Goodbye for Now

Dear Crafty Friends,

I have decided to take a break from blogging and from my challenges. I never thought that would happen! I am taking an 8 month hiatus from blogging and crafting and I will miss it terribly. I am doing so for my health and for my family.

Thank you to the players who join us each week at The Challenge! I have not chosen winners for the past challenge as you are all appreciated for playing along and encouraging others with your comments and support. The gallery was FULL of such beautiful work this week! Thank you!

Thank you to my amazing team at The Challenge! You ladies have been so faithful and committed! I adore working with you and I hope you will join me again in the future when I return.

The Card Concept, FUSION and Inspired By All the Little Things, will continue on normally! I will no longer be running those challenges. Instead FUSION is being taken over by Karren Johnson, my talented friend and The Card Concept will be taken over by my other equally talented friend, Julie Gearinger. Thank you so much ladies, for keeping these challenges going!

I have taken a leave from designing for Verve Stamps and SugarPea Designs. Thank you to Julee and Wendy for your endless support and kindness.

I hope to be back sometime in June 2017! In the meantime, happy crafting and all the best!

Sincerely,
Lesley

The Challenge #83 {Christmas Inspiration}

Hello and Welcome to Week Four at The Challenge! I don't know about you but I love this time of year! Christmas cards are so much fun to make, and I hope you are inspired by our inspiration this week!

Are you looking for last week's winner? Please CLICK HERE.

Each week we have a fun challenge for your to try!!! We do a different style of challenge each week! We like to mix things up and keep them fresh!

Here is the monthly rotation:

Week 1-Sketch

Week 2-Colours

Week 3-Photo Inspiration

Week 4-Christmas Photo Inspiration

Week 5-Wild Card (a surprise!)

I decided to make a tag using Merry Makers from SugarPea Designs. I didn't follow the colour scheme but instead was inspired by the pretty tags on the parcels.

This week we are thrilled to welcome Amy from Stamp with Amy K and 
Leigh from To The Full as our Guest Designers!

Amy K

Leigh

The design team have created some inspiration to get you in the crafting mood! Come and join us! Our weekly winner will be our next Guest Designer! So come and join the fun!

Anita Madden

Broni Holcombe

Claire Broadwater

Kim Heggins

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Rachel Bergfeld

Vicki Finger

Lee Ann Barrett

A few rules to keep things fun and fair!

1. Use the challenge to create a card.

2. Please add the challenge graphic to your blog post (copy and paste).

3. Have fun and comment on the submissions of others.

4. Anything that is offensive to myself or to my viewers will be removed.

5. Have fun!

Winner of our Inspiration Challenge

Thank you for joining us last week at The Challenge and 

for playing along with our Inspiration Challenge! 

Congratulations, Jen!
Love this fresh and clean card! You captured the inspiration photo to a tee!

I hope you will join us as our next Guest Designer for The Challenge! Please email Kim Heggins at kim heggins @ comcast.net (no spaces)

(In numerical linked up order)

1. Gaylynn

5. teresa kline

7. Theresa P

We will be back in one hour with the next challenge!

Viva la Verve & Retrospective Hop

Welcome to Verve's October Release Retrospective Blog Hop!  Today the Verve Divas and Guest Divas are back with another dose of inspiration using the brand new release! All of our new products are available to order in the Verve shop and on sale through the end of October! 

Plus, we've got a 

sweet hop prize in store!

I used the Autumn Blessings stamp set and coordinating Autumn Thanks Die Set. I kept my design simple and clean...using some pretty papers in blues! I also used the new Viva la Verve Sketch! I am the hostess this week! I hope you like my sketch!

Want to win some shiny new Verve? Julee will be picking a random comment winner on one of the hop spots below to win a $40 gift voucher to Verve! To be entered in the giveaway, leave a little comment love as you hop around to the blogs linked below! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines!

1. Julee	7. Vickie (Guest)
2. Marisa	8. Maureen
3. Charmaine	9. Christyne
4. Betty	10. Teresa
5. Stacey	11. Lesley
6. Lisa (Guest)

The Challenge #82 {Inspiration Challenge}

Hello and Welcome to Week Three at The Challenge! Before we get started, we are delighted to welcome a new designer to our team! She is a talented artist and a lovely person! Welcome to Vicki Finger! I asked Vicki to share a bit about herself.

