Are you ready for more?

Well this took longer than thought eh?! Having no internet for a few weeks threw me right off the edge of sanity I can tell ya!
BUT....now its back to work, trying hard to find normality and catch up with all that is going on with Sparkle the Imagination, and trust me, there is A LOT!!
Till we get on track we have decided that we are going set a WEEKLY challenge not a daily one. By doing this I will be able to take part properly and not have to keep coming back to add my pics later!
We are also excited to share with you 'believers' out there a lovely blog that is inspired by a range of very talented ladies of different faiths and non-believers who set some thought provoking challenges. Why not jump over to Scrapfaith and check out their gorgeous stuff?
In the next week or so there will be the new Design Team added to the Sparkle the Imagination website where you will get to meet the people who will be offering you some wonderful projects. If you are interested in joining a design team, check this out and drop us an email. We are looking for a range of people in various crafts, not just scrapbooking. There is no deadline date due to the fact that we haven't advertised as much as we hoped to. So come on and show us your talent...or that of someone you know!
Weekly challenges will be posted on a Monday morning before midday then on the 15th of every month there will be a monthly challenge....this challenge will have rewards for the one the DT collectively select as the project of the month!
Any questions or comments either leave a comment or email us, we will get back to you asap.

[prompt # 20 ~ 7 Wonders of the World]

7 wonders of the world ~ I'm not sure if I could name them all but I can if we are talking about MY world! So, what are YOUR 7 wonders of the world?

Prompts will be on hold now till end of July.

Prompt Catch Up

Many apologies for the lack of prompts this last week and a half. I had pre-set blogger to upload them each day for 10 days as I knew I was going to be rather busy, but as you can see it didn't happen, and I'm STILL waiting for a reply from blogger to find out why it didn't work!
So, as I know I have readers who enjoy taking part in the prompts I am going to do a full catch up in this one post! So pull up a chair, grab a drink and prepare for some inspiration that will surely get you thinking! :)

Prompt # 12 ~ Goodnight! - What is your bedtime routine? This could be as a family, with your kids, with your partner or your own. What do you do that's part of who you are? What habits have you formed? Do you have specific routines that work better or are you just random?

Prompt # 13 ~ Favourite Literature - Don't panic, this doesn't have to be Shakespear or Wentworth, just something that inspires you, perhaps its a favourite quote that you use on your email or its something you have hanging on a wall. Whatever the written words are, share it!

Prompt # 14 ~ The Big Picture - What is your big picture? Is it your family? Your work? What defines you in your life? Spend more time on journalling than photos if you can.

Prompt # 15 ~ If I were a Chocolate Bar! - Now I'm sure we are all just drooling at the thought of chocolate right now! :) So, compare yourself to any kind you like and tell us why. This is intended to focus on your good points not a negative!

Prompt # 16 ~ Guilt ~ This could well be attached to the above but this is where you have the opportunity to journal the things you would like to fix throughout your lifetime. I'm not going to call for sharing on this one but to do so is welcome and your choice if you are comfortable with it. What makes you feel sad, down, mad, lonely, guilty etc? Why? How can you change that?

Sunday Speshal ~ I came across a quote a while ago when I first started my psychology course, today I am offering it as a prompt to get you thinking! A good insight to who we are, not just on the surface but really in the core of us often goes unnoticed when we take on marriage, children, careers and other life societies. How many of us have only done part of what we deep down truly want? Can it fit in with our life now? Do we still want it?

Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.
- Unknown

So what have you become?

Anyone who leaves a comment (latest next Wednesday) I shall send 5 sheets of sayings rub-ons.

Prompt # 17 ~ Removal Instructions ~ What tips have you learnt to remove things that are unwanted? Now this can be from household stains to work mistakes, something on your desk to a life audit. Whatever you perceive it to be!

Prompt # 18~ Decor ~ Journal/Photo or Scrapbook about your current/previous decor tastes. Talk about your home, past and present. Talk about how you achieved a certain look or style, what inspired you, who helped you and how long did it take. Include funny moments, prices and any other details.

