Day 31 - I'm Rounding the Corner

I suppose the title of the challenge for today is fitting, since we're "rounding the corner" to the next month of challenges. Thanks to all of you who have joined in so far, and for those who are following us and leaving such kind comments!!

Tomorrow brings a fresh month and a new opportunity to try for that end-of-the-month prize. And speaking of that prize, I will announce the winner of March's prize tomorrow. And what is that prize? A package of goodies that includes:

50 sheets of 12x12 Sierra Pacific card stock in a variety of colors

1 set of chipboard alphas and numbers from Colorbök

Rhinestones from Kaiser Scrapbook

I am looking forward to making that announcement!!!

And now for today's challenge. We would like to see all smooth edges - no sharp corners. Other than that, anything goes. Here is DT member Tammy's card:

This card is easy on the eyes, that's for sure - no sharp edges to be found!

Alright, now it's your turn to keep it smooth~

Day 30 - Don't Bug Me, I'm Scrapping

Are you ready for exciting announcement #1?

Well along with 365 Cards, I have been busy working on another big project. If you've ever popped over to my personal blog, you'll notice it's called Mackenzie Mae Designs, after my company (for which I design and sell greeting cards). I recently put together my first ever card kits, and I started a blog which exclusively features the Mac Mae card kits. On April first I will officially launch the new blog and the April 2009 kit. Two members of the fabulous 365 DT, Gloria and Kristie, worked hard creating some amazing samples for your viewing pleasure, and I would like to share a few of those cards here:

Can you see why I have been anxious to share these cards with you? In two days I will share the link on this blog so that you can see more eye candy, plus get all the specifics on the kit. To celebrate the launch of my card kits, I'll be giving away prizes all week long!! Each day, from the 1st-8th, one challenge participant will randomly win a prize. I'll provide more details on the 1st, but the prizes will be various items that you can find in the kit.

On the 1st I will reveal another exciting bit of news that includes the entire design team, a fabulous sponsor and another week of fun here at 365 Cards!!

Whew - okay, back to today's challenge. I challenge you to create a card with a ladybug as your inspiration. Don't be afraid to think outside the box on this one - you don't necessarily have to use an image of a ladybug...

Let's see what Gloria came up with:

I know getting this card would make me feel better!

Have you caught the bug yet?

Day 29 - Super Sketchy Sunday

Before I present the sketch for today I have a few things to cover. I want to acknowledge 365er Heidi Stock, who created the fun and fabulous header that many of you've been commenting on. Thanks, Heidi, for adding some spice to this blog :)

Also, I want to thank Crop Stop our first ever sponsor!! All of you who completed the Touchy, Feely challenge were entered into a random drawing for the prize.

And the winner is............................................Alecia Castro!!!!!!!!!!!! She wins the $10 GC from Crop Stop, plus 2 bottles of Stickles. Please email me with your information and congrats, Alecia!

The DT and I have 2 exciting announcements coming up this week, so check back with us starting tomorrow for more information.

Here is the Top Trio for the last week:

1) Diana - for her beautiful ad inspired card.

2) Rose - for setting an amazing nature scene with some serious fussy cutting!

3) Di - f0r demonstrating that yellow can be quite lovely, especially when set against a grey background.

Congrats, ladies, you are welcome to add the COTW blinkie to your blogs!

Congratulations to these 365ers for completing every challenge this week:

Karen Lee, Alicia, Diana, Rose Miller, Tracey, Di, Joann P., Maz, Hazel, Steph Jacobson, Sara, Heidi Stock, Debbie Stelton, and Ginny! Let me know if I missed anybody.

And now for today's sketch:

Sophie

Vicky

Gloria

Pam

Tammy

Amy

Kristie

Have fun with the sketch and show us what you came up with~

Day 28 - Scraplift Yourself

Not a new concept, but certainly fun to do, I think.

