Day 153 - Tag, You're It

I see these cute little journaling tags everywhere, even on cards, so I thought it would be fun to present this challenge to you. You can use an actual tag or you can use a sticker, rub-on or stamp that is meant to be used as a journaling tag.

Here is today's Reader who will be sharing her card with you:

Hannah Stull

Hi! My name is Hannah, I'm 23 years old. I live at home with my parents and two sisters. I enjoy just about any paper or fabric-related craft. My favorite tools are my paper punches. I love textures, patterns and bright, fun colors.

Let's take a look at Hannah's card:

I love that way you attached the tag to your card, and you've chosen a beautiful blend of patterned papers!

Here is why Sophie chose Hannah for RAW:

Hannah often takes part in our challenges. I love her work because her cards are always full of colors, she uses various techniques and she realizes cards for many occasions. She already won a "Card of the Week" award and I bet you'll appreciate her creations as much as I do!

Sophie's up today with her card, too:

Absolutely stunning - great use of a journaling stamp!!

Tomorrow is the last day of Reader Appreciation Week, and it has been a blast. By the way, you'll want to mark your calendars for August 9th-15th, because we've got another sponsored week! More details on that are coming next week...

Day 152 - Peek-a-Boo to You

Introducing today's Reader:

Laurel Seabrook

I am married with 2 girls ages 14 and 11. I teach grade 1 full time and my hobbies are paper crafting (especially card making, and scrapping), photography, blogging and painting. Although the job and family life keeps me busy I try to make time for myself daily by going for a run and of course playing in my craft room.

I have recently been published in Cards magazine, have been Guest Designer for Inspirational Card Sketches and am currently on the Design Team for Card Patterns. My passion right now is anything using paper. My girls are the inspiration for my scrapping but I tend to do more card making as I love how quick, easy and satisfying they are... not to mention I am addicted to Challenges!!!

I am honored to be Guest Designer on 365 Card Challenge as the Design team is so full of talent and inspiration.

Did I say I LOVE paper crafting?

So today's challenge is all about flaps. Create a fun flap somewhere on your card, perhaps revealing a sweet surprise underneath, as Laurel has done:

That is absolutely adorable!

Here is what Amy had to say about Laurel:

I adore Laurel's sense of style. She is a multi-talented paper artist that rocks both the cardmaking and scrapping world. I love her use of colors, layers and embellies...She has such a contagious sense of enthusiasm!!

I think I met her through 365 Cards and have been following her for a bit...she is definitely a gal to watch! She has been picked up by design teams, been recognized on various blogs and has been published!!

And Amy has also has a cool card creation to share:

Well done, Amy!

By the way, if you are wondering, this will not be the only Reader Appreciation Week we will have. But I might have to shake things up a bit, just for fun ;) And if you are fairly new to the blog and you haven't jumped in yet, what are you waiting for? We're ready to get to know you!!

Day 151 - A Certain Sentiment

It's been such a fun week so far! Here is our next Reader, selected by Kristie:

Audrey

Hi, I'm Audrey and I reside in the United Kingdom. I got into card making in 2004 when I became a stay at home mom... felt the need to do something! But somehow ended up as a scrapbooker by the end of the year and it stayed that way till early this year. I ended up with lots of paper scraps and felt something had to be done so I took up card making again and also discovered loads of card challenge blogs, in particularly 365 Cards. I felt drawn to the different challenges hosted each day and decided to participate. Never realised I ended up making new friends and getting inspired by the cards on display! I'm currently on my summer vacation in Singapore (spending some quality time with my parents) and as a result, my participation at 365 Cards have declined tremendously. However, I'll be back with a vengence in September! I like to thank Pamela for featuring me and it's a real honour!

Today's challenge is to use this sentiment on your card: "You can do it"

Audrey's card:

and the inside of the card reads: "I am here for you". Such bold colors and a wonderful image - they really fit with the sentiment.

