I love challenges. Whenever I'm feeling a little mojo-less, I turn to a challenge. Particularly because I don't scrap chronologically and I'm pretty much "caught up," sometimes I need a spark to get me going!
Currently, I'm participating in "The Sketchbook Olympics" at The Sketch Book. I saw the challenge listed on the Pub Calls blog and I decided to sign up. The first challenge was as follows:
So, the first sport we are tackling is Cycling. We thought we would go easy on you for the first week
Here are the rules:
Create a layout (8×8 or bigger) using a circular/wheel theme.
You must include:
1. Circles as embellishments on your page
2. Circle / dot patterned paper
That's it! Not too hard for the first one right??
I used the Parfums d'ete' collection from Sultane for the challenge.
Here is a close up of the layered circles, which are super cool in real life:
I'm also participating in "Collage Play by CrowAbout." Each week the group leader, Nancy, posts a collection of collage elements. We need to incorporate them in some way into an art journal page. Here is my page for the week:
Most of the people playing along with the challenge are collage artists, not scrapbookers. So, my stuff is a little more literal than theirs. I'm hoping to get further and further away from the literal as I go on with the challenge, but I've never been much of an abstract thinker. It's hard for me. I like text and story way too much!
Here are some other challenges that I like:
- Scrap Mojo: Leaning towards the artsy fartsy, these girls have a funny, hip vibe. Their challenges usually involve a bunch of moving parts (so to speak) and they often feature some very hip guest hosts.
- How Much Is Too Much: Started by a bunch of ladies who felt that they had an abundance of scrapbook supplies (don't we all?), this challenge features prompts asking you to use up a lot of stuff on your pages!
- Method Playground: This one was started by a bunch of HOF runner-ups. Each week they feature a technique and challenge you to use it.
- Mixed Media Monday: There's a theme every Monday. Participants create pages, quilts, objects, paintings – lots of different mixed media eye candy – based on the theme. This week is Recycle/Repurpose.
- One Little Word: Every other Wednesday, the crazy talented design team challenges you to use a certain word as a jumping off point for a layout. On the in-between weeks, they offer up a technique tutorial.
- Scrapping the Music: The very international design team at this site chooses a song every week and ask you to put the lyrics on your page. I have found that even when the music isn't my style, the lyrics often get me moving.
- Pencil Lines: Celebrity hosts, lots of different styles, each week there's a brand new sketch to inspire you. They're up to sketch #99 this week!
- The Art is Found: Artsy fartsy and verging on something that isn't quite scrapbooking (collage, maybe?), this is a relatively new challenge blog (started in March). It's all about making art based on the little things around you. Art is everywhere.
- The Creative Type: Brand new challenge site (they're still on challenge #1) focused on typography.
- The Story Matters: As you might guess from the name, the focus here is on telling your story. This site is a new discovery for me. I haven't participated yet, but I hope to very soon!
- The Digi Dares: Another new site for me. I found it by following a link on someone else's blog. I'll bet you can guess from the name – it's all challenges focusing on digi artists. But, they're not necessarily digi-specific. The current challenge is to use the word "create" on a page.
- The original: The Effer Dares: I may be wrong, but I believe that the effer girls were the first ones to create a scrapbooking challenge blog. Always good inspiration, but between you and me, I find their website hard to navigate. It gets all jumbled for me. But, it's worth hunting around and playing along!
Thanks for stopping by!
those layered pop up circles are so cool.Awesome layouts!
I love challenges too to get my mojo dancing 😉
those layered pop up circles are so cool.Awesome layouts!
I love challenges too to get my mojo dancing 😉
those layered pop up circles are so cool.Awesome layouts!
I love challenges too to get my mojo dancing 😉
those layered pop up circles are so cool.Awesome layouts!
I love challenges too to get my mojo dancing 😉
Wow, you make great stuff!
And thanks for the urls of the challenge blogs.
Wow, you make great stuff!
And thanks for the urls of the challenge blogs.
Wow, you make great stuff!
And thanks for the urls of the challenge blogs.
Wow, you make great stuff!
And thanks for the urls of the challenge blogs.