If you are also a scrapbooker, then this is definitely a challenge for you. Take a layout that you've done, and translate it into a card. Share the layout and the card with us so we can see your source of inspiration. Not a scrapbooker? Well, you're not alone. All you need to do is borrow a layout that you like - as long as you get permission from the person who created it first ;) In fact, DT member Vicky used a layout from Gloria:

Here's Gloria's layout:

And here is Vicky's card:

I love that you have "Inspire Me!" written all over your card, since no doubt Gloria's beautiful layout did inspire you to make this gorgeous card!

Also, today we have another guest designer!

Introducing:

~Anita Mulcahey~

My name is Anita Mulcahey and I live in Medway, MA. I have been paper crafting for over 15 years and enjoy all aspects including scrapbooking, making cards and altered items. I have previously been fortunate to serve on two online kit club design teams. I have also been lucky to have some of my layouts, cards and altered items published in both online ezines as well as in traditional magazines.
I am married to the love of my love and have been for 23 years. I have to teen age children who are both in high school. I work part-time from home as a social worker which gives me plenty of free time to devote to my craft obsession.

Here is Anita's inspirational layout:

And her card: Wow, Anita - you did a wonderful job pulling those colors and that design from the layout! Thanks for sharing this with us. To see more of Anita's creations, stop over at her blog Happy Paper Craft Happenings and have a look around.

Now it's your turn to scraplift~

Day 27 - Touchy Feely Friday

Yay! The time has arrived to share the challenge sponsored by Crop Stop!!

This one is all about texture. Try to incorporate 3 different methods of adding texture to the paper on your card. This can be done using wet and/or dry embossing, distressing, or anything else you can think of. How about those of you who looooooove Stickles or Liquid Pearls - not only do they add texture to the card, but they can also be found in many colors at Crop Stop ;) DT member Gloria, who is also a member of the creative team at Crop Stop, has put together a wonderful tutorial related to today's challenge, so pop over to her blog to check that out!

So here are the rules for this contest:

Link up your card for this challenge by 11:59 PM EST on March 28th. A random drawing will take place on the 29th, and the winner will be announced on that day's post. Simple as that!!

The Prize: A $10 Gift Certificate to Crop Stop and I will send the lucky winner 2 bottles of Stickles!!

Let's see what DT member Sophie did with this challenge:



Dry embossed swiss dots, wet embossed sentiment, hole-punched kraft paper, and scrunched up green paper - very nice, Sophie!

Before I add Mr. Linky, I just want to say "Hi!" to my mom, who checks in with us everyday to see your fabulous card creations!

Now then, give us some texture~

Day 26 - Color me anything but that!

One more day until our sponsored challenge by Crop Stop, and you won't want to miss it! Have you been over there yet? If not, check it out!!

I'm very happy to say that several of you have completed all the challenges so far, which means that we'll have to switch things up a bit for the end of the month prize. If there is a tie for the most challenges, then we'll have a random drawing for the winner.

On Monday, there will be a BIG announcement, which I am very excited to share with you all. Also, we'll reveal another wonderful sponsor who we are teaming up with to bring you a week of super fun challenges!

Time to get to today's challenge: Color me anything but that!

I know I have my favorite colors to work with, but I find that I shy away from others, and I suspect that you do, too. I asked DT member Amy to work with her least favorite color to scrap with, and she said that this particular color of purple is one she doesn't use very often:

Well, Amy, you may not use it often, but I'm sure glad you did on this card because it is stunning against the black!!

Okay, now it's your turn to dig around in the bottom of your stash for that color that you don't often use~

Day 25 - Ad Inspired

Another inspirational ad chosen by DT member Kristie! Use this advertisement to inspire your card creation:Here is what Kristie had to say about this ad:

I love a lot of things about this ad. First off the organic bold images are just lovely, but I really love the contrast between color on white and white on color. I used that as my main idea with my card. I also love these colors together. They are soothing, but with a pop of black the image becomes much more striking. I also like how the items are stacked on one another and took that element quite literally with my card. From first glance, this image may not seem inspiring, but there are so many elements of it that can give you a boost of creativity for your card.
Hope you have fun!

Here's Kristie's card:

This absolutely captures everything you describe about the ad, Kristie!

Day 24 - Setting the Scene

I love those cards that create a scene, so I thought we'd give it a try. This time we'll make it a nature scene. Before we get to that, how about another guest designer?