Here is what Kristie has to say about Audrey: Audrey always uses the hippest products you can find on the market. Her designs are fresh and fun and she uses fabulous bright colors for her cards that always bring a smile to my face. I love the little details she adds that create dimension and so much interest to such a small canvas. I hope you enjoy her creations as much as I do!

And Kristie's card:



Wow - the meaning behind the sentiment really comes across with the design, Kristie.

Thanks Audrey and Kristie for these fabulous examples!

Day 150 - An "Eye" for an "I"

There have been several suggested names for our week-long participant group, so thank you very much - I believe one of those will work, and I'll begin using it next week ;)

Today's challenge is called an "Eye" for an "I" because I want you to substitute one word that sounds like another, but has a different meaning - and use it in your sentiment. I believe they call this a homophone (I even Googled it!), and I've seen them used on stamps, rub-ons, and stickers, so there are lots to choose from. And when in doubt, computer-generated always works.

Before I share the sample cards, let's meet today's Reader:

Vickilyn Crawford

My name is Vicki (Vickilyn actually) and I have been a paper crafter for over 15 years. I started with scrapbooking and to be honest, I swore I would never make cards - my theory...."Why would I put all that effort into something that somebody is just going to throw away!" Guess I am eating crow on that statement! I love making cards - and still love my pages too! So anyway, I have a husband, three kids, and a Great Dane - you could just say 5 kids. I work full time and obviously have a love for papercrafting, but also for Nascar, reading and CSI: Miami. Currently you would probably find me more in digi-land than anywhere else! I have found I love working with digital images, papers and what not. As a matter of face, the papers and image on today's card are both digital. I would like to thank Pam for this opportunity and hopefully you will see more from me soon.

And I would like to thank you, Vicki, for creating this card for us:

Here are a few words about why Tammy chose Vickilyn:

For reader appreciation week I choose to highlight Vickilyn and her paperhugs blog. Vickilyn has been with 365 Cards for a while and has been a pretty faithful follower! Yayyyyy Vickilyn!

I adore Vickilyn's blog and all of her fun colourful creations. You can pretty much count on a daily posting from her highlighting fantastic cards, altered projects and scrappy pages. Thank You Vickilyn for being such a fantastic part of 365 Cards, it has been a pleasure getting to know you!

And here is Tammy's super cute card:

I was looking back at the first several posts the other day, and I am amazed at how participation has grown. Thank you all for being so supportive of one another. Many people have come along worrying that their work isn't good enough, and many of you jump in with kind words, reminding them that they are welcome to share no matter what their level of experience and that this is all in good fun. We all still have things we can learn and improve on, I am sure.

Just a reminder, if you wish to have your name entered into the drawing for the Mac Mae Card Kit (up to 7 possible entries per person!), you have until Saturday, August 1st to link up your cards for this week.

Have a Bee-autiful day!

Day 149 - Try a Technique: Sponging

Welcome to Day 2 of Reader Appreciation Week!

Here is your Top Trio:

1) Tesa - for this soft and beautiful envelope card based on the sketch.

2)Teza - for a stunning Twilight-inspired card.

3)Jennifer - who "raised" her card beautifully.

You all have earned Card of the Week honors and the COTW blinkie for your blogs. By the way, I was blown away by the many wonderful interpretations of the sympathy card challenge. So much so that I tried to narrow it down to even a few favorites to consider for the Top Trio, but I could not. I was amazed by the variety, and yet all the cards fit well with the challenge - great work, Everyone!

I've been thinking that as with the Top Trio, we need to have a name for the group that completes every challenge for the week. Any suggestions? Well, for now it will be "the group of people who completed all the challenges last week", who most certainly deserve to be acknowledged:

Sherry Ann, Michelle M., Tasia D., Piali, SAM, Patti J., Jenny S., Kerstin, Teza, Chrissie, Paula M., Janice, Lila C., Carolyn V., Linda B., Kortney M., and Celeste

Today's 365 Reader was selected by Gloria:

Introducing Barb Foster:

I am an Architectural Project Manager by trade, and though my job is in the creative spectrum, I always find myself wanting to do more! I discovered The Angel Company, a direct-sales rubber stamping & scrapbooking company, in December 2005 and immediately signed up to be a demonstrator… lovin’ every minute of it!

