Once upon a time, there was a month full of opportunities to brush up on scrapbook journaling known as the Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge. Scrapbookers came from far and wide to try their hand at telling their stories, first using lists, then attempting the alphabet, later sharing conversations, until finally, one day, the perfect solution presented itself.

In case you hadn’t guessed, fairy tales are the name of the game today …

Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge #4

For this challenge, tell your story through the use of a fairy tale. The traditional method would be “Once upon a time…”, but any third-person storytelling will do. The story can be funny or serious, sweet or sarcastic. There can be a happy ending and a moral to the story … or not. Anything goes, as long as your page is inspired in some way by the fairy tale genre.

To get your imagination fired up, check out these fun examples of fairy tale journaling at its best…

"Two Fairies" by eryn @ Log Your Memory

"Once Upon a Time" by Dawneephay @ Designer Digitals

"Fairy Tale" by Elena @ Designer Digitals

"The Emergency Band-Aid" by quilter422 @ Designer Digitals

The Rules:

1. Pick a topic and create a new scrapbook page that tells your story through the use of a fairy tale.
2. Post that page in this album in our Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge Gallery. The deadline for all Sweet Talk Challenge Layouts is midnight (MTN) on Wednesday, March 3, 2010.
3. Visit this thread in our Community Forum and link us up to your layout.
4. Once your link is verified, the above Sweet Talk award will appear in your profile and in your signature.
5. Keep an eye on this page to track our Log Your Memory Sweet Talkers!
6. Watch for the next Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge topic … make sure you don’t miss a post by subscribing to our Blog!

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Please share your comments through our community forum…

It’s time already to wrap up our Grand Opening SPOOKtacular! These last three days have just flown by … and thanks to all of YOU, it really has been a lot of fun! I hope you feel the same way…

Here are a few little tidbits to give you a better picture of what’s been going on this weekend…

• Every participant has had the opportunity to download 238 MB of scrapbooking freebies.

• At last count, more than 80 new members have registered in our Community Forum since the celebration began … and the number keeps growing.

• We have given away 3 Memory Logbooks, 1 mousepad, 6 magnets and 4 free passes to our first online workshop – The Gift of the Year: 2010.

• We’ve welcomed several new Book Club members & workshop participants.

• Scrappers have been busy creating pages for our two layout challenges … you can see their creations HERE and HERE.

• We’ve completed three fun Halloween-related polls. Check out the results of the today’s voting HERE.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to browse the Community Forum & the Layout Gallery … there’s lot of very entertaining & inspirational material there to read & see. Pages like this, for example…

"Love My Siblings" by ltarbox

and this…

"An Angel and a Shark" by pennynoel

I promised you one last treat before wrapping up the weekend … and HERE it is. This little goodie is compliments of sponsor Kris Myers Design and although it is the last of the treats we’re giving out this weekend, I think you’ll agree it was worth the wait. Kris was even nice enough to share this layout to jump-start your creativity…

Please be sure to take a few minutes and leave a nice thank you to Kris for providing this fun freebie. You can do that HERE.

I would also love for you to take a few minutes to leave me some feedback about this weekend’s celebration & the site overall. My goal is to make this a place that busy scrapbookers of all ages, locations, backgrounds & experience levels really enjoy and want to visit often… your feedback – both positive and otherwise – will help me do that. Feel free to leave me a comment HERE or if you prefer, via the Contact Us page.

One last little reminder … Don’t forget to set your clocks BACK one hour at midnight tonight for Daylight Savings Time!

And …. Happy Halloween!!!

It’s time! Our SPOOKtacular Grand Opening has officially begun! Let’s not waste any more time talking about it and jump right into the fun! Here’s what’s on tap for today …

• SPOOKtacular Poll of the Day ~ Stop by the Community Forum and vote in today’s poll. It’s just for fun and will help get you in the celebratory spirit!!
• Web of Friends Community Builder Game/Contest ~ Help us grow the Log Your Memory community by participating in this fun little membership drive. There will be a PRIZE for the person with the most new recruits and & FREEBIE for everyone who participates. Start HERE in the Community Forum ~ Deadline: Saturday, Oct. 31st @ Noon (MTN)
• Mystery Chat ~ Join us for our very first official live chat, which will also be attended by a very special mystery guest!! Be the first to guess the identity of our mystery guest & win a PRIZE ~ There will be a FREEBIE for everyone who attends ~Location: Member Chat Room ~ Starting Time: 7 p.m. Pacific/8 p.m. Mountain/9 p.m. Central/10 p.m. Eastern
• SPOOKtacular SALE!!! That’s right … we’re having a three-day sale on nearly every item offered by Log Your Memory! The price of every Gift Shop item has been reduced by 10%. In our Bookstore, the coil-bound and print-it-yourself eBook versions of the Memory Logbook have also been reduced – each is currently listed at $3.00 off the normal price. And for three days only, everyone who signs up for our Gift of the Year: 2010 workshop will get to choose one scrapping buddy to join them … for free! Simply register, pay the regular fee, and you will receive an email with instructions on how to register your guest. Don’t delay, though… all prices will return to normal at the bewitching hour (12:00 midnight MTN on Saturday, October 31st). Please note: all prices currently shown in the Gift Shop & Bookstore are the sale prices – the discounts have already been taken.

