Posts Tagged ‘scrapbooking’

Scavenging My Scrap Basket – Creativity Prompt

Monday, March 8th, 2010

My scrap basket is a disgrace. I seem to only use it one way – dumping more and more bits and pieces inside. I have scraps of papers from companies that no longer exist… (not that it’s that difficult in our economy, but I am talking about Chatterbox and the like…).

A scrap basket isn’t supposed to act as a burial place for broken 12 by 12 sheets… It is supposed to live symbiotically with the rest of the supply. Complete and enrich each other.

This is not the case, unfortunately.

My total lack of time drives me repeatedly to my stash of paper pads and loose leaf papers because it is easier, fresher, more approachable. Not the most economically and environmentally friendly way of working with papers… I know.

Sometimes I am determined to work with my scraps, and I usually love the result but it doesn’t happen frequently enough.

This weekend I felt like pulling out my scrap basket and see what treasures I can find inside, here is what I made -

Sunshine Boys Layout
Supply


Patterned papers: Black River, Sassafras, Chatterbox.

Letter stickers: American Crafts, Making Memories.

Embellishments: Paper frills by Doodlebug Designs, buttons by We R Memory Keepers, Crochet flowers – handmade.

Journaling tag: Creativity Prompt.

Tools: Tim Holtz (Tiny Attacher + Scissors), We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper.

Goodog Layout
Supply


Patterned papers: Black River, KI Memories.

Cardstock & letter stickers: American Crafts.

Embellishments: Ribbon: American craft (orange), Other (lace). Chipboard accents: Making Memories. Jewels: Basic Grey.

Journaling tag: Creativity Prompt.

Tools: Tim Holtz. (I absolutely love the Tiny attacher. I was skeptic at first, but it goes through the chipboard like butter)

Home Field Layout
Supply


Patterned papers: vintage textbook paper.
Cardstock: Bazzill (dark brown) DCWV (red).

Letter stickers: American Crafts, Doodlebug Designs; White gel pen: Uniball Signo.

Punches: Martha Stewart (Heart + Doily Lace), Fiskars (Threading Water + Scallop Sentiment), Other: Small heart.

Journaling tag: Creativity Prompt (will be posted soon).

Other: colored pencils (Prisma)

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Have you been working with your paper scraps lately? What relationship do you have with your scrap basket/ drawer/ tray? Please share and leave a comment.

If you have any question, suggestion or remark – don’t hesitate to contact me – either leave a comment here, use the contact form or start a new thread on the Creativity Prompt Flickr Group!!!

I would also be very happy to see your own creations, so don’t be shy and share :)


Make Your Own Planner Workshop
This year you can really make your dream come true!

“Capture Your Dream” workshop is a self-paced, six weeks long workshop, that will walk you through a journey of capturing your biggest dream and making it come true.

In the process of making your dream happen – with lots of inspiration and guided self-exploration, you will also create a mixed media mini album from scratch and learn many tips and techniques – including some photography pointers that will add character to your photos and will help you take better pictures of your projects.


The workshop includes 30 printable PDF lessons with step-by-step pictures and instructions as well as several printable templates you may use in other projects too.

I am confident you will enjoy it and find it helpful so I also offer full money back guarantee while the workshop lasts.






Experiment With Color On Your Layouts – Creativity Prompt

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

Experiment With Color On Your Layouts

I am a great believer in the power of the written word. In fact, only recently I’ve urged you to write as if your next word will be your last. However, there comes a time when you just need to play. Remind yourself what is it that you love so much? Why do your fingers tingle? Why does your heart beat so hard when you stumble upon a pile of ink pads and paint mists?

Unleash your creative child and experiment with colors. Reveal the artist within you!