Prompt # 19 ~ Hormones ~ I'm sure in some way we all cross paths with hormones, be it our kids, our own or extended family. How do you deal with it? What have you learnt from it? Do you have some ways of making it easier to live with or are you totally gazumped with it all?

Tomorrow's prompt will be uploaded by myself! My interpretations of the above prompts will come shortly.
Enjoy!

[prompt # 11 ~ Motto]

Motto: what is your saying or secret code in life?

Whilst on the phone to my other half this evening we got talking about our sense of humour together, I made a comment that he thought would be a good motto for us: Only the good stuff. To my way of thinking this covers pretty much all the things we believe in, especially as we are both Latter Day Saints and wanting very similar things in life. I have done a double layout which I will upload later when I've finished the journalling.

So come share with us what YOUR motto is, tell us why and how. If you don't have one, what would it be? How would it be fitting to you?

Enjoy!

Sunday Speshal

Instead of doing a prompt today I have decided that I will offer an incentive instead :)

I would like to see a photo/sketch/layout or blog post about....drum roll please!!....

Your ideal life! I am confident we all have one! Now this can be any angle you want, it could be the one you have now with one or two tweaks, it could be something totally different, such as a bigger house, newer car, new location. It could be an outlook you have that you are working to change. It can be anything at all that ticks your clock! :)

For every person who does this challenge and leaves a link to their blog or gallery in the comments I will send a craft goodie bag to the value of approx £4! (The deadline for this is next Sunday).

My offering is by way of a layout, still in progress but not far from being finished. I have used photos and lots of journalling because to me it is an insight to what I am still trying to achieve. I will upload later today.

Have fun with this, I'm confident it will leave you feeling pretty happy and optimistic, even if you were to begin with! :)

[prompt # 10 ~ Advance the Application]

Todays prompt is part of the phrase from a unit i'm working on in my course, the full statement is:

''The hardest part for an individual dealing with depression is not the accepting of moving forward its having the inner mental and emotional strength to 'advance the application' to the next step individual to them''

When I gave this statement thought (I had to write a 2000 word essay based on that one statement!) I realised it is not only people suffering from depression or any other condition but to the rest of us who are just cruising through life. I know I personally am becoming very interested in a couple of other crafts right now and I find I am slow to 'advance' (start, do) the 'application' (techniques) for fear of getting it wrong or not being good enough. So today I have decided to challenge myself to 'advance' and actually give it all a go.

So, while i'm doing that i'd like you to think about what application you can advance in your life, not necessarily a craft but it could be anything, from a new friendship to taking a course you like the idea of, from starting that workout to applying for that job you saw advertised. It can even be something you have already done. I know when I started scrapbooking back in 2001 I was petrified I was going to get laughed at for my sorry attempts...but doing it in private for a while give me the opportunity to 'advance the application' and build on not only my style but my self confidence too. Now, I dont claim to be a professional but I like my style when I really put the effort into it! Of course I have room for improvement so I will continually 'advance the application'. See where i'm going here? Its all about having a go at something, pushing forward, not giving up, live the moment and if the worst happens and it goes wrong...either shelf it for a while or try again!

Today, i'm going to try my hand at making a small felt bag for Charley's favourite crayons, a basic project but it's a start! :)

And here is the finished project! I have to say, as basic as it is I kinda like it! I'm now going to have a go at doing a hand puppet...aiming high here, I'd like to do a few for Charley then sweet talk Jd into making the theatre...he's the wood master here! :)

Good luck

[prompt # 9 ~ Secrets]

Secrets ~ dont worry, i'm not asking for deep, dark and personals here! This is purely for your own scrapbooks or journals! I got to thinking about what kind of things I used to think couldn't be shared, things that would reveal too much of me or something I was trusted with knowing. I got to thinking of when I was a kid and secrets were the coolest thing in the world (next to imaginary friends, ice cream and hiding places!), I almost forgot some of the things that were part of who I was so i've chosen to do a layout on my childhood secrets that I can remember.
As I still dont have a way of getting my photos onto this computer I cant show the layout I have done yet but I will share what my journalling was about:

I put together a double 12x12 layout with18 small envelopes and a secret in each one ranging from childhood stuff to more recent. I have shared some of the funny childhood ones, they write something like this:

1. I had the BIGGEST crush on my English teacher, Mr Taylor. He wore fashionable brown corduroy jeans (remember those?!!) and matching sweater and always a white shirt underneath! He was always smiling and always spoke politely to us, even the naughty kids. He would draw little faces in my book and make me giggle. I used to whispter to my friend, Susan about him and we would be huddled up in the corridor and look out for him. I was 8 years old and thought he was as important as the sunshine!

2. For a birthday my dad bought me a radio/cassette player that i'd been going mad for, I kicked in to record everyone and everything for some time afterwards...I even recorded my neighbour arguing with someone...when I listened back to it I realised it was not a good thing to have done and was so scared i'd be found out I hid the tape!! Why didn't I erase it? Well at 8 years old the imagination is erm...strange!! :)

3. On school photo day my mum sent me to school all prettied up wearing a handmade top and neatly brushed hair. I HATED the top and had secretly put another top on underneath it and took the top one off when I got to school. It didn't occur to me that she'd find out when she saw the proofs!!! Ok I was again, 8 years old...what an eventful time eh?!! Lol

4. Getting in late from school one day I knew I was 'in for it' (I mean 2 hours late and there were no mobile phones in those days) so to ease the pain I told my mum I was helping a teacher. Mum let me ramble on till I had exhausted the most colourful explanation of all time and grounded me for 2 days. I'm not sure if she knows I was at my friends house, even to this day! Perhaps I ought to tell her? Lol

5. I remember hiding someone's bike while he went in to get told of for something. The theory was it would stop his dad taking his bike off him for a punishment! He got grounded for longer AND his bike taken off him cos he went and said he lost it! Around this time I realised that secrets were hard...and often required telling a lie!!

6. I had a friend, we were about 14 and I knew she was into some serious bad stuff out of school, she was such a good person that I didn't quite believe it when she offered some stuff to me. I was far too much of a wuss to do anything like that but I kept her secret for the longest time. Looking back now I wish I hadn't, she died at the young age of 22 because of it. Totally tragic.

7. Going back to when I was a kid, we used to have one of those fold up trailers. My dad loved it and we were always off somewhere most weekends. One time I was so upset that we couldn't take our dog away with us that I hid him in it. By the time we got to wherever it was we were going the poor dog was almost dead! Boy was I in trouble!!

8. Not all my 'secrets' were troublesome, to this day I remember a crush I had, Darren, asking me if he could kiss me. I almost baled at this point, I was not only painfully shy but I just didn't kiss boys!! I let him in the end and I hated it, my crush was as good as over at that point. I'm just glad I was 7 years old and able to rewrite the memory...I could have been scarred for life!!! :)

9. My favourite secret of all time was Brian. Brian lived in our kitchen, between the washing machine and the sink unit. I would rush home from school every day and feed him, talk to him and hurry him along to a place I could see him at. Brian was my snail and I loved him. So I will never forgive my mother for squashing him flat!!! I was 11/12 and so mortified I cried for days!!

Updated: here is my offerings, I changed it from the original 18 mini envelopes to just 6, I looked like I have more secrets than boots! :)



So, what's your secret? Have you shared them, would you share them, do they need confession or are they just too funny to NOT stay a secret any longer?

{prompt # 8 ~ Tip of the Day}

Tip of the Day ~ what is your days 'tip'?

Today my Tip of the Day is 'Action' in the physical sense. I have promised myself for a while now that I would take regular rides on my bike without a destination in mind (except home of course!!) So as its looking to be a nice day today, I plan on taking Prince Charley round to Prinknash Abbey Park where we will get on our bikes and just follow the pathway with a lunch in our backpacks. The thing about going cycling (from what I remember!) is you are travelling at a slower pace enough to see whats around you, you cant speed on a pathway, especially with a 3 year old in tow! So taking in what is happening around me is a physical recharge I feel so in need of!