I didn’t know of a few of these. Thanks! I’m always on the look out for challenge blogs. I love em. I just found a cool art journal one by Elise Blaha she does weekly. Its pretty cool. It also has a flickr group.
http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/paper08/
I didn’t know of a few of these. Thanks! I’m always on the look out for challenge blogs. I love em. I just found a cool art journal one by Elise Blaha she does weekly. Its pretty cool. It also has a flickr group.
http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/paper08/
I didn’t know of a few of these. Thanks! I’m always on the look out for challenge blogs. I love em. I just found a cool art journal one by Elise Blaha she does weekly. Its pretty cool. It also has a flickr group.
http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/paper08/
I didn’t know of a few of these. Thanks! I’m always on the look out for challenge blogs. I love em. I just found a cool art journal one by Elise Blaha she does weekly. Its pretty cool. It also has a flickr group.
http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/paper08/
I feel exactly the same about the Effer Dares one, I can never get the hang of how to navigate it properly, and always end up feeling I’m just not ‘in’ enough to play 🙁
Another great site is http://creativetherapy.wordpress.com – inspiring guests and worthwhile challenges.
I feel exactly the same about the Effer Dares one, I can never get the hang of how to navigate it properly, and always end up feeling I’m just not ‘in’ enough to play 🙁
Another great site is http://creativetherapy.wordpress.com – inspiring guests and worthwhile challenges.
I feel exactly the same about the Effer Dares one, I can never get the hang of how to navigate it properly, and always end up feeling I’m just not ‘in’ enough to play 🙁
Another great site is http://creativetherapy.wordpress.com – inspiring guests and worthwhile challenges.
I feel exactly the same about the Effer Dares one, I can never get the hang of how to navigate it properly, and always end up feeling I’m just not ‘in’ enough to play 🙁
Another great site is http://creativetherapy.wordpress.com – inspiring guests and worthwhile challenges.
Great pages! Thanks for sharing the challenges blog links.
Great pages! Thanks for sharing the challenges blog links.
Great pages! Thanks for sharing the challenges blog links.
Great pages! Thanks for sharing the challenges blog links.
Wonderfully awesome LOs!
Wonderfully awesome LOs!
Wonderfully awesome LOs!
Wonderfully awesome LOs!
love the moma LO. it’s diff 🙂
love the moma LO. it’s diff 🙂
love the moma LO. it’s diff 🙂
love the moma LO. it’s diff 🙂
Great selection of challenge boards, something there for everyone, thanks for sharing all that inspiration.
Great selection of challenge boards, something there for everyone, thanks for sharing all that inspiration.
Great selection of challenge boards, something there for everyone, thanks for sharing all that inspiration.
Great selection of challenge boards, something there for everyone, thanks for sharing all that inspiration.
Great links!! Just did a post to send readers here to explore the sites. Great resource! Thanks!!
Great links!! Just did a post to send readers here to explore the sites. Great resource! Thanks!!
Great links!! Just did a post to send readers here to explore the sites. Great resource! Thanks!!
Great links!! Just did a post to send readers here to explore the sites. Great resource! Thanks!!
hey julie! great list! & so happy OLW is up there…wow that makes me honored 🙂
& i was just on the quilting arts blog & saw you won some fabric! small world this internet world is sometimes…lol
hope you are having a great summer 🙂
xoxo
gi
hey julie! great list! & so happy OLW is up there…wow that makes me honored 🙂
& i was just on the quilting arts blog & saw you won some fabric! small world this internet world is sometimes…lol
hope you are having a great summer 🙂
xoxo
gi
hey julie! great list! & so happy OLW is up there…wow that makes me honored 🙂
& i was just on the quilting arts blog & saw you won some fabric! small world this internet world is sometimes…lol
hope you are having a great summer 🙂
xoxo
gi
hey julie! great list! & so happy OLW is up there…wow that makes me honored 🙂
& i was just on the quilting arts blog & saw you won some fabric! small world this internet world is sometimes…lol
hope you are having a great summer 🙂
xoxo
gi
Love your work! Thanks for the list, it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for and I appreciate it all in one place 🙂
Love your work! Thanks for the list, it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for and I appreciate it all in one place 🙂
Love your work! Thanks for the list, it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for and I appreciate it all in one place 🙂
Love your work! Thanks for the list, it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for and I appreciate it all in one place 🙂