Stamping is a HUGE part of my artistic outlet due to the varied techniques and mediums that I may use. I am also a scrapbooker, though non-traditional in that I mainly create very personalized artsy books that have an altered art feel. It’s hard for me to create a scrapbook page without stamping SOMETHING! What began as gifts for friends and loved ones, soon led to a few commissions, a couple of guest blogger stints, a design team gig and, most recently, a Catalogue Designer for The Angel Company!
If you pop in and visit my blog, you will definitely notice that I have a PASSION for Halloween! I have a huge Halloween décor collection that is displayed year-round in several rooms of the house, including an 8-1/2 foot tall mummy prop made from teak wood & paper mache :) I tend to take a harmless, lovely stamp and figure out a way to use it for the macabre. So not only do I collect Halloween image stamps, I collect images that I can MAKE Halloweenie!

Today's challenge is all about Sponging. I don't care how you use it, just use the sponging technique on your card. Here is Barb's card:

This is marvelously macabre, Barb, thanks for sharing this card with us! Here is what Gloria has to say about Barb:

I chose Barb for Reader Appreciation Week because I love her style (and she's funny). Barb adds amazing detail to every one of her cards. Every time I look at her cards I say, "Wow, I wish I'd have thought of that!" Her cards have these amazing layers and distressing and stitching; they are a joy to behold. Barb has an innovative way of using products and supplies that makes me want to bow and kiss her feet! I really admire her card-making skills and felt she was a good choice for RAW.

And of course, since it is Monday, Gloria is sharing her take on the challenge:

This is definitely a work of art, Gloria!

I love the look of sponging on cards and look forward seeing your marvelous creations using this technique.

Hey - have you been over to my card kit blog recently? Well, you might want to pop over there and check it out, because one of you will win a complete card kit at the end of the week! Just my little way of saying how much I appreciate each and every one of you :) And all you have to do is participate this week. Just a couple of rules:

1) Each card must be newly created for the 365 challenge (but may be combined with challenges on other blogs).

2) You can earn up to 7 entries in this random drawing and you have until Saturday, August 1st at 11:59 PM EST to link up your cards.

So get to work and link up!

Day 148 - Super Sketchy Sunday

Welcome to Reader Appreciation Week!

This is an opportunity for us to thank you for joining in with us day after day. We've chosen seven readers to introduce to you and asked them to share cards with us. There will be prizes for a few of you just for joining in this week, but there will be more details about that tomorrow. For now, here is the sketch:

Gloria

Kristie

Vicky

Amy


Tammy

Sophie




Pam

And a card from 365er Shari Passey~

I think that this was a tough sketch, and Shari did a fabulous job with it. Thank you, Shari, for creating this card to share with us. Please take a moment to visit her blog, and check out some amazing paper projects!

As I said before, there will be prizes this week with details to come, but here's a little tidbit - the more you participate, the greater your chances of winning a prize ;)

See you back here tomorrow for our Top Trio, week-long participants, and more...

Day 147 - Scraplift Saturday

So many of you have commented that you are inspired by the DT cards and have gotten some good ideas from them - which is exactly what they are here for :)

I thought a DT scraplift challenge would be fun, so I asked Vicky to scraplift one of her fellow DT members. She chose this card by Kristie:

Excellent choice, Vicky!

And this is what Vicky came up up with:

This is fabulous, Vicky, the pocket was such a clever idea!!

The specific challenge: Select a card from one of the design team members to scraplift. It does not have to be a card that was done for a 365 Cards challenge, but you need to be sure to provide the card or link the the card that you are scraplifting.