I would like to introduce:

~Krista Resnick~

Hi Everyone!!!! My name is Krista Resnick and I live in NorthWestern Wisconsin. I am a SAHM to 3 highly energetic boys. Life with them is crazy and busy, but also very rich and very full-I love my family dearly and they are the reason behind why I started papercrafting 4 1/2 years ago. I wanted a way to document our stories and the way that I feel about them. I never wanted them to question how much I loved them and how I felt about them. About 4 months ago I decided to give cardmaking a whirl. I fell head over heels in love with it. I love that in cardmaking there are NO limitations. While I know that there are technically no rules in scrapbooking either, let's admit it, it's pretty hard to use the color pink and flowers on boys pages (remember-the 3 boys I have:) I also love to create cards with someone specific in mind-it's so fulfilling to me to create something for someone who is so near and dear to my heart. Hopefully they feel that way and can realize how special they are to me when they receive one of my cards. I was a guest designer for my LSS for the past year and am currently designing for My Sketch World. Thanks so much Pam for having me, I seriously enjoyed this challenge and I hope my card inspires you all.

Let's take a look at Krista's nature card:

Doesn't this make you think of a beautiful flower garden? Krista made that rose flower paper out of stamps to create this scene. And with a super sweet sentiment, too, which says "Every flower that ever bloomed had to go through a whole lotta dirt to get there." Check out Krista's blog Fresh Brewed Life for more wonderful creations!

Let's see how DT member Tammy took on this challenge:

Wow - such a "happy" scene and a beautiful one, too!!

Great job ladies, thanks for the inspiration.

Your turn to 'set the scene'~

Day 23 - Crossword Connection

I created a fun printable that I thought would make a great challenge, and it happens to look like a crossword puzzle. The design team always embraces each challenge, no matter how wild it may seem, and they do a fantastic job, too. This one may seems a little silly, but wait until you see what DT member Gloria did with it. So here's the printable image:
And look at how it turned out on Gloria's card:



Isn't that fabulously floral and romantic? So print it off and give it a try!
Oops...I almost forgot to share another sneak preview of the exciting surprise that is coming soon. So here it is:
Okay, now you can link up your crossword creations!

Day 22 - Super Sketchy Sunday

But before I share COTW and the sketch, I would like to introduce our first sponsor!!!

~Welcome and thank you to Haylie-Jo from the Crop Stop~

You must check out this wonderful site for all things scrappy! Not to mention our very own DT member Gloria is also on the Crop Stop creative team ;) There are lots of cool things about this fabulous online store, but one of the coolest: $2.00 flat rate shipping to Canada and $1.00 shipping to USA on all dies and embossers. Wow - that alone makes this site worth a visit.

So what is the prize??

Well, the prize and the challenge will be announced on Friday, so you definitely want to check back then. But for now, go over to Crop Stop and browse their amazing selection of items!

~ TOP TRIO~
1) Nessa - For this fabulous interpretation of the sketch
2) Maz - For her gorgeous use of green
3) Karen - For this yummy cupcake card that said Happy Birthday....without actually saying it, of course :)

You ladies may grab the blinkie and add it to your blogs if you wish!

And congratulations to these card makers for completing every challenge this week: Di, Alicia, Hazel, Steph Jacobson, joannp, Rose Miller, Maz, Debbie Stelton, Mandy, and Diana! Did I miss anyone? Please let me know!

And now for today's sketch:

Amy

Gloria

Vicky

Tammy

Sophie

Kristie

Pam

See you back here tomorrow with another fun sneak preview of my big surprise!

Day 21 - Sing Along Saturday

This one is just what it sounds like - create a card inspired by this song:

Excerpt from Lean on Me, by Bill Withers:

Sometimes in our lives we all have pain

We all have sorrow

But if we are wise

We know that there's always tomorrow
Lean on me, when you're not strong

And I'll be your friend

I'll help you carry on

For it won't be long

'Til I'm gonna need

Somebody to lean on
Please swallow your pride

If I have things you need to borrow

For no one can fill those of your needs

That you don't let show

Lean on me, when you're not strong

And I'll be your friend

I'll help you carry on

For it won't be long

'Til I'm gonna need

Somebody to lean on
If there is a load you have to bear

That you can't carry
I'm right up the road

I'll share your load

If you just call me

I absolutely love this song, and I imagine that it will inspire much creativity. It certainly did in Vicky, check out her card:

Ahhhhhh, here come the warm fuzzies. Sweet card, Vicky!