Vicki Finger

Hi Everyone!  I'm Vicki Finger - a wife, mom and Mimi to 12 grandkids.  I am also Puppy Mom to Holly Noelle and Reese Mackenna.  My hubby and I have been married for 32+ years.  In 1997, I was introduced to Creative Memories Scrapbooking. In February of 2015, I started making just a few cards for a friend whose Mom had terminal cancer as a way of cheering her up from the bazillion trips she was making to hospitals for Chemo, etc.  Back then I didn't stamp at all. I used die cuts to make my cards. On August 1st of last year, I started my blog, Twinkling Paper Studio, with what is still my signature style. About 99% of my cards have shimmer or sparkle on them and many of them have some type of watercolor.  Heat Embossing is my favorite technique and I actually consider myself a bit of an artist now.  I was always told growing up that I had no artistic ability whatsoever.  Guess I proved them wrong! I look forward to getting to know each of you better and to being on this Design Team. I hope you find my work inspiring in some way.

Are you looking for last week's winners? Please CLICK HERE.

Each week we have a fun challenge for your to try!!! We do a different style of challenge each week! We like to mix things up and keep them fresh!

Here is the monthly rotation:

Week 1-Sketch

Week 2-Colours

Week 3-Photo Inspiration

Week 4-Christmas Photo Inspiration

Week 5-Wild Card (a surprise!)

The design team have created some inspiration to get you in the crafting mood! Come and join us! Our weekly winner will be our next Guest Designer! So come and join the fun!

Anita Madden

Broni Holcombe

Claire Broadwater

Kim Heggins

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Rachel Bergfeld

Vicki Finger

Lee Ann Barrett

A few rules to keep things fun and fair!

1. Use the challenge to create a card.

2. Please add the challenge graphic to your blog post (copy and paste).

3. Have fun and comment on the submissions of others.

4. Anything that is offensive to myself or to my viewers will be removed.

5. Have fun!

The Challenge Winners

Thank you for joining us last week at The Challenge and 

for playing along with our Colour Challenge! 

Congratulations, Leigh!
Love this fresh and clean card!

I hope you will join us as our next Guest Designer for The Challenge! Please email Kim Heggins at kim heggins @ comcast.net (no spaces)

(In alphabetical order)

2. Tenia Nelson

5. Tribal Turtle

6. Giovana

Verve October Diva Inspirations Hop {Be a Good One}

It's time for the Verve Divas to bring you our monthly Diva Inspirations Challenge and Blog Hop!
There are TWO $30 gift vouchers to the Verve store up for grabs this month and two ways to win! First, comment on the design team's blog hop posts (linked below) for an entry in the first giveaway. Then to be entered into our challenge prize drawing, go get inky and link up your take on the challenge. You have until November 5 to link up. Feel free to play along with the challenge as many times as you like. Verve stamps aren't required to play, but we do smile a little brighter when we see them!

The crisp, cool change in the weather, brings thoughts of warm beverages and long crafting sessions.  This sweet little beverage nook has lots of hidden treasures to be inspired by.  Follow our color pattern, or take flight from the inspiration, you decide!  We can't wait to see what you create.

I was inspired to use the set called Sparkly Dreams and the die set called Butterfly Dreams Die Set. I was inspired by all of the patterns in the inspiration photo. This card was SO easy to make and I love that butterfly! It's nice to have some cards like this in my stash! I need to make more for other occasions too!

Be sure to visit Marisa next!




Click here to link up your challenge entries
Challenge deadline: Wednesday, Saturday, November 5.
Prize: $30 gift voucher to the Verve online store!

Need a little inspiration? Check out the blogs linked below to see what the other Divas did with the challenge! It's sure to be a treat, and speaking of treats, we're giving away a $30 gift voucher to Verve to one random commenter along the hop.  Just leave a little love as you hop about for a chance to win!

1. Julee	6. Marisa
2. Charmaine	7. Maureen
3. Christyne	8. Sankari
4. Laurie	9. Stacey
5. Lesley	10. Teresa