It will be great fun for us to see which cards you choose!

See you back here tomorrow for the start of Reader Appreciation Week~

Day 146 - Mirror Me

Here's your challenge for today:

Create symmetry on your card. The only thing that does not have to be symmetrical is the sentiment.

Although Sophie managed to mirror the sentiment as well. This is so soft and pretty!

I think this will be one of those that will be more difficult than it initially seems, but let's see what you think about that~

Day 145 - Ad Inspired

Alright, let's take a breather from some of the tougher challenges and sneak in another fun Ad Inspired challenge...

Amy is up today with this selection - a super cool pillow.

And she was inspired to created this adorable owl card with a gorgeous background pattern!

And your challenge is to use the above image to inspire your card.

I just want to take a moment to thank Amy for all of her enthusiasm -- talent aside, each member of the DT brings her own special something, and Amy is our #1 commenter, I think. So lets give it up for Amy!!

Day 144 - You Raise Me Up

This one is all about adding dimension to your card - Pop Dots come to mind here, along with layering and chipboard.

The Specific Challenge: Try to incorporate at least TWO ways to add dimension to your card.



Wow - now that looks edible, YUM! Nice work Kristie :)

So you'll want to check back in with us on Sunday for sure, because we'll be starting Reader Appreciation Week. The DT has selected some of our readers to get to know better and share a card during the week. We also reached that point recently where we passed 365 followers!!! So there will prizes next week, as well.

Now let's see some dimension on your cards~

Day 143 - Keep it to Yourself: Sympathy

The first couple of times we had this challenge, I think it was easier because they were occasions (e.g., birthday) with images that are often associated with an event - cake, balloons, gifts, etc.

This Keep it to Yourself challenge is to create a Sympathy card. It's difficult to convey the message without putting the sentiment on the front, but that's what I'm asking you to do. HOWEVER, the message CAN be on the inside. The idea is to create an appropriate card for this type of situation, which is often difficult anyway.

Tammy really created a lovely card, which allows for a personal message on the inside. I know I've spent quite a while at the card store in the past, trying to find just the right card for such a situation, and I've generally been disappointed. Now that I make all my cards, I hope to find inspiration here as we take a stab at this one, which leaves quite a bit of room for creativity, I think.

Day 142 - Movie Monday

A big thank you to Alicia from Shortcuts for sponsoring us last week! The design team really enjoyed working with your products. I'm happy to say there will be TWO winners from Shortcuts Week, so I will begin with that announcement:

Congratulations to:

Piali!!!!!

You have won a $20 Gift Certificate to the Shortcuts online store!

and also to

Kira!!!!!

You have won a ShortCuts Sampler Pack, which includes samples of all of their products.

There is a link over in the sidebar where you can email me with your contact info so I can pass it along to Alicia at Shortcuts.

Congratulations to our Top Trio:

1)Lea L. - scroll down to see her "very cherry" bright and beautiful take on the sketch.

2)Juls - for a very impressive red, white and black card that is worth a close-up look.

3)Patti J. - for some pierced flourishes that were a perfect accent for her card.

Thanks for the inspiration ladies, you may grab the COTW blinkie for your blogs if you would like!

I do believe we've had a record-breaking week for those who created cards for all SEVEN challenges. The card makers who made the list are:

Teza, Hannah S., Chrissie, Linby, Chrissy, Tasia D., Alicia H., Paula M., Rebecca, Nikki, Made by Mandy, Lila, Linda B., Piali, Denise O., Carolyn V., Celeste, Craft Girl (Karin Hoag), Tulin Emre, Janice, Crissy, Wendy K., and Iona S.

Thanks to all of you for joining in on every challenge. And please let me know if your name should appear on this list as well!

On to today's challenge. A very good friend of mine, Elisa, is celebrating her love of all things Twilight by hosting a convention in Portland, Oregon next month. Thanks to her, I've read the books and seen the first movie, which means I've got Twilight on the brain right now. I thought it would be a fun challenge to see how this movie inspires you. If you've not seen it, I'm providing images of both the movie and the book covers to help you along.

