Are you ready to play?  We have a Scraplift Challenge to help get those juices flowing! Take a look below and get inspired, twist, turn, choose any W&W kit and create away!  Remember this is only an inspiration, your layout does NOT have to look EXACTLY like this.

Remember your layout must be:
1. 80% of WW Goodies
2. Upload your pages to the WW Challenge Gallery
3. Post back here *or* at the WW Challenge Forum with a link to your page by Sunday

Remember you receive a Petal Point for participating.

I was so inspired when I saw the layout done by one of Gina’s CTs immaculeah.  I just love the simplicity of this layout, but what an impact it made.

Here is my try at scraplifting her beautiful layout.

Have fun weedsters,

UPDATE: Could everyone that posts in the comments, please put your username too that you use in the W&W area so that we can post the correct Petal Points to everyone. Thanks!!!

So sorry this challenge is a day late today, but yesterday life simply got in the way!

This week I’m going to concentrate on composition. When snapping  a photo, don’t just click, rather think first and move your camera around to get the best & also most interesting composition.

The challenge for this week is to concentrate on using an object in your image as a frame. There are so many objects that form natural frames when you look through the lens. Try using things like doorways, windows, trees, architectural details. Compose your photo by placing the “frame” around the edges of your photo to frame the subject and draw attention to it.

Take a look at Melissa’s photo she submitted for the B&W Challenge in January. Isn’t this just the cutest “framed” photo? The window frames the subjects perfectly. I also love that the window here is off centre and allows you to see the lovely pattern and texture of the wall in the shot too.

For some more inspiration, take a look HERE

So now grab that faithful camera and before you push down on the shutter, look for something interesting to frame your subject.

Post your photos in the Challenge Gallery and the leave a link HERE so that you can gain a 1/4 Petal Point this week (one point for every 4 photo challenges you submit for).

This challenge closes on Wednesday 10 February at 11:59pm EST.

Have a great weekend!

Hello Weedsters! Hope you’re having a great time playing with Gina’s new Sweet and Simple kit #2. Don’t forget that it’s on sale right now for 20% off. If you’ve still got your eye on the January Sweet and Simple LIFE materials, be sure to check out the shoppe– they’re on sale 20-35% off right now as well!

I have a freebie for you from the Sweet and Simple Set #2 for you below, but first I wanted to announce a couple of our recent LO challenge winners. Check out these fabulous pages!

The winner of the 2010 recipe challenge was MarketaP’s “Snow Adventure.”

And the winner of the All About Me challenge was Debio’s “Me.”

Congratulations! Both ladies earn a bonus Petal Point in addition to the Petal Point awarded to everyone who participates. Thank you everyone for playing along with these challenges– we LOVE seeing your work in our gallery!

And now I have a little treat from you. Blanulak used the new Sweet and Simple set #2 to make a quick page to share with you all. It’s based on this lovely LO, “Tree of Love.”

You can download the QP here.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Cheers!

Hello Weedsters! Paula here and I could not believe my eyes this morning when I opened up my internet and saw all of Gina’s fabulous *NEW* products in the shoppe!!! Here they are:

This February S&S kit is so full of LOVE! Look at all of these fun little goodies just waiting to be added to your pages:

And don’t forget the beautiful coordinating papers - how fun are these?

Not much time to scrap - check out the S&S 3/4 & 7 photo pages where Gina has already done all of the work for you. These are NOT quickpages - everything is completely moveable and you can add/delete things to suite your needs. Check them out!

Or if you like - what about just the S&S February 2010 templates? Gina has both 3/4 & 7 photo for you.

Gina has also put the January kit and S&S pages on sale for those of you who have not jumped on the Life 365 bandwagon - now is your chance to “buy-in” at the sale price.

So GO! Head over to The SHOPPE and check all of these out. Happy shopping! 

Also, don’t forget to quickly post your January pages to be eligable for a coupon for the February pages. Go HERE to post your pages!

Have a great day, go take a picture & then happy scrappin’!

PS> If you’re still reading this - Gina wants to show her LOVE to one special weedster. Leave her some love and you’ll be entered to win some free February products. Please leave her some love by Tuesday 11:59pm EST.

PPS> After using a random number generator: CONGRATS TO NOELLE FOR WINNING THE RANDOM CONTEST!

Hello Weedsters!  Heidi here with a quick note.