In the layout above I did just that. I experimented and played and had fun. Here is how I did it:

Tools & Supply

Step-By-Step Instructions

  1. Cut the smooth cardstock to 2″ by 5″ strips.
  2. Stamp the petticoat pattern all over the strip with Versamark ink and emboss with a clear embossing powder, using the heat tool.
  3. Squeeze the distress ink pads on a craft sheet and mist with plain water until the ink bubbles up. Then lay your strips – stamped side down – on the wet ink and move it around. Use the heat tool to dry and set the ink.
  4. Spray the strips with the water-diluted pearl medium and with the glimmer mist and blot down the excess ink with a paper towel.
  5. Intensify the color by using the distress inks directly on the strips with the foam blending tool. Work in a circular motion, from the outside in. Use darker colors on the edges of the strips. Wipe the strips with a paper towel or a baby wipe to emphasize the embossed pattern.
  6. Dip your finger in clean water and flip it over the strips. The distress ink will react to the water and spread out. It will create a vintagey worn-wallpaper look. Once you get the affect you want, immediately dry it out with a heat tool to avoid farther spreading of the ink.
  7. Once the strips are completely dry, stamp over them with the rest of the stamps, using Versamark ink and emboss with a black embossing powder. For the Chandelier’s cord I used a glue pen and poured the embossing powder over it.
  8. Attach the strips to the bottom of your cardstock, about an inch from the edge, centered and evenly spaced from each other. (I used both a tape runner and some glue dots.)
  9. Adhere the red mat (11″ by 6½”) above the paper strips.
  10. Adhere the photo on the left edge of the mat, evenly spaced from all 3 adjacent edges.
  11. Assemble your long title with the letter stickers.
  12. Hand draw an outline around the mat with a white gel pen and don’t forget to write down the date.
  13. Use the foam blending tool to ink up the edges of your background cardstock with the Fired Brick distress ink by Rangers.

How was your play time?

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If you have any question, suggestion or remark – don’t hesitate to contact me – either leave a comment here, use the contact form or start a new thread on the Creativity Prompt Flickr Group!!!

I would also be very happy to see your own creations, so don’t be shy and share :)



Make Your Own Planner Workshop
Check out “Make Your Own Planner” workshop for an affordable monthly and weekly planner in a workshop that keeps on giving…



Creativity Prompt – Make a Hybrid Board Book

Friday, November 13th, 2009

Hybrid Board BookThis time I revisit an oldie, but a goodie – the altered board book.

This week there is a twist – I am going hybrid.

That means that part of the book is designed digitally and part of it – traditionally. Together it’s a great mix of new & old.

Using digital elements, such as patterned papers, word art and other digital embellishments helps in keeping a theme and a color scheme for the book. If you want to make this book as a gift, in multiples, then starting on your computer also allows you to include all your journaling on the pages and then printing them either once or a million times, with no extra effort.

Cool, huh?

Tools & Supply

How To


[Watch on You Tube]

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Start this project on the computer. Open your photo editing software and either crop or resize the digital patterned papers to the same width and height of your board book.

    Don’t forget to count the spine while making the pages for the cover, leave a gap the same width as your spine between them.
  2. Print your pages on cardstock. Plain paper won’t be opaque over the altered pages of the board book.

    Use the borderless printing setting, otherwise the printer will scale down your images to allow a white border around them and it’ll distort your measurement.
  3. Start working on the cover – trim off the excess paper and score your spine’s fold lines to get crisp creases. You may also go over the folds again with the bone folder, for an even crisper look.
  4. Adhere the cover by applying a generous layer of glue stick on the board book cover and burnish with a brayer. Let dry.
  5. In the meantime, start cutting the pages and your photos and any other digital element you have printed (word art, embellishments, journaling tags, etc.)
  6. Once the glue has dried, turn your page around and cut off the excess with a very sharp craft knife. If you get uneven edges, you can file them down with sand paper.
  7. Repeat the same process with the rest of the pages: adhere, go over it with a brayer, let dry and trim off the excess.

    Make sure you trim off the edges of a page before adhering the printed cardstock to the other side.
  8. Some ideas for embellishing your mini altered book:

    • Adhere your titles with foam pop-dots to give some extra dimension.
    • Stick to one type of embellishment (buttons in my case) to maintain cohesion.
    • Use different sizes of pen tips to create interesting handmade word art.
    • Outline your pictures, letter stickers and other elements with your journaling pen to anchor them to the page and add dimension.
    • Using 3D embellishments can make dents in your photos, so make sure both pages have the same “elevation” so the elements won’t touch the pictures themselves.
    • Have fun!!!