I cant upload any pictures yet as I'm on a different computer for a day or so and dont have the correct outlet or card reader...but I will catch up in the next few days.

In the mean time, share what your Tip of the Day is, what works for you, how, why, where and who with. Have fun!

{prompt # 7 ~ Revisit}

Revisit ~ What would you like to revisit? This could be something from your childhood, a holiday place, a moment in time with a family member or just a day that went just how you wanted it to go.

Again my contribution here is going in my journal, this is my offering:

My Revisit has to be the time recently when I came downstairs and heard jd and the kids talking. I sat on the bottom of the stairs listening to them, jd was doing dinner, Jay and Beth were doing what they do best...tease...Charley was being Charley and taking the dog prisoner and Kirsten was helping jd with his masterpiece (that boy can cook I tell ya!!). I sat with an armful of washing just feeling the gratitude for the natural, easy and willing relationships that are going on in my home, we share the lurve more times than we dont since being in this house, its like it has a magic spell on it! :) The eavesdropping I was doing was such a warm, fun and inspiring time for them and for me it was full of pride to hear the laughter and chat between them so easily getting along :) I love family moments when things just go right! :) I can revisit these moments over and over and I never get tired of remembering them!

What or where is your Revisited place?

{prompt # 6 ~ Easy Living}

Easy Living ~ Like the sound of that eh? Me too! If you are anything like me you are always on the look out for ideas and gadgets that make our lives easier, simpler, quicker without compromising the quality of the job done...I was thinking about what makes my 'Easy Living' happen on a regular basis, not necessarily daily but enough to prevent me breaking out into a sweat more than I need to!
I have decided to blog this prompt and add it to my personal journal, but here is basically what I came up with:

* My car ~ knowing that I can jump in it at the tip of the hat makes the difference when its raining and I have my 3 year old in tow. He loves to sit in the back, in his big boy seat and do his drawing on his specially made over lap table!
* Laptop ~ with so much that I have going on that's off and online, I can stop and start as I go through my fairy chores getting more jobs done from room to room as and when I think of it...neat eh?!!
*Remote control ~ I can imagine a few heads nodding to this one! :) When I sit down and watch some tv..which is about twice a week if i'm lucky these days..I love to have the remote in my hand, even though I know what i'm going to watch! :)
* Storage baskets ~ I have strategically placed small wicker baskets all over the house because I would frequently find that one or all of my kids would have something laying around that I know would soon turn into a scavenger hunt if I didn't know where they had put it, so I figured little baskets would be ideal to throw things in and it would soon become the perfect place for them to look (cos we know that 11 and 19 year olds just dont comprehend putting things away right?!!)
* Cash ~ now i'm all for using the debit card, dont do credit cards and don't much like carrying cash BUT i'm forever getting caught out for a £1 here and a £5 there so I read a tip somewhere to keep a set amount of change in the home for such times. Now I have a pretty little tin (covered by yours truly!) that I keep approx £15 in at any one time which gets refilled every month. So on the days my daughter decides on the bus instead of the car or bike like planned I'm not having to run round to the cash point and sweat my nads off for just £2!!
* Small compact hoover ~ for upstairs! I HATE heaving hoovers around so I invested in a small cheapy one to keep upstairs, reaches half way down the stairs and the one downstairs reaches half way up. Perfect!
* Toaster ~ cannot do without a real toaster!! :)
* Toastie maker ~ one of those breville machines are idea for kids lunches (or mine actually!), any filling can go in there, any combination and they are a hit for 3 year olds and a great gizmo to get them to eat! I sly in some vegetables with his cheese now and again and he dont notice either! :)
* File folder ~ I have hand made folders for a range of things to keep me doing what I should be doing, when I should be doing it. I have a work one for appointments, dates, deadlines, meetings, classes etc, one for general stuff like dentists, opticians and home stuff and another for my personal plans such as stuff I want to make, with the kids and alone. Then there's the dreaded to-do list which was so good that it's become a little folder of its own!! :)
* Craft knife ~ now I cant say i've sat and crafted for more than the odd hour here and there for a couple of weeks now but this lil gadget has been there in the moment of need when i've been out and about and had a sudden inspiration hit with some paper I was fiddling with...(trust me, you really dont wanna know why I had the craft knife to start with!!)
* Activity box ~ in the boot of my car I have learnt to keep a box of stuff for the kids for almost any occasion. Since moving into this house we have a tendancy to jump in the car at 5 minutes notice and just drive. Some days this has landed us in Weston, Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Cardiff. The box of stuff includes the regular colouring pages, crayons, hand held games, puzzles, cars, magazines and a cd player. Lately i've learnt to add some outdoor toys too, but thats another box of explanation!!
* Magic duster ~ I have a thing about spiders, I dont like to harm them but I dont see why they should hide out in my space either! So instead of battling with a glass and a piece of card I find that a magic duster on a stick is idea for getting them quicker and easier...just be sure the door is open first off so you can run for it!! :)