Life has been crazy busy for me as I started a new full-time job around Christmas time.  I now find myself counting down the days until the weekend and taking my pictures for LIFE 365 has become a real challenge to say the least.  But I have plugged along, even bringing my camera to work with me and taking pictures of my workspace when I have nothing else to photograph! I loved documenting the bits and pieces of my life last year and I’m committed to doing the same this year!

I have had a few requests for an updated version of my LIFE 365 Stamp-It set for 2010 so here you go!

This set includes:

• 12-2010 month date stamps with coordinating numbers
• 4 various date stamps with coordinating numbers
• 6 coordinating journaling stamps
• 2 “week of” stamps
• .abr file of ALL stamps in kit

Use it to mark the date on your Sweet & Simple LIFE 365 pages, or any of your scrapbook pages for that matter!  The journaling spots are perfect for a variety of uses!  PLUS, ALL of the stamps are also given to you to use as brushes!  I’ve loved using these stamps throughout the year and am very happy to give you this updated version!

As a matter of fact, leave a comment here about your weekend plans and we’ll use the random number generator to pick 2 people to receive a free set of the Stamp-It 2010!

Have a great weekend and happy scrapping!
Heidi

Hi there! Sorry this is a little later than usual, but I’ve had bit of a busy day. My car’s central locking system literally blew a fuse so I had to go get that fixed as there’s no way I could go anywhere and leave the car unlocked. Then of course this afternoon was me playing mom’s taxi (as usual).

Hope you’re all having a good week and keeping up with taking your photos. I’m very motivated this year and determined to keep up. What better way to keep up than with some photo inspiration?

This week we’re going to get QUIRKY! Let’s do something a bit different! Take a photo of someone but break some rules and add some fun! Try to make it more than just a photo – make it depict a memory, let the photo tell a story or simply use a different perspective.

• Challenge Rule 1 : Your photo must have a person (or persons) in it.
• Challenge Rule 2:  Make it Quirky and unusual.

Don’t you love photos that make you take another glance? Photos that just have something different in them that catches and holds your eye. Remember it’s still a photo for your 365 Project, so make it something that’s still personal to you and a photo that you like.

Here are a few ideas to spark your imagination:

• Take a photo from an unusual ANGLE. You can turn your camera;  take a shot while lying down on the ground or standing on a ladder; get down to your subjects’ level…
• Leave some BLANK SPACE on your photo. Place your subject to the side of your photo, leaving around 2/3rds of the photo “blank”. That is, with an uncomplicated background. This is an ideal spot for journaling or adding a quote.
• Take a photo of a PORTION of a person! You don’t have to have the whole face in the shot or even the whole body. Focus on the hands, or the feet or the eyes. This combined with an unusual angle could make for a fabulous photo.

One thing to keep in mind when taking unusual photos like this is – remember where you want the focus. For e.g. If you want to emphasize someone’s hands, for instance, then focus the camera on the hands so that they are crisp, while the rest of the image is slightly out of focus. Play with the depth of field.

Tip: To get a subject in focus, but to the side of our image (not right in the middle where your camera focuses) , first focus on the subject by pressing down on the camera’s shutter half way until it is in focus, then keeping your finger on the shutter, move the camera so your subject is where you want them in the image. Now press all the way down. Voilà!

A sharp busy background can also be distracting when photographing people, so concentrate on focusing on the subject. Make your subject stand out by either having very little in the background, or by making sure your background is blurred and your subject is clear and crisp.

Don’t just point and shoot, think about what you are photographing.

Although not a portrait, here’s an example showing Depth of Field, where I focused on a Bonsai in the foreground, with the hint of a blurred watering can in the background. This is also an example of chopping the subject off, only showing a portion of it.

Here’s another one I took of a giraffe drinking at a waterhole. Fortunately we were parked in just the right spot and the giraffe conveniently bent down and drank. I simply seized the opportunity! I love this angle- the giraffe looks so awkward!

I’ll post some quirky portrait photos of my own too once I have tied my little subjects down long enough to take a pic or two! I’m hoping to grab a chance tomorrow.

Hope you enjoy the challenge.

Take a peek HERE to see how the challenge works and how you can earn your petal points! Remember to post a link in the forum HERE to your photo in the Challenge Gallery.