Hybrid Board BookHybrid Board BookHybrid Board BookHybrid Board Book

Hybrid Board BookHybrid Board BookHybrid Board Book

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If you have any question, suggestion or remark – don’t hesitate to contact me – either leave a comment here, use the contact form or start a new thread on the Creativity Prompt Flickr Group!!!

I would also be very happy to see your own creations, so don’t be shy and share :)



Make Your Own Planner Workshop
Check out the new “Make Your Own Planner” workshop and you may solve this year’s holiday gift shopping problem. An affordable workshop that keeps on giving…



Freebie – Printable Journaling Labels

Friday, October 30th, 2009

What can I say? Life happens.

I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but for the past 3 months my husband and I have decided to transform our lives into healthier ones. Non of us was really heavy but we were gaining weight – little by little – and feeling bad, both physically and emotionally.

Weight can really creep up on you. From being a skinny teenager that eats chocolate non stop and only seem to get smaller, you become an adult that can gain weight from merely standing in close proximity to food. That’s life.

So we took control over our bodies, started eating healthier (that doesn’t mean less food. It means healthier, more nutritious food) and we wake up each day at 6:30 a.m. and go together to the gym for a strenuous workout that includes both aerobic and weight training.

We see results. GREAT results (especially my beautiful husband).

But every once in a blue moon we have a day in which we feel more tired and energy-less than usual.

This is such a day. So there will be no free tutorial this week.

HOWEVER – I am not missing a tutorial without leaving something nice for you guys instead. So I am including a freebie printable journaling labels for my fabulous readers to play with (right click on the link and opt for the ’save link as…” option).

Just print on cardstock and cut out with scissors. I used cream colored cardstock and it looked great on it.

Print as many as you want for personal use only.

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If you print out and use these labels please leave a comment and tell me if you liked them. Thank you!




New Workshop: Make Your Own Planner

Monday, October 26th, 2009

Make Your Own Planner

I am excited to announce my latest self-paced workshop. In this workshop you will make your own planner for 2010.

The workshop will provide you step-by-step instructions to complete the beautiful planner you see above – all at the comfort of your own home. You will also get a full planner kit I designed, in both JPG and PDF files for instant download. I will walk you through the process of putting the planner together, however you will have to handle all the “wow!” you’ll hear yourself.

The planner’s pages are elegant and appeal to any taste. The page templates include:

  • Monthly and weekly planner pages.
  • Shopping list.
  • To do list.
  • A page for information you wish to remember.
  • A page designed especially for sketching creative ideas you come up with throughout the day.

Planner 2010 Planner 2010Planner 2010

For only $10.95, less than a price of one designer planner, you will get a beautiful, meticulously designed planner kit. Not only that, but you may also use the kit to create planners for your friends, family and colleagues – a great handmade and affordable present for the coming holidays. You may also alter the JPG files, change their color, add or subtract elements and personalize it with a photo editing program.




What Else Will You Get?

The segments of the workshop are jam packed with tips and suggestions on how to harness your creativity for customizing the planner and make it uniquely yours. You will also find clear and concise step-by-step instructions, paired with large colorful pictures of each and every step – leaving all the guesswork out of the equation.

Immediately after registering to the workshop, you will gain access to the entire kit for instant download. You will also receive the first segment with an introduction and a complete tools and supply list. Note: all the tools and supplies are pretty basic and can be found at your local craft and office supply store. For your convenience, the list contains links to recommended online stores that sell these products.

The following three segments will be delivered to your inbox every day. Just enough time to allow you to complete the former segment without overwhelming you with all the information at once.

In a span of 4 days, you will get all the workshop material and complete your planner (depending on your preferred way to print out the planner kit).

As always I offer each member full support and encouragement.

P.S.: You are going to love this planner… OR your money back!

I am so confident you will absolutely love the planner you’ll make, that I am offering a full money back guarantee. If you are not fully satisfied with the workshop, just send me an e-mail and I will refund 100% of your purchase – no questions asked.




