The Studio Challenges: 5th Jan

Happy New Year and welcome to our first challenge of the new year!

Instead of looking forward and new year resolutions, I want you to look back! How was your 2013? Review your year and create a layout about it, whether it was something you achieved or proud of doing in the year or just a general round up of it!

Anna

My best bit of 2013 was meeting these two little chaps! My two new nephews, they have bought a lot of joy into our lives!

Cari

I think this is the first time I've done a Lo thinking of what the past year has taught me, but at the end it was a easy decision. 2013 main characteristic was the changes I made to my life, now I'm more independent in many ways than in 2012 and by the end I can say it was a good year. So that is what I wrote on the layout and also the title I gave to my layout.
Now in 2014 I have lots of new plans and I'm full of energy to receive the new year!

Hilde

I admit I was quite pessimistic when we entered 2013, and I hate to see I was right - life has hit my family quite hard this year, just as expected. I'm not going to bore you with the details, and as I usually am a very happy, optimistic person, I'm just saying Welcome 2014!

I'm really optimistic about the new year - doors have closed but new will open! Sure, there will be challenges, but hopefully not more than we can handle. We have lots of fun to look forward to, and I can't wait to start a new year.

This photo of our beach, and how it looks like after a winter storm, pretty sums up our life in 2013: forces beyond our control messes up, but we tidy up while waiting for the sunny days to come. 2014 will bring NOTHING but sunny days!

Hidden journaling inside the brown envelope - you can see it peaking out on the right side.

Jinny
I have to admit that 2013 truly was one of the most difficult years of me and my husband's married life, but we made it through all the junk together, and that's what I tried to capture and write about in my year in review. I had fun playing on the fact that he was my "anchor" through it all to pull in a trendy, nautical theme.

Kat
For a large portion of 2013 I was out of the country for work, so my husband and I didn't get to see each other for half of the year. It was still a great year for us and I expect that it will only be better this year!

Katherine

I took a photo from each month, and there were more photos I could have included! I used a grid pattern to display them all and then lots of wood veneers.

Petra
2013 was the year when we made our first long trip with our kids. We started planning in January and buying the flight tickets and then all along the year we have booked different accomodation. It was a fantastic family adventure. Therefore when we had a challenge here at The Studio Challenges to make a page reflecting back on 2013 it had to be all about Thailand.

This is my first page scrapping those photos of chrystal clear water, snorkeling, riding elephants and taking Thai Massage but not the last.

Using Teresa Collins Family Stories for my page ♥

Stephanie
I've decided to try my hand at a Project Life format this year, combining both layouts and smaller cards and tags into my albums. Since I didn't document 2013 this way, I figured a quick review of the past year was the perfect way to begin my 2014 album. I'll be using a Studio Calico handbook for this particular album.

2013 was a year of transition and growth for my husband and I - a year of "growing pains", if you will. We learned a lot and grew closer and more united as a couple, but I'm glad the year is over and am definitely ready for a fresh start! I want my review to capture both the good and the bad ... the good/general things are highlighted on the "hello life" tag and the not-so-good stuff is hidden away in a pocket behind the tag in the top left-hand corner. On the "you are here" tag I summed up the year gone by and expressed optimism at the year to come.

Ours sponsor this month is Wear Crafts:

We are based in County Durham, UK, we run workshops and a weekly Friday crop and we attend Ross Papercraft Shows and Initial J Promotions Shows.

I was a full time teacher, but am now a very part time teacher after setting up Wear Crafts. I have two gorgeous boys. The lovely Lesley Graffham and the divine Virginia Hoskings are on our Scrapbook Design Team and we sponsor on UKScrappers. We have a lively Facebook community if people want to join in.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wear-Crafts/

it would be lovely if you would pop over and like too!

scrappyjens blog (me) http://scrappyjens.blogspot.co.uk/

It would be lovely if you would pop over and follow too

shop blog http://www.wearcrafts.co.uk/blog/

If you join in with us this month you could win this great kit of Basic Grey Hipster papers! It has 13 papers and alphas to match!