think fast

challenge #7

Are you guys having fun with these challenges? Hope so. I know everyone doesn't have time, but hopefully you'll jump in here every now and then. So, first the winner from last week!! Scrapycandy - who coincidentally was also the first person to post her valentine. And, it was darn cute, too. I have a package ready for you, scrapy!

This week I'm going kind of old school. You will have a chance to win these new die cuts from Sizzix:

 

It's a whole matching assortment of Hello Kitty (obviously). My daughter is a little bummed I'm giving them away. They are all brand new, in the package. So, how do you get a chance? Well, by creating something with a die cut, of course. Even if you don't have a die cutting system, I'll bet you have at least one die cut somewhere in your stash. I know I have a ton. Even a die cut sticker can count. Make a layout, a card, an altered item...whatevah.

Here's a card I made with a cute and clever die cut made by a fairly new company in the U.K. called Go Kreate. Here's a LINK to this particular die, it's sold in the US by Scrapy Land.

 

The rest of the paper is Cosmo Cricket. Fun stuff. This would be a fun birthday card, or even a retirement card. Hee.

So, go forth and create with die cuts - then link me up and I'll toss your name in the hat.

Later.

a sweet challenge #4

I'll get to challenge part at the end of this post...but first - last week's winner - BRENDA! My Aussie friend. I'll send you a note to get your address, Brenda! Thanks for playing along.

One of the biggest trends I saw at CHA was the "sweet treat" trend. It's been building for a season or so, but this is by far the most amount of sweet I ever saw at a show. Here's a few samples.

 

I love that it's not just cupcakes anymore. (Did love these Bella cupcakes, though. My favorite).

 

And more.

 

You can see where this is going, right? A SWEET challenge!

For this week's challenge, create anything with a SWEET theme. A card, a home dec item, a layout, a pillow, I don't care. You can even make a real live cupcake. Just get in the sweet groove. I promise it will make you smile. I made this little cutie for the challenge:

 

And, um, I have lots more CHA to share tomorrow. Seems I have more to blog about than I thought. More trends and my individual picks coming up!

Later.

challenge thursday #2

Can you just stand it? I LOVE what you girls have done with last week's challenge! This is gonna be fun. I hope we all expand our horizons and check out new things. I notice some of you even clicked on each other's posts. That is so cool.

So, I felt the need to draw TWO winners from last week's challenge: Ashley H and Bonnie Sharp! I'll send you a reminder note for your addys. Great job!

This week's challenge is a bit less time consuming (maybe!). I want you all to post a comment on a blog you've NEVER posted on before. It should be a blog that inspires you somehow. It may be a brand new blog to you, it may be one you've been lurking around on (heh), or it may be one that you haven't visited in a long time. Doesn't matter.

My ulterior motive? Two fold. I want to see what inspires YOU. And, I want some new eye candy. To help you out, here are a couple of my favorites:

The Pure Blog (for a white space/peaceful break in my day)

Bella Dia (for fun free tutorials and other crafty things)

the image is found (for a crazy boost of photographic yumminess)

gettin' by (a new one to me - mostly scrappy with great writing style)

See what I mean when I said it COULD be a quick challenge? Or not. So, leave me a link to your "inspiring" blog sometime this next week and you'll be in the prize pot. Heh.

Later.

challenge thursday

Are you ready?

As part of my new year's resolution...I want to share more. Share more ideas on this blog, share inspiration, get you involved. People often ask me - how did you get your job (working for Paper Crafts Magazine)? Some of the best advice I can give is "get involved". Seriously. It's a lot about putting yourself out there, submitting, getting to know people. I know you all out there aren't necessarily looking for a job, or even looking to get published, but there's always room for involvement. If nothing else, it's something different to try. It's getting to know some new folks. It's giving someone else a lift.

SO, after that soliloquy here's the deal. Every THURSDAY I'm going to post a challenge. It will mostly be about "getting involved". I will challenge you in a variety of ways with a scrapbook layout or card; a photo; a handcraft. Whatever. The main idea will for you to participate, share and possibly *win" a prize, too. What's a challenge without a prize?

SO, get on with it, right? This week's challenge is to create a card AND post it in a gallery somewhere. Of course, you can post it on your own blog, too, but you must post in an online gallery to be officially a part of the challenge. Eventually I will think of a cute name or buzz type of title (maybe you can help with this), but for now, just post.

How?

Step One: Create your card, then photograph it.

Step Two: Register at any online scrappy site with a gallery (I have several linked below).

Step Three: Post your photo in the gallery.

Step Four: Leave me a link here in the comments.

Sound complicated? It really isn't. There are a lot of great sites out there; very user friendly with a lot of nice folks. Some will even leave you comments on your post, which is kind of a nice little boost. By the same token, you can leave "praise" for other people's work which is awesome, too.

Here's three of my favorite spots for posting. I am attaching links to my actual gallery posting so you can see right where to go. It's painless, easy and FUN! (This week's card is a shout out to all my readers in blogland who make this so fun for me).

Scrapsupply

Two Peas in  Bucket

Creating Keepsakes

So, try it out. I surely don't expect my readers to participate in every challenge, every week, but hopefully sooner or later you will see something that tickles your fancy. I will post links to other bloggers who offer up challenges (often with prizes), too. I think this will be fun, entertaining and challenging.

You have until next Wednesday (midnight) to post this week's challenge. Then, we can have a clear slate for next Thursday. THANKS for playing along.

Later.