The Details

  • Price: only USD 10.95.
  • Duration: Self paced.
    Instant download of kit and complete delivery of workshop segments in a span of 4 days.
  • Contents:

    • 17 JPG files
    • 10 PDF printable documents
    • 4 workshop segments in PDF file format
  • Special features:

    • Members only forum.
    • Step-by-step photos and written instructions.
    • Unlimited personal use of the planner kit: make as many planners as you’d like.




Creativity Prompt – Make A SIMPLE Fabric Covered Mini Album

Friday, October 9th, 2009

A SIMPLE Fabric Covered Mini AlbumFor this week’s project you don’t even need cardstock. It’s as simple and easy as it gets…

All you need is a batch of 4″ by 6″ photos, a 5″ by 6″ piece of chipboard and a fabric scrap.

Is that all? Yes. That. Is. All.

In my album I gathered pictures from 5 different apartments my husband has lived at (in 5 different continents). There is one common denominator in each photo – my husband is completely absorbed in his computer. I named the mini album: “Nadav’s Playground”…

If you have a few photos that tell a story and you wish to compile them in this cute album you can carry around or gift to a dear one, than read on.

Tools & Supply

How To


Watch on You Tube [Music is by Josh Woodward with permission]

Step By Step Instructions

  1. Cut 2 pieces of chipboard at 2½” by 6″ each.
  2. Fold each photo in half lengthwise (into 2″ by 6″).
  3. Adhere half of each photo to the next with glue stick – back to back – to create a photo booklet. Go over it with a brayer to eliminate air bubbles or glue bumps.
  4. Lay your chipboard pieces over the left side of the fabric scrap. Leave a gap between the 2 chipboard pieces. The gap should be as thick as the booklet’s spine.
  5. Adhere the chipboard to the fabric with glue stick as laid before.
  6. Trim off the excess fabric. Leave a 2″ edge all around the chipboard pieces.
  7. Cut the corners of the fabric, but leave a small gap for a neat fold later.
  8. Adhere the fabric flaps to the chipboard with glue stick. Use a brayer to ensure the adhesion.
  9. Adhere the booklet to the cover with glue stick.
  10. Embellish! (Although the American Crafts letter stickers are self adhered, I added a dab of strong liquid glue to make sure they stay put. TIP - I ran out of some of the letters so I switched on my creative half. The ‘N’ is actually a trimmed ‘M’ and one of the ‘A’s is an ‘at’ sign – which goes well with the computers theme.)


A SIMPLE Fabric Covered Mini AlbumA SIMPLE Fabric Covered Mini Album
A SIMPLE Fabric Covered Mini AlbumA SIMPLE Fabric Covered Mini Album

I want to share with you one of my favorite pictures from this mini album. It was taken here at our apartment in California. Note the pasta on his lap and the computer on the dinner table…

My husband's passion for anything computer-wise

Isn’t that a memory to cherish?

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If you have any question, suggestion or remark – don’t hesitate to contact me – either leave a comment here, use the contact form or start a new thread on the Creativity Prompt Flickr Group!!!

I would also be very happy to see your own creations, so don’t be shy and share :)

Creativity Prompt – How To make A Double Accordion Brag Book

Friday, June 26th, 2009

How To make An Accordion Brag BookFor this week I have a 5-minute-project for you. An adorable little brag book with a fun foam cover that makes it extra “snugglable”.

It is cute. It is easy. It is super, light-speed, quick and it is made with very inexpensive materials. The perfect project.

Put a 2″ by 3″ photo with a 1″ by 3″ piece of patterned paper or journaling strip on each page for the quickest scrapbook ever.

Tools & Supply

How To


Step by Step Instructions

  1. Cut fun foam to 3½” by 9½”.
  2. Cut 2 cardstock strips of 3″ by 12″ each.
  3. Score each strip at 3″, 6″ & 9″. You can just align your score lines with the 3″ mark on your paper trimmer.
  4. Fold your score lines – once up and once down – to create an accordion fold.
  5. Adhere the folded cardstock strips to the fun foam with a double sided adhesive. Optional - Before attaching each cardstock strip, you can add a strip of ribbon to it – just align the middle of the ribbon with the center point of the back of the cardstock and adhere to the fun foam. Tie the ends of the ribbon in a bow to make sure your accordion fold stays put.
  6. Find the center of the fun-foam cover’s flap with the grid ruler and mark 1″ on each side. Cut along these marks all the way to the bottom of the flap and snip off the ends.
  7. Adhere the velcro or magnetic snaps to the flap. To make sure the aligning is perfect, adhere both parts of the velcro while they’re attached together and then peel off the backing and close the flap. To allow some room for bulky embellishments, make sure you don’t close the flap too snag.