Hi, it’s Weed Girl, Carol, here with a little Valentine Freebie for you. Can you believe it is so close to February? It just seems like yesterday that I made (and broke) my New Year’s resolutions.  To celebrate that lovely romantic holiday that is coming up soon, I created this Valentine desktop using the Counting the Ways I Love You kit and the coordinating, Pieces of My Heart, paper.  This kit, by Heidi Williams, was inspired by paper bag albums. It includes quick pages as well as “blank” pages and elements. You can add and customize to your heart’s content! The Pieces of Heart paper, by Gina Marie Huff coordinates with the kit.   

               Both are just perfect for your Valentine scrapping.

You can grab the freebie  Here (1280 x 800) or Here (1024 x 768)

Enjoy!

Iowan

Hi everyone,

Kate here to bring you a template challenge.  It’s a VERY simple one, but the challenge to you is to make it your own.  You can flip it, rotate it, add embellishments, more photos, whatever you like, or leave it just as it is, it’s up to you, that’s the beauty of templates!

Here is the template:

and here is the LO I used to base it on

Grab the template here and don’t forget to upload your LO to the challenge gallery and also in the forum to earn a petal point.

This challenge will run for TWO WEEKS until the end of Sunday 7th February 2010.

Use at least 80% of W&W goodies.

The W&W CT will vote for their favorite and the winner will win an EXTRA Petal Point.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

It’s Photo Prompt time again.

Last week the challenge was Black & White Photography. There were some really amazing photographs! Thanks so much for sending your photos in. You will each receive a Petal Point for participating in our FIRST photo prompt challenge for 2010. I used a Random Number Generator and the lucky number is …..number 8 aka- Bretta! So you will receive an extra petal Point.

Here’s Bretta’s gorgeous Black & White photograph…

It has been raining here again where I live, and the ground is so wet and muddy. It is cooler today and still humid. So I decided to allow the rain to inspire the challenge for this week. Your challenge is…..WATER! You can do anything you like, but your photograph must have something to do with WATER. Try to come up with an unusual way to photograph it. Spray water over some flowers and photograph the drops on the petals, or let your kids jump in puddles (if you have puddles!) and photograph the splashes. Photograph that tap in your kitchen that won’t stop dripping.. The ideas are endless and with interesting lighting, you could create some gorgeous photography. Use your imagination and have some fun!

How the challenge works…

Every Thursday, I will add a Photo Prompt here for the week. Sometimes this will include a photography tutorial or tip – so do remember to pop in. You can then upload your photos to the CHALLENGE GALLERY and then post a link to your photo HERE in the forum.

Last week, everyone received a Petal Point as a treat as it was our first Prompt. Each month you need to participate in each and every Photo Prompt Challenge for the month in order to gain one Petal Point.

For January, you must have participated last week and you must participate in the last two prompts for the month (this week and next week) as well in order to qualify for the Petal Point. So get those cameras out and snap away!

All the entries from the Photo Prompt Challenge for the month (whether you’ve participated every week or not) will be entered into the Random Number Generator and ONE lucky number will win an EXTRA Petal Point.

Once you’ve accumulated 10 Petal Points (from all the Challenges here at W&W), you qualify for a $10 gift certificate from the shoppe!

Have fun playing with water! Just don’t get your camera wet!

Hey Weedsters!!!

I am happy to bring you the Weeds & Wildflowers Monday COLOR challenge!!!

I am getting into painting at a local studio where they teach step by step how to paint paintings that we pick online before going to the class! This is one of her pieces she is offering this month I love the colors; so that is what inspired this color challenge :) I look forward to seeing what Weeds masterpiece you make with them!

and before I sign off, a little inspiration from our some of our fantastic site gals!

from Iowan:

from Tiff:

and now for the extra fun!!!

Post your layout in the Challenge Gallery and post a link to your layout HERE so you can collect a Petal Point. Work up to 10 Petal Points and receive a $10 Gift Certificate to the Weeds and Wildflowers Shoppe!

REMEMBER here are the basic rules in order to earn your Petal Points:

This challenge will run for TWO WEEKS until the end of Sunday 31 January 2010.

It is essential you use the colors here in your layout!

Don’t forget to post your layout in the challenge gallery and again in the forum linked above!

Use at least 80% of W&W goodies.

We will then ask the W&W CT to vote for their favorite and the winner will win an EXTRA Petal Point- so 2 for the winner but 1 for everyone who plays along!!!

Have a great week and thank you for being a part of the Weeds & Wildflowers community!!!

(((hugs)))