Here is Gloria's gorgeous card creation:

But you know, it just wouldn't be a proper 365 challenge if I didn't throw in some other requirements ;)

So here it is, the specific challenge:

Let the Twilight movie inspire your card. Use a black card base or black background, patterned paper where the dominant color is red, and embellish with either glitter or rhinestones. Anything else goes.

Have a wonderful week!

Day 141 - Super Sketchy Sunday

I think we had a record number of participants last week - WOW! I've already gone through several cards with many, many more to go, but it is such a pleasure to see what you've all created. Check back tomorrow for prizes, awards and acknowledgements!

Here is today's sketch along with the DT cards:

Vicky

Tammy

Sophie

Kristie

Gloria

Amy

Pam

Next week you can also expect details about our Reader Appreciation Week coming the last week of July!!

Day 140 - Paint it!

That's the challenge, plain and simple. Use a little or a lot, but make sure there's paint on your card.

Here is Vicky's example:

WOW! I am lovin' that butterfly and I'm heading over to Vicky's blog to get the details!!

Also, I want to draw attention to yesterday's challenge. I think there may be some confusion about the technique. The challenge is to use paper piercing not paper piecing. Basically, I want ya to poke holes in your card ;)

Okay then, off you go to finish up the last challenge of the week. Get those cards linked up by 11:59 PM EST for them to be considered as entries for the prize drawing. I will announce the winner on Monday's post along with the Top Trio and week-long participants.

Day 139 - Try a Technique

Ever try paper piercing? Well, that's what this challenge is all about. All you really need is a tool with a sharp point, and you're all set.

The specifics: Use the paper piercing technique to create a pattern on your card. It doesn't have to be elaborate, just something to add to the overall appearance of your card.

Here's how Sophie used this technique:

If you look closely at the card, you'll see that sophie pierced around the circles to create a really neat effect.

Just one more day left of Shortcuts Week! I'm looking forward to sitting down as I usually do at the end of the week and going back through all the cards and enjoying all the eye candy you've left in the gallery!! See you back here tomorrow with our last challenge of the week~

Day 138 - She Said, and I Quote...

"blah, blah, blah" or something like that.

And that's the challenge - just include a quotation on your card. And be sure to give proper credit ;) Also, I had originally scheduled a poem for the challenge, so please feel free to use a poem on your card, as some of the DT members have done :)

Here is Amy's quotation of the day:

Sounds like good advice to me :) Now let's see what you come up with~

Day 137 - I'm in a Bind!

We have over 365 followers at 365 Cards - woo-hoo!!! As it happens, the DT and I have been planning a fabulous Reader Appreciation Week beginning July 26th and I have decided to celebrate this momentous occasion in conjunction with RAW. You can expect more details next week.

Today, the challenge is to bind two pieces of something (card stock, plastic, etc.) to create a card. For example, use a hole punch and then attach using metal rings or yarn.

Paper clips, binder clips, staples, brads, etc. are all possibilities so don't be afraid to try something new!

Here is what Kristie came up with:

Excellent example, Kristie, and so pretty, too!

I think Mr. Linky went on vacation and forgot to tell us. Let's hope he returns soon, but for now, just share your link with us in the comments of this post and I'll add your link when Mr. Linky is back up and running.

Day 136 - What is Black, White, and Red all Over?

Your Card!!!

That means these are the only colors to use on your card. How's that for a challenge?

Here is Tammy's stunning creation:

I've had a couple of questions about combining challenges. If you combine a 365 challenge with a challenge from another blog (or blogs), then it counts as an entry as long as you meet the requirements for the 365 challenge. If you combine two 365 challenges, they will only count as one.

Are you enjoying Shortcuts Week? I know I sure am, and there are more fun challenges still to come!