In the February issue of ScrapBook inspirations we featured some fantastic journaling advice from the very super Shimelle Laine - journaler extraordinaire and one of our design team members.

If you didn't see it (and it's not too late to get your hands on a copy of the mag, it's on sale until 5th Feb!) then you'll also have missed the news that every day in February Shimelle will be posting a journaling exercise on her blog.

As Shimelle says, if you want to join in you’ll write something every day, and at the end of the month you'll have 29 pieces of writing (that you might like to turn into 29 layouts or art journal entries or blog posts or pages in a diary, or whatever you like).

You don't need to do anything to sign up - it's all completely free - just be sure to check Shimelle's blog every day for the newest prompt. Have fun!

Ooh, there's a new toy on our blog! If you scroll down a bit and look on the right-hand side you'll see our poll. This month we want to know how you like to scrap - so let us know! I'll be updating the question regularly, so let me know if there's something you'd like to ask.

The February issue (number 36) of ScrapBook inspirations goes on sale today, 10th January

In this month's loved-up issue you'll find:
* Love layouts Valentine's Day isn't just for couples, we've been scrapping the things we love as well as the people
* Mini albums-a-go-go! Something for every taste with six different styles to see
* Digital gallery This month's reader gallery technique is digi scrapping
* Deep & meaningful Sarah McKenna shares her tips for photographing emotions
* Get organised! Start the New Year as you mean to go on with our ideas for personalised planners and journals

All this and loads more too!

In the question and answer section of the February issue of the magazine I described a drawing program called Artrage that could be used to design your own patterned paper. As promised, here is the stencil that I used to create the design shown, along with a few little extras! You will need the full version of Artrage rather than the Starter Edition in order to use the stencils, but at only $25 it doesn't break the bank and is well worth it. If you need a little more persuasion to part with your hard-earned cash then you could always give the free Starter Edition a spin first to see if you like it. To download the stencil file click on this link. Right click and choose the option to save the file to your computer and follow the simple instructions in the Artrage stencil menu to upload the file.

In the February issue of ScrapBook inspirations Mary Anne Walters' created a layout about her parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary (you can see it on page 28). If you'd like to have a go at making a lift-up flap then here are Mary Anne's instructions:

Creating a flip-open area on your layout is so easy! For one similar to my 50th Anniversary layout in this issue you only need a few things:

1. Your 12x12in base card
2. Two x 8.5x11in sheets of card
3. Card cut to 6x8in approx. for the flap
4. Strong adhesive - glue stick, double sided tape, or photo tabs (as long as you use A LOT of them) all work!

Step-by step:
1. Create the flap by creasing your 6x8in card in half, horizontally

2. Adhere the flap, as shown, to the back of your first 8.5x11in sheet of card - the other half of the flap needs to be able to fold over freely so check this before you stick!

3. Adhere your flap and first sheet of card to the base card.

4. Adhere your other 8.5x11in sheet of card as shown. You may then cover the flap mechanism and the back of the top card with another piece of card, with patterned paper, or with a large photo.

You can, of course, adjust the size as required. The basic mechanism is the same.

Your chance to win a Creative Station machine from Xyron

Fans of the Xyron 510 sticker maker will love the Creative Station as, just like its little brother, it can be used to create stickers and magnets and to laminate – the difference is you can do so on a much bigger scale! Paper and cardstock up to 210mm wide (that’s the width of an A4 sheet) can be fed into the machine. You simply feed the item in, turn the handle and trim to size. These machines are so easy to use, a must-have for your scrap room.

Visit xyron.com or call 01896 664 222 for more details or why not enter our Xyron giveaway to win one of ten Creative Stations? Simply answer the question below to be in with a chance.

Turn to page 9 in the February issue (number 36) of ScrapBook inspirations (on sale 10th January) and you'll find all the details of this amazing prize. To enter simply select the correct answer to the question below and fill in your details.

The deadline for entries is 5th February 08. Rules apply. Good luck!

Enter for your chance to win gorgeous felt from Fancy Pants Designs!

Touchy-feely and oh-so-pretty, this Fancy Pants Designs generated gasps of admiration around the ScrapBook inspirations office. Each 12x12in pack contains four sheets of super thick die-cut felt in all sorts of shapes so all you have to do is pop out the piece you want and get scrapping. There’s a whopping 160 shapes per pack! The new range, now available from Creative Expressions, includes four colour themes ‘Playhouse’, ‘Harvest’, ‘Sassy’ and ‘Splash’ and we’ve got five sets to give away.

To be in with a chance of winning answer the question below and for more details about Fancy Pants Designs visit creative-expressions.uk.com or ring 01536 481 778.

Turn to page 9 in the February issue (number 36) of ScrapBook inspirations and you'll find all the details of this amazing prize (the issue goes on sale 10th January). To enter simply select the correct answer to the question below and fill in your details.

The deadline for entries is 5th February 08. Rules apply. Good luck!

January issue of ScrapBook inspirations on sale 14th Dec

Celebrate the New Year with us! Inside the issue:
* Make resolution mini books for all the family plus a box to hold them
* Shimmering paint techniques - Mary Anne Walters plays with Radiant Rain
* Your layouts about new beginnings - from babies to new jobs
* Meet Keisha Campbell from the blog A Bit East
* Photographing silhouettes - we show you how!
* Over £1000 of prizes to be won! We're giving away loads of gorgeous stash

Plus loads more - get your copy today!

On page 54 of our January issue we featured Louise Fortune's layouts using lacy cardstock, cut on the CraftRobo. If you're lucky enough to own a CraftRobo (or are extremely patient and skillful with a craft knife!) then you can download the templates that she used to make the designs on her 'eight' and 'numbers' layouts. These templates are in jpg format, which means that you will need to use the 'Auto Trace' feature of your CraftRobo software in order to turn them into CraftRobo files. Click on the links below to download the files.
eight
numbers

In our January issue we featured a lovely New Year's resolution box by Tracie Hudson.
If you'd like to have a go at making it, then download the pdf here. It contains templates and full instructions for making the box and the matchbook inserts.

Edited to add: if you're having problems downloading the PDF email me and I'll send it to you directly.