Accordion Brag Book Accordion Brag Book Accordion Brag Book


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If you have any question, suggestion or remark – don’t hesitate to contact me – either leave a comment here, use the contact form or start a new thread on the Creativity Prompt Flickr Group!!!

I would also be very happy to see your own creations, so don’t be shy and share :)


Reminder

Only a few more days left for the early bird’s admission to “Capture Your Dream“. Don’t miss the special offer of only $14.95 for 30 downloadable lessons!!! (LESS THAN 50 CENTS PER LESSON)

Workshop - Capture your Dream

Creativity Prompt – Going Back To Scrapbooking Basics

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Going Back To Scrapbooking Basics: photos and cardstockEvery once in a while when I feel the muse is playing hide-and-seek I like to take a step backward, get rid of all the fluff and go back to the basics. The same applies to scrapbooking.

The industry is flooded with beautiful products and tools. Wonderful papers, inks, stamps, embellishments, die-cuts and so on and so forth. Design team members are making layouts that can be presented in art galleries. Little by little, the wonderful hobby of putting together a scrapbook to tell our stories is becoming a tedious chore with a lot of pressure involved.

I am sorry to say that I have heard many creative people deciding to give up scrapbooking altogether. Some did it knowingly and some just don’t get to it anymore because of all the work and pressure involved… Isn’t it a shame?

Pressure and high expectations are known foes of our inner creative child. They practically eliminate our creativity and drive our muse away.

Therefore for this week’s creativity prompt, I prod you to go back to scrapbooking basics. Make a layout with only your photos and cardstock and nothing else. Preferably without using any fancy tools as well.

This is how I did it -

Tools & Supply

Tips

  • Use the grid on your cutting mat and ruler to align and cut elements to size without measuring. Just align the edge with the marks on the grid for a fool-proof straight-cutting and even positioning.
  • You can also use the grid ruler to draw perfect frames around any element. Align the edge of your element with the grid and trace with a marker.
  • Emboss your journaling surface (either a tag or the background cardstock itself) to create subtle journaling guidelines.
  • Vary the tip size of the markers you use to add instant graphic interest to your journaling design.
  • DON’T FORGET THE STORY.
  • Most importantly – don’t fiddle with your layout. Know when to call it done and move forward to the next story. HINT – Perfection is NOT the criteria…

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How are you going back to scrapbooking basics? When was the last time you only pulled out your photos and cardstock?

Leave a comment on this post and share!

Workshop - Capture your Dream

New Workshop: Capture Your Dream

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Workshop - Capture your Dream

Capture your dream is a self paced workshop designed to help you identify your dream, capture it in a beautiful handmade mini-album and pave your way to make your dream come true.

In this workshop you will complete a mixed-media mini-album, which you will create from scratch with things you have lying around in your house or things you can find in your local craft or office supply store.

Each project is propped up by a pdf file with clear step-by-step instructions, packed with valuable tips and techniques and backed with supporting photos.

As always the inspiration and journaling prompts are going to make you think and ponder. You will get fantastic insights not only to your deepest dream but also to the means of making it happen.

Boosted with inspiration prompts, stimulating journaling and motivated by meaningful creative projects, you will capture your dream and follow it toward realization.




“Capture Your Dream” will show you…

  • How to make your own fabric covered and embroidered mini-album.
  • How to use different mediums for your album’s pages (i.e. felt, transparency, cardstock and more.)
  • Different ways to include your journaling on your scrapbook pages.
  • Different ways to add layers, texture and interest to your layouts.
  • How to inject meaning into your projects with tactile and visual similes.
  • How to get chronological perspective through journaling.
  • How to communicate and work side-by-side with your dream.
  • and many more…

I am offering personal guidance and support to each participant on each step of the way, everything to make you feel like I am sitting right by your side.

