let others use it. Don’t get them in trouble. Usually, people are happy to say yes (if they can) when you ask politely. And if you get permission, you might get a better-quality image than the resized image anyway.

The theme for January is FAIR. Even though there might not be too many fairs in winter (for the northern hemisphere), we might still have photos or stories to share, whether we visited the fair recently, or decades ago. You should have some photos of those visits! and if not photos, you might have some stories to include along with stock photos. Remember that you can also share older layouts you already made. You don't have to create a brand new one! Let's go! Post your project in the gallery.

Have you ever created an album that tells the story of your life, one chapter at a time? For 2025, I’m inviting you to embark on a year-long creative challenge to document your personal timeline in a unique and meaningful way. We’re calling it the Timeline Album Challenge! The idea is simple: divide your life into 12 periods (the length of each depends on your age) and create one scrapbook page for each. Whether you include photos, memories, or simply words that describe those times, it’s up to you! By the end of the year, you’ll have a complete album that reflects your journey. For example, let's assume you are 72 years old (it just makes it easier to calculate): 0-6 years old: you can talk about your birth place, your first tooth, your first day of school 7-12 years old: you can remember some birthday parties, friends, places you visited 13-18 years old: those teen years! what were you doing, your first crush, your high school years 19-24 years old: maybe your dates, or wedding (if it happened in that time) 25-30 years old: maybe when you moved town, when your kids were born, when you purchased your first house And so on. You get the picture. Here’s how it works: One page every month: Start with your earliest memories or your childhood, and work your way to the present. You can also document specific milestones, achievements, challenges, etc. You can pick and choose any element to document. No pressure: Share your pages with us as you create them. There’s no strict commitment, and you can always catch up later if life gets busy. Make it yours: Add photos if you have them, or create pages without photos by focusing on stories, quotes, or embellishments that symbolize those moments in time. Include what was around you: seeing how some world events (or local ones) can relate to us can be interesting. What there a new fashion trend? What were the newest inventions? Any famous people that you might have heard of (or met) during that time period? This is your story to tell. Whether you want to focus on key milestones, favorite memories, or even everyday moments, it’s all about capturing what makes your timeline unique. Who’s ready to take on this creative timeline journey in 2025? Let’s make something amazing together! Who’s in?