Day 20 - Inside Out

You know that some of the challenges I've created are something I've always wanted to try, but wasn't sure how it would work out. And this is what comes from having an amazing design team, because they never fail to surprise me, in the most wonderful way, with their creativity. And so I bring you today's challenge: create a card that is primarily embellished on the inside, along with the sentiment. This sounds pretty wacky, doesn't it - but Sophie proves that it can be done:

It's like opening a present - you get a little sneak preview and you just have to see inside. And what's on the inside is gorgeous!!

As far as this challenge is concerned, it's what's on the inside that counts!

Day 19 - Keep it to Yourself

Your sentiment, that is. We challenge you to convey your message without actually saying it on the card. Specifically, this card should be a birthday card. It should work out well, since we associate so many images with birthdays. DT member Amy's card is a wonderful example of this:

That stunning image definitely speaks for itself!

So keep the sentiment to yourself, but please share your card with us :)

Day 18 - Going Green

What!? The day after St. Patrick's Day? Why not ;)

Make a card with green as the dominant color. Simple as that - and it does not have to be a St. Patty's Day card - in fact, I'm sure that any of you who have already made several such cards will be glad not to have that as the theme.

Let's see what DT member Kristie did with this challenge:

I love the use of the buttons here, along with the very lovely shades of green. This is just the kind of card I would like to receive from a good friend.

And now I can't think of anything clever to say here, except "link up!"

Day 17 - Buttons and Bows

Specifically 3 Buttons and 3 Bows - no more, no less.

Before I share Tammy's card with you, I want to tell you that we'll be introducing our first sponsor next week!!

I'm also bursting to share some more exciting news with you, but this photo will have to do for now:

hmmmmmmm.....what could that be about? You'll know in a couple of weeks ;)

Now back to today's challenge - I know it sounds very cutesy, but Tammy's card proves that it can be classy and sophisticated:

See what I mean? Beautiful, Tammy!

Okay 365ers - give us 3 buttons and 3 bows (please)~

Day 16 - Imagine This

Today we have two cards to show you, because we have ANOTHER fabulous guest designer! We'll also have a card from one of our regular designers - and both cards are wonderfully different and imaginative. Which brings me to the theme of today's challenge.

With Spring right around the corner - at least in here in Washington - I think it only fitting that our first "Imagine This" challenge is all about SUNSHINE! Use an image of the sun, or use the card to convey how it makes you feel. With that said, let me introduce today's guest designer:

Jillian Deiling

Hi! My name is Jill Deiling. I'm 24 years old and I live in Oklahoma. I'm originally from Alaska and will always be an Alaskan girl at heart, I miss it very much! I live with my 3 year old son, Alex and my boyfriend, John. They are my favorite people in the world and they are definitely my favorite scrapbook subjects! I get to stay at home taking care of my son most of the time, but I often help out with my boyfriend's parent's cable business as well. During my free time you'll find me playing with my son, of course, shopping (I'm a shopaholic!), cleaning (I'm also a clean freak!) or scrapbooking. Scrapbooking is my absolute favorite hobby. I've been scrapbooking since high school and I have never stopped since. I don't get much sleep because of it, I often stay up late at night just to scrapbook, but it's definitely worth it! :)

One look at Jill's card, and you'll see why I thought her style was perfect for this challenge:

Bright, bold, and super fun! Thanks, Jill, for sharing your talent with us :) Don't forget, 365ers, to check out her blog Crazy Beautiful for more bright and bold creations!

And of course, Monday always brings a card from DT member Gloria. And here it is:

The shades of orange and yellow absolutely convey the warmth that sunshine brings - just looking at this card makes me smile - how about you?

Okay, now it's your turn. Come on and shed some light on this challenge and link up!