Please be sure to visit the links of our SPOOKtacular sponsors! These wonderfully creative folks have been amazingly generous with the gifts they have created for you, and I’m sure you will want to return the favor. We have two or three different sponsors for each of the three days of our Grand Opening.

Providing the FREEBIES for today’s events are:

shelleyrae designs

shelleyrae designs

Shelleyrae has been digital scrapbooking since 1999 and has been privileged to be involved in building the first digital communities. With four children, aged 3 to 13, she tries to create layouts that capture their personalities, everyday moments and memories. Currently an independent designer at Inspiration-Lane.com, shelleyrae designs a wide range of high quality digital scrapbooking kits, elements and more.

Jen Allyson

Jen Allyson ~ The Project Girl

Jen Allyson has a unique style that ranges from super shabby to contemporary. She has been designing scrapbooking products for 7 years now and currently sells digital scrapbooking kits at Two Peas in a Bucket. Check out her blog at www.TheProjectGirl.com.

We’ve got lots more on tap tomorrow, so be sure to come back for the fun!

It’s getting close … can you feel the excitement???

My inbox has been just exploding with exciting news these past several days… freebie kit previews, workshop registrations, contest entries, Book Club registrations, Creative Team member applications, new member registrations … so much so I can hardly sit still! I love all this creative energy that’s coming my direction … I hope it’s coming back out to you, too!!!

With just TWO days until our Grand Opening SPOOKtacular, here’s the official current schedule for our big event …

• Welcome Blog Post ~ right here, first thing in the morning!
• SPOOKtacular Poll of the Day ~ Community Forum
• Web of Friends Community Builder Game/Contest ~ PRIZE & FREEBIE ~ Location: Community Forum ~ Deadline: Saturday, Oct. 31st @ Noon (MTN)
• Mystery Chat ~ Be the first to guess the identity of our mystery guest & win a PRIZE ~ A FREEBIE for everyone who attends ~Location: Member Chat Room ~ Starting Time: 7 p.m. Pacific/8 p.m. Mountain/9 p.m. Central/10 p.m. Eastern

• Morning Blog Post ~ right here!
• SPOOKtacular Poll of the Day ~ Community Forum ~ With results of Thursday’s Poll
• “Count Me In” Game/Contest~ PRIZE & FREEBIE ~ Location: Community Forum ~ Deadline: Saturday, Oct. 31st @ Noon (MTN)
• Holiday Challenge Chat ~ Brainstorm more meaningful ways to scrapbook the holidays & participate in a special layout challenge. ~ A FREEBIE for everyone who attends & a PRIZE for a randomly selected challenge participant ~Location: Member Chat Room ~ Starting Time: 10 a.m. Pacific/11 a.m. Mountain/12 Noon Central/1 p.m. Eastern ~ Challenge Deadline: Saturday, Oct. 31st @ Noon (MTN)
• Log Your Memory Scavenger Hunt ~ Start here on our blog HOME page and get details on how to play the game ~ PRIZE & FREEBIE ~ Starts at 6 p.m. (MTN) ~ Deadline: Saturday, Oct. 31st @ Noon (MTN)

• Morning Blog Post ~ right here!
• SPOOKtacular Poll of the Day ~ Community Forum ~ With results of Friday’s Poll
• Caffeine Challenge Chat ~ Grab a cup of coffee & join us for a speed layout challenge using a FREEBIE you do NOT want to miss!  ~ A PRIZE for a randomly selected challenge participant ~ Location: Member Chat Room ~ Starting Time: 9 a.m. Pacific/10 a.m. Mountain/11 a.m. Central/12 Noon Eastern ~ Challenge Deadline: Saturday, Oct. 31st @ Noon (MTN) (That gives you TWO hours to complete the challenge…)
• Prize Drawings & Announcements … Stay tuned to our blog after 1 p.m. (MTN) for announcements of all of our Grand Opening SPOOKtacular prize winners, including • Web of Friends Community Builder Winner • Count Me In! Contest Winner • Holiday Challenge Chat Winner • Scavenger Hunt Winner • Caffeine Chat Challenge Winner • and finally, our Grand Opening Kickoff Challenge Winner!!!
• Trick-or-Treat! A final SPOOKtacular blog post Saturday evening to wrap up the festivities, including our final poll results and one more special FREEBIE for everyone who takes a peek. Don’t delay, though… the link for this final treat will expire just a few hours after the post is published. Start watching for this final update around 6 p.m. (MTN) … about the time my own kids will be heading out the door to go trick-or-treating!!

The fine print: You must be present at each activity to receive that activity’s FREEBIE. Download links will be active for a limited time only & are not to be shared.

