Competitive....moi?

Usually when you enter a competition, you just fill out your details, cross your fingers and forget about it. Not so for Lilla Roger's Global Talent Search. You know when you watch 'X Factor' and all the contestants are very OTT emotional about getting through to the next round.... well, I now know where they're coming from. That's how it is, I feel like one of them! But, sadly, Dermot isn't around to give me a hug!

The brief... to design a journal cover for Paperchase using the theme 'Playground'. 

I love Paperchase, it's one of my fave stores.... I love what they do, and I love that they're on a roll these days in the face of all this new technology. I remember going there (back in the 80's with my permed hair) in my early teens and buying stationary sets and notebooks and I admit it is a bit of a dream to have something of mine gracing their shelves one day.

I went down the route of including many characters instead of focusing on just one main icon. Mainly because this is one of the elements I love about Paperchase ranges. How they adapt a set of characters on everything from water bottles to stickers to magnets and so on. 

And I love how when my children get to a new playground, it's like a box of chocolates....there is so much to choose from, they don't know what to go on first so they go double speed on everything. There's this amazing one as you drive into the city of Bath quite near us and the day we finally stopped and went in it, it was awesome. We all sped off in different directions, my hubbie and I included! 

So ta-da, my journal cover...

and a few of the extras peeps that didn't make the final cut...  (there are actually quite a few more) 

Then typically, once I'd finished my final piece and submitted it, I played around some more and came up with this one too. I wanted to see how using one icon would look too. I really like it. Maybe even a little bit more than the other. Sadly you can only submit once but I love her though and the funny little garden she's playing in. 

So, good luck everyone who's entered, especially

all my lovely MATS friends.... even though we're all definitely winners already! Now normal life can resume! Time to play x