Do you want to capture your dream in a significant and expressive way? Join now and get one step closer to making your dream come true!

  • The workshop is self paced. You will receive the first segment (Introduction & Supply List) immediately after registering.
  • The duration of the workshop is 6 weeks (5 lessons per week). That’s 30 lessons delivered right to your inbox!!!
  • Format of the lessons – Downloadable pdf. files – including templates, instructions, supporting photos and supply list with live links to the products.
  • Price – USD49.95

Hurry up and register now to secure a place in the workshop. Unfortunately, I need to limit the number of participants in order to provide the individual attention each participant deserves.




P.S.: You are going to LOVE this workshop… OR your money back!

I am so confident you are going to love this workshop that I am offering you a full money back guarantee. If for any reason you are not fully satisfied with the workshop, just send me an e-mail and I will refund 100% of your purchase. No questions asked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: The workshop is pretty intensive what if I’m too busy for 5 lessons per week? OR I’m going on vacation soon and would miss some of the lessons.

A: No problem. The format of the lessons allows you to take them at your own pace, whenever it is convenient to you. You can take one lesson every day or take several lessons during the weekend or in an afternoon. I will still be available for you to answer questions and offer support.

Q: Will there be a special forum for the workshop’s members? I’d like to connect with other members.

A: Absolutely. The workshop is going to have a private forum for its members and you are welcome to participate in it, ask questions, communicate with other members, share thoughts and even include links to your workshop related work. I will be active on this forum too :)

Q: Will I have to buy special tools and supplies for the workshop?

A: As scrapbookers you probably have most of the tools and supply needed for the workshop. About 10 days before the workshop starts I will send each participant a complete tools and supply list.

Q: What if I don’t like the workshop?

A: I cannot imagine this happening ;) Now seriously, in case you are not happy with the workshop for any reason, drop me an e-mail by the end of the workshop and I will refund 100% of the purchase price.



Creativity Prompt – Working With Sketches – Scrapbook Layouts

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Last week we were using sketches to make handmade cards. This week we go back to our trusty Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0 or handy-dandy grid paper and plan scrapbook layouts.

The idea is the same – planning the layout in advance helps in looking at the design as a whole, making sure it is harmonious, balanced and complete.

Also using a grid helps to figure out all the measurements for us and all we have left to do is to pull out our supply, cropped photos, paper trimmer and grid ruler and start playing.

In scrapbooking there is an additional advantage which is the ability to use the sketch as a layout template for digital scrapbooking. To learn how to use a digital layout template check out this nifty video by Jessica Sprague.

As a bonus to my fabulous readers I am making this week’s sketch available for a free download (for personal use only) both for digital and traditional scrapbookers. Just click on the right button below:

free template downloadfree template download

Translating the sketch into a layout -


[Music is by: Josh Woodward]

Some tips & techniques shared on the video

  • Use the grid ruler to find the center of your cardstock (or any other element) easily. After finding the center, it’s really easy to figure out the right placement.
  • Use the grid ruler to align your elements together. Just place the ruler on your element and make sure the grid line is aligned with the edge of your element and that the ruler protrudes from the edge at the exact size of your desired gap, then align the next element with the ruler’s edge.
  • Use your paper trimmer together with a stylus to create straight journaling guides. Just score your journaling box or journaling tag at every ¼”.
  • To create a perfect half circle notch, just temporary adhere your photos on a scrap piece of paper (junk mail will do just fine) with the same alignment as they are supposed to have on your layout. Then punch out your half circle, using an hand-held punch.
  • When using a colorful and vibrant photos on top of a bright-colored background you can add interest without overwhelming the eye by using either lace cardstock or an overlay instead of regular patterned paper.
  • Embossing adds texture and interest. To emphasize the embossing use a cardstock with a white core (or otherwise different colored core cardstock) and lightly sand it to reveal the core on the embossed image.

Share

If you have any question, suggestion or remark – don’t hesitate to contact me – either leave a comment here, use the contact form or start a new thread on the Creativity Prompt Flickr group!!!

I would be VERY happy to see your layouts based off of the sketch here, so don’t be shy and share – either leave a link at the comment section or share on the Creativity Prompt Flickr group’s pool :)