Join The 'Pen Pals' Challenge ...

Every other Friday we will issue a new journaling challenge and post our sample pages on the blog. We'd love to have you join in with us too ... & maybe we'll pick you to be our 'Pen Pal of the Week!'

How you interpret the challenge is up to you, we will mostly create scrapbook pages - but feel free just to journal/blog post ...or maybe adapt the challenge to your art journals, cards & altered art.

Leave a comment on the challenge post with a link to your blog or gallery where we can find your work ... & if you'd like to be considered for the 'Pen Pal of the Week!' Guest Design Spot, be sure to e-mail your entry too!

Friday 12 September 2008

Challenge #4 - I Hope For You As I Hope For Me

This week, we are honoured to be joined by our first official Pen Pal of the Week: Jing-Jing Nickel. Over the coming 2 weeks we will be getting to know Jing-Jing a little better but for now, I'm guessing you are all dying to know what exciting challenge she has for us ... so I'll get straight to it! Over to Jing-Jing:

Dear PenPal readers,
This week, I challenge you to document one of your hopes, be it for you, or someone else, journal it, scrap it, write it, print it, consume it...

My journaling reads:

I hope you will like traveling as much as I do.

Your Nagong and Nabu took me traveling at a young age when I was a little girl. At that time in China, people stayed put where they lived and worked. Traveling for fun was pretty much unheard of, but Nagong and Nabu thought it important for me to see the world and to expand my horizon. By the time I was a second grader, I had already been to several destinations including the Yellow Mountains, deemed to be the most beautiful of all Chinese mountains. For that trip, Nagong and Nabu spent nearly two months’ of their combined salaries (probably around $10 back then). Nagong had to carry most of our food on his back, ascending 3000 feet in altitude! Through their careful cultivation, they instilled in me an untamable heart to see the world and its wonders God-made or men-built.

I have come a long ways since my childhood. I have lived a few surreal moments when I finally came face to face with that which was only in my dreams. So I hope you will want to see the world like I do. I hope your hearts forever long for that next destination, that great valley, that awesome mountain, and that immortal structure. I hope you will write about your travels, document your journeys, scrapbook your photos. I hope you will grow up to be travel partners to each other, to dad and me, and to the lucky men who will be your spouses. I hope I will be there always, in person and/or in spirit to cheer you on in exploring this wondrous world of ours. I hope for you as I hope for me, that you will like traveling as much as I do.

I'm sooooo excited about this challenge & will be posting mine soon. Are you ready to take the challenge? E-mail your entry, be it a layout, card, altered project or a humble writing sample by midnight Thursday September 25 to have your entry featured on our blog & to be in with a chance of becoming our next PPOTW (Pen Pal of the Week). Go on, you know you want to!


6 comments:

Aubree said...

Wow -- this will truly be a challenge! How can we possibly live up to Jing-Jing's phenomenal layout and journaling?!? Great work Jing-Jing. ...off to brainstorm for this one!

Dally said...

Wow! this is BIG!! Nothing less to expect coming from Jing-Jing. Your journaling is so sweet, and so meaningful .... and your lo is absolutely awesome. Thanks for giving us this opportunity to share your wish. And thanks to Colette and Beverly for the challenge.

Unknown said...

oh yeah ... Dally and Aubree have this one nailed! You wouldn't expect anything LESS from JingJing! What an awesome challenge! hhhmmmmm ... I'm already thinking of a few ideas for this one!

What a spectacular page, JingJing. Your journaling is just fabulous ... you know how I feel about 'telling the story' through our scrapbook pages ... and you've really DONE that here, for sure! And, this IS a blog about journaling ... hehehehe

But, honey, this page is nothing short of spectacular! The classic red/black/white scheme is so bold and demands our attention. But, that little unexpected touch of green says "Hey! I'm going outside of the box on this one!" Love the cluster of tags, title, words and that adorable crochet flower ...ohhhh, it really balances the black map background beautifully.

But, honey ... that picture of your adorable girls is just soooo full of love and joy. Patty cake, huh? Sooooo cute!

I just love EVERYTHING about this one! What an honor for us that you are our FIRST ever PenPal of the week! And ... your challenge is definately kicking this whole journaling thing up a notch!

Big hugs!

Nancywithajones said...

WOW this is incredible. I LOVE reading your journaling girl.
SO heartfelt and I just cannot imagine. I love this page and I LOVE this topic. Im off to finish mine :)

jan williams said...

OMG Jing Jing, You have such a God given talent girl!!!! I am gonna try this one!!!

Lynnise said...

This is such an awesome challenge, there are so many things I wish for my boys it will be hard to narrow it to just one!! Your layout is simply amazing!!!