Seaside Wishes for Around the World on Wednesday September

Welcome to a new month at Around the World on Wednesday.

On the second Wednesday of each month, the team put together a thematic hop to give you some inspiration for your own crafting. We love it when you try out something new or CAS(E) one of our projects. The team is truly international, with members from each time zone of the world that Stampin' Up! operates. You're with me, in New Zealand - the first place in the Stampin' Up! world to change the date. 😀

Our theme this month is one that has many interpretations: The Way We Were.

The theme made me think memory keeping straight away. That's usually why we scrapbook, isn't it? To preserve special memories of the way we were.

Initially I thought I'd scrapbook a wedding photo, since things have really changed since that day! But while I was searching for the 'safe' place I'd put the wedding photos when we moved, I came across this photo of me with one of my daughters taken ten years ago. 

I've always liked it and seeing it again made me think of the New Year's Eve Eve when we took this photo on the beach front in a nearby town. The family went for a walk along the beach front after dinner at a local restaurant and the two of us just selfied this one. So much has happened in both our lives, as well as the world in general, over the last decade that it seemed just the thing to scrap it today: a reminder of simpler times and a happy moment together as a family.

I remember the surf was really thundering in to the beach that evening and we were standing over it on a newly built observation pier. So with the sea so front and centre in the photo, I went with my newest craftroom addition, Seaside Wishes. Even though the DSP is from the Country Woods collection, much of it seems maritime to me, with allusions to weathered beach baches, hot days and peeling paint. So it was a perfect starting point for this layout.

The sentiment from Seaside Wishes was just perfect for this photo and I cut it out using the lovely stitched label from Unbounded Love, along with a shadow in Misty Moonlight. The sand dollars are cut and embossed with the hybrid Seaside Wishes embossing folder, part of the bundle, from Gray Granite and Basic White.

The starfish are cut from Petal Pink, then embossed with the Distressed Tile 3D embossing folder. The touches of bling are another new thing - and I can't believe I hadn't noticed them in the catalogue until now - the Petal Pink and Pretty Peacock Foiled Gems.

So, a nice simple layout but one that brings back happy memories of the way we were. 😀

Next up, you can visit the fabulous Rochelle Laird-Smith to see what she has made of the theme.

If you live in New Zealand and don't have a Stampin' Up Demonstrator, I'd love to be yours. I can help you with ideas, get you catalogues and provide you with Stampin' Up products. You can leave a message in the comments or contact me using any of the methods listed in the Contact Me tab at the top of the page.

You can shop with me from anywhere in New Zealand here.

If you get lost on the hop or want to revisit someone, here's a list of participants.

Jan Clothier - NZ

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Angie McKenzie - US

Kelly Taranto - US

Tricia Butts - US

Theresa McEntee - US

Lori Wilcox - CA