Happy Birthday to Pencil Lines!!

Wow! has it already been a year since Pencil Lines Started? It have been an amazing journey for all of us and we are so thankful for everyone support through the last year. to celebrate throughout October we are have a party!! This means: more sketches, more prizes, more guest and more sponsors!

The Sketches: starting tomorrow and then every Wednesday and Sunday, we will have sketches ranging from layouts, to cards and mini albums. And our guests have done an amazing job and you will love all their work. So i suggest its time to clear off your table and get ready for some fun!

Here are some hints about our guests: 1 has published a book, 1 likes chipboard, 1 likes bunnies, 1 started it all, 1 likes creepy crawlies, another is big into scissors, 1 likes her sewing machine, 1 likes remembering, 1 makes her own paper and 1 likes getting mucky.

The Prizes: we know this is the bit you all like :) For every sketch there will be a prize for the Design Team's favourite layout - so that is 9 prizes this month, aswell as a whole host of Raks for layouts that have something special.

but there is more - we have a Grand Prize for the overall favourite layout that makes the team go "wow - thats why we started Pencil Lines" - that person will not only get a ton of goodies from our amazing sponsors from all over the world but they will also get their layout PUBLISHED in Scrapbook and Cards Today!!  Scrapbook and Cards today is fast becoming one of the top magazines available so this is an amazing opportunity for all of our readers.

The way it will work: the deadline for each sketch is 7 days so the Wednesday sketch would be due to us by the next Wednesday, the Sunday by the following Sunday - thats to be with the chance of the favourite layout prize for that sketch. And the Grand prize will be decided at the end of the month so if you dont finish your layout within the week deadline, its still in with a chance for the grand prize, aswell as for the raks.

BUT you must EMAIL in your layouts - while we love seeing your comments and going to your blogs and galleries, legally we cannot use those images unless you email them to us with your permission to add them to the reader's gallery. so make sure you EMAIL in your layouts as soon as you have them done.

Edited to add: Pencil Lines is an International site, the prizes are available to everyone and everyone is welcome to join in no matter where they live.

So again, we want to thank all of our sponsors, our guests and most of all our reader's who every week share their layouts with us.

Also today, we want to share Anna with you - Anna started Pencil Lines last October and so we - the rest of the Design Team - decided that she should tell everyone why she started Pencil Lines and what Pencil Lines is all about...

Pencil Lines Interview 2007 - Anna Bowkis

How did it start? Like most of my ideas, lol, an idea pops into my head at some silly hour and a few emails later, Pencil Lines was born! I am terrible at coming up with ideas and then wanting them in situ NOW! The team will vouch for that.

Why did it start? Gosh, where do I start. I have always sketched, from my days as an Interior Designer, sketching floor plans, and now as a crafter. I have several note books where my scribbles are housed! I love sketches…

How did you pick the original members? I am very lucky to know many talented scrapbook designers whom are also friends. I wanted an international feel, so that Pencil Lines would appeal to everyone, I also wanted a variety of styles represented in the DT. Each of the original members , who are still all active members I might add, were chosen with this in mind.

Why this concept? How often do you sit down with a few hours to spare, no children to hassle you, no housework, and the dreaded scrappers block hits you?? It happens to me more often than I would like to admit. I would always turn to my sketch book, online galleries and other sketch sites for inspiration. When Pencil Lines started there weren’t any other sketch challenge blogs around and I thought it would be fun to get together with a few scrapping buddies and challenge ourselves weekly!

What were your expectations/hopes when you started? I could be all humble and say none, but that would be fibbing. I did want Pencil Lines to be an inspiration to other scrappers, from beginners to advanced scrappers. The one thing I hadn’t expected was the amazing support received by “celebrity scrappers”, our amazing sponsors, and our readers, yep that’s you! Pencil Lines would not be where it is today without a lot of hard work behind the scenes, our sponsors, our readers, and our team coordinator, Anam Stubbington.

What’s the fun part of this? Sunday 8pm GMT, when the sketch goes live and I see all the team's interpretations. Anam loads all the layouts to the website, and I am very good and do not peek, and wait with you to see the layouts live! I  love getting the emails with your layouts attached for the readers gallery

what's the not so fun part ? mmm, tough one, I guess choosing our favorite layout of the month from the readers gallery, it is so hard! I hate choosing, and like the rest of the team we always end up with a list and not just one!

What has it done for you personally / your scrapping? For me as a scrapper, I am challenged every week by new and exciting sketches, amazing products to work with. I no longer scrap single photo layouts, thanks to the great sketches we get every week.

What is your personal favorite layout of all time?  My favourite Guest's layout has to be the very talented Carole Janson . Carole’s designs are a work of art and I would so love to see one of her creations in real life. Her use of dimension and texture amazes me every time. It's so hard to choose just one favorite Reader's layout, but one reader who stands out every week to myself and the DT is Janine Langer. Every week her work is truly inspirational.

Which guest were you personally most thrilled to have? It has to be our very first Guest, Ali Edwards. I was absolutely gob smacked and totally star struck when Ali said Yes. Ali is very supportive of Pencil Lines and a firm favorite with all our team.

What were the milestones for Pencil Lines? Being where we are right now, a year on, with thousands of readers every week coming to visit the site!
 
A huge thank you goes out to the rest of the Design Team - Annie, Ania, Cath, Jolene, Kimmy, Sue, Tracie & Trish - who without you there would be no Pencil Lines, thank you for believing in me and special thanks goes out to Anam, without her organizing all the behind the scenes stuff and nudging us every week, where would we be! Don’t answer that, lol

I look forward to another great year of Pencil Lines sketches with you all. Keep sending us your layouts for our readers gallery, we love seeing your interpretations.

Hugs Anna xx

Comments

[Anna D]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ! :-)

[ToneF]

Happy birthday :)

This sounds like a lot of fun!!!

[Ania]

Happy happy birthday Pencillines! :D

[michou]

is this challenge opened to french people ?
thanks a lot ! and happy birthday !

[anna]

I am so excited about October, lets get this party started!!!!!

[Jane (Brods)]

Happy Birthday Pencil Lines :)

[Gina]

Happy Birthday Pencil Lines! Thank you for bringing us this incredible, amazing site.

[melita]

How wonderful! Happy Birthday Pencil Lines!

[Kirsten in Oslo]

Happy birthday Pencillines!

I will be checking this site all of october and hope to finish the challenges!

[Cass]

Sounds like lots of fun! :)

[michou]

yesss !! thank you for your answer !!! so coooooool !!! :)))))

[Anna Sigga]

Happy Happy Birthday Pencil Lines!!!!! ;o)

[edleen]

Happy Birthday Pencillines!!! :)

[Tracie H]

Happy Birthday Pencil Lines :)

[kearneykrafter]

congrats on you 1 year anna., Pencil Lines!!

[Eeva Hall]

Happy Birthday Pencillines!!!

[christiane]

happy, happy birthday!! :))

[Janine Langer (Aline)]

Happy birthday to you
happy birthday to you
happy birthday PENCIL LINES
happy birthday to you!

So glad I found this site. Congrats to all of you, you do amazing work. And thank you! :)

[AnnaB]

I've been so totally busy that I missed your birthday! Huge congrats a few days too late... =)