These are just some quick ideas I come up with, what makes for your Easy Living?

Edited to say: The timer on this post did not, for some reason i'm not sure of yet, publish the post when it should have, so apologies to those of you that kept checking in today!

{prompt # 5 ~ reflection}

Reflection ~ {ri-flek-shun}

1.	the act of reflecting or the state of being reflected.

2.	an image; representation; counterpart.

3.	a fixing of the thoughts on something; careful consideration.

4.	a thought occurring in consideration or meditation.

What are you reflecting in your life? In your day? In any given hour? What reflection makes you smile, frown, laugh, cry or just think? What kind of reflection do you do most of?

My reflection is on watching my 3 year old in the world around him, he has so much ahead of him, so much imagination, adventure and enthusiasm for new things. I reflect on his birth, his habits, his sense of humour and his intelligence for such a young age, I cant imagine a day without him chasing me round with the imaginary dinosaur thats going to 'get me'. One day he will reflect back and laugh at the stories I will tell him about his childhood!

My reflection offering is by way of a photo of my 3 year old beach dude collecting shells, oblivious to the world around him...though its stuck on my camera still...but i'll upload later! :)

Updated: My little dude intently concentrating on finding the tiny shells! :)



Whats your reflection?

New beginnings

It's almost time for the prompts to begin again! As of next Monday I shall start them again
It is going to be fun stuff coming along, I have lots of things I also intend on adding here, just for some fun and inspiration and in all honesty, to boost my own self a bit after the trials of late. So come and indulge yourself and me and lets get this prompt thing in full swing...:)
Have a great day!

{prompt #4 ~ password to you}

Password to you
This should get your thinking heads going a bit! I had a fast flow of angles and thoughts on this one when I thought about it.
I have done this prompt as a layout but as yet I am on about my 4th attempt because I'm not sure what angle to take it from...so far i've listed some of the following...

• scrapbooking ~ my relaxation, always chills me out and gets me thinking about all sorts of things
• family home evening ~ I spent spiritual time with my kids one night a week and even though we focus on a gospel principle we find some fun in it all and it makes my heart swell from pure pride when I listen and watch them together
• I love you ~ these three words can bring me to my knees! The emotion from a child is more than most adults ever convey
• Jaffa cakes ~ now this, I will wrestle with almost anyone for, though now i'm watching what I eat I almost feel like I should be in counselling!! Lol
• a text from my sister with 3 little words, as a grown woman who is not generally open in this way it means more to me than anything
• an unexpected phone call or letter from someone I dont see often, it just warms the cockles of my heart
• listening to my 3 yr old laughing his heart out whilst he's playing with our dog
• watching the sun come up (ok it doesn't happen very often but it has happened!!) I feel an optimism for the day
  
• going to the hairdressers and nail tech knowing that when I come out I am going to feel more confident about myself
• getting that £35 pair of boots!! (see yesterdays prompt!)
  