Need help translating the times for your time zone? Try HERE.

My apologies to our international friends who are going to have a difficult time getting to our events because of the time difference. We will make a point of planning some early/late hour events in the future that hopefully will be a bit more convenient for you. I do appreciate your involvement in our community … 

A little pre-party prep…

–> Please be sure you are registered ahead of time on BOTH the Log Your Memory Home page (blog) AND the Community Forum so that you’ll have access to all of the Grand Opening activities. Sometimes it can take a while for your activation emails to be delivered … you don’t want to be sitting around waiting during an activity and miss out on the fun (and free stuff!). It is especially important that you are registered on the blog if you plan to participate in the chats, as only registered members will be able to enter the chat room. Need some help getting registered? Check out this wonderful video created by CT Heather.

–> Please take a few minutes to make sure your Grand Opening Kickoff Challenge entry is complete. There are three steps to having a complete entry that is eligible for our great prize – a free copy in your choice of format of the Scrapbooker’s All-In-One Memory Logbook. You need to have 1) submitted an entry form including email addresses of potential invites; 2) introduced yourself in the “Getting to Know You” forum thread; and 3) posted an “all about me” layout in the Kickoff Challenge gallery album. There is a list of all contest applicants in the contest thread HERE which is updated several times each day. Check it to see if your name is on the “completed entries” list. If it is not – or if it is on the incomplete list – you are not yet eligible for the prize. You have until 12 noon (MTN) on Saturday, October 31st to complete your entry and have a chance at winning a free Memory Logbook. If your name is not on the list and you believe it should be, feel free to send me a message via the Contact Us page.

–> Anxious to get a taste of the treats in store for you?? Visit the sites of our wonderful Site Sponsors by clicking on their banners in the upper portion of the sidebar on the left. You will be very pleased with the quality and variety of talent you will find …

See you tomorrow for this week’s Story Board … and then the next time we post, it will be time to celebrate!!! I sure hope you’re as excited as I am … if you are, please let me know by sharing a comment below!!!

With our Grand Opening SPOOKtacular coming up in just a few short days, I was inspired to share a few more details today about all of the fun in store for everyone who attends. This is just the beginning…

It’s a mystery…

… guest, that is. You definitely don’t want to miss our Mystery Chat at 7 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, October 29th in the Log Your Memory Member Chat Room. (Need help converting that to your time zone? Check HERE.) Participants will attempt to guess the secret identity of our mystery guest through a series of questions that can be answered with a simple YES, NO, or MAYBE. The first person to guess will win a fabulous PRIZE, plus there will be a special FREEBIE download for everyone who plays along. Mark your calendars now … you don’t want to miss this !!

Speaking of FREEBIES …

… What’s better than 225 LBs of chocolate? That’s right … more than 225 MBs of downloadable scrapbooking goodies will be given away during our three-day Grand Opening event to every single person who participates, not to mention the generous PRIZES that will be awarded to our various contest & challenge winners. You must be present and participate in each event to get access to the FREEBIE of the moment, so plan to come early, stay late & have lots of fun!!!

A special thanks…

… to our fabulous SPONSORS who have so generously provided all of those amazing FREEBIES I just mentioned. These folks have gone above and beyond the call to make our Grand Opening truly SPOOKtacular … I hope you will take a few minutes to visit each of them personally and show your support and appreciation. You’ll probably see most, if not all, of them hanging out with us during the big event. Be sure to help make them feel welcome, won’t you?!? Here’s the list:

Sweet Shoppe Designs

Peppermint Creative

Jen Allyson ~ The Project Girl

Julie It Is

Kris Meyers Designs

Shelleyrae Designs

Sahlin Studio

That’s just the beginning…

… of the fun in store, but you’ll have to wait just a bit longer for the rest of the details. After all, would you rather have me sitting here writing about it… or getting the final arrangements in order? Watch this BLOG for more juicy details as our big event approaches…

But before I go…

… just a couple quick reminders. First, if you haven’t done so already, be sure you enter our Grand Opening Kickoff Contest! The deadline is Saturday, October 31st. It’s a three-step entry process, so make sure you complete all of the requirements for your chance to win a free copy of the Scrapbooker’s All-In-One Memory Logbook in the format of your choice. Not sure if I have your completed entry? Check the list at the bottom of the post HERE.

Also, the deadline to submit an application to be on our 2010 Creative Team is quickly approaching. November 2nd is the cutoff date for the current call. Find out more about the opportunity & expectations, as well as how to apply, HERE.

Finally, be sure you take a look at our first online workshop - The Gift of the Year: 2010. During this workshop, you will create a very special calendar for a very special someone. This is the kind of gift that really makes an impression and will be appreciated long after the holidays are over. Plus, you’ll have tons of fun in the process … and it’ll get you busy scrapping “real life” style while we all wait for January and the chance to put our Memory Logbooks to good use! Find out more about the workshop and/or register HERE.