I think its safe to say we all have passwords that reach deep inside us, most of mine are more emotional (ok the Jaffa Cakes may be on the borderline there but its VERY emotional in my books!!!) but they dont have to be.

What is your password?

{prompt #3 ~ What Ranking are You?}

What ranking are you? This made me chuckle when I read in it an article lately and found it wasn't about our jobs it was in comparison to the home...like a dog has a pecking order, we apparently do too...and I got thinking...where do I rank in my home? Well a while ago I would have said at the bottom of the heap but now i'm not so sure....so I say I rank 2nd....here's why...and i'm blogging todays prompt.

I rank 2nd in my house because

• before I can buy those £35 pair of boots I have my eye on I have to ensure the kids are clothed.
• before I consider booking that weekend away I need to check the bills are paid
• before I race off to buy some scrapbooking supplies I need to check the kids dont need anything
• before I go lay in the garden I need to know the house is clean and tidy
• before I go to bed I have to straighten up the cushions and wash the last cup in the sink
• before I make my bed I have to say my prayer

Whichever way I go I'm going to be second, so now i'm in therapy to learn how to accept that i'll never be #1!! Haha Joke!! :)

Enjoy!

{prompt #2 ~ Food - What Style are You?}

Food - What is your style?
There’s a new movement brewing – eat locally. But what’s the importance of eating food grown and produced locally? There are plenty of great reasons to eating local – from conserving energy to supporting local economies. But the best benefit lies in developing a new, authentic, and richly rewarding relationship between your body and food.
Share with us what your style of eating is, what your favourite foods and recipes are. Maybe your style has carried on from your childhood or maybe you are so healthy you put the rest of us to shame! :)
My layout will be along later :)

Have fun!

{prompt #1 ~ Creative Visualisation}

Creative visualisation is a technique that uses your imagination to explore what you want in your life. Using your imagination, create a clear image or idea of something that you wish to manifest. Then you continue to focus on the image, feeling or idea regularly, giving it positive energy until it becomes reality. In other words, until you actually manifest or achieve your goals.

If, like me, you got into The Secret and Law of Attraction you will see how creative visualisation works...its not restricted to any one area of our lives, its directed to any and all areas. Creative visualisation is my back up tool when I am in a failing situation...such as when the alarm goes off and I am not ready to wake up! I visualise something fun or productive I want to do that day and without quite realising it i'm more willing to get out my bed. (wow did I really just say that?!!)

So open your mind and tell us what YOUR Creative Visualisation is...it could range from a new car to a career change, a holiday to a stronger spiritual self. Nothing is too small or too far away to aim for.....

Here is my Creative Visualisation:

My Creative Visualisation is an eternal one for my family and me....a visual that I sometimes lose sight of or find impossible that i'll ever achieve...but to have the goal, visualise the goal and endure with it will bring me closer to achieving it!! :)

See you tomorrow! :)

Daily Prompts ~ A Bit o' Fun!

A while back I used to take part in a UkS blog prompt almost every day, but with one thing and another I lost track and didn't bother catching up or even checking in anymore. However, since then I have used a similar line of thinking to produce some layouts and mini books, especially when I'm teaching one of my groups.

I thought it would be nice to introduce it here...there's no pressure, it doesn't have to be done every day only when you want to. You can scrapbook the prompt, photo your interpretation of it or blog about it...whatever you want! :)

The first one will be along Monday morning sometime. Anyone that wants to take part is more than welcome, and if you leave a comment I will go to your blog or gallery (remember to leave a link!) and leave a comment in return!

What I like about this kind of thing is not only the fun and inspiration of fulfilling the challenge but the cyber interaction, chats and friends that build up from it. So many people who love blogs, crafts and the like is a great way to meet fun peeps!! So tell ya mates and watch out on Monday for #1! :)