It’s like music to our ears to see all of the submissions for the Color Trends Challenge with Music! You all really showed how something as simple as music notes, sheet paper, and everything in between can create such beautiful projects. Thank you to everyone who entered and embarked on this fun challenge.

Congratulations, Meg C.! Your card designed really rocked! You did something a little different and used guitar images to play off the music theme. We really liked your interpretation of the challenge. Please contact us with your mailing address and we will make sure you are all set up to receive your Heartsong stamp set by Skipping Stones Design.

Let’s not forget the other six designers who also deserve a spotlight! Click on each image to visit their blogs. Make sure to leave everyone some blog love and comment on their beautiful designs! If you’re looking for more inspiration, there are plenty more entries we were not able to highlight here that deserve some serious blog stalking! So go check them out too!

Don’t forget to take on our current Masculine Color Trends Challenge. We want to be inspired too and can’t wait to see what you all create. There are already some really HOT submissions so far and will surely spark that creative nerve in your body when paper crafting for men. You never know…you may just be the winner of the Grunge stamp set from Skipping Stones Design.

 

We have started a new feature on the blog to share our inspiration, ideas, and tips with you. Today, Tina has a video to share on how she creates for challenges and magazine calls. Take a few minutes to watch how she is inspired and prepares for specific paper crafting challenges and requests.

Everyone has their own creative process; however, sharing with one another allows us to learn how to manage our own system a little better. Perhaps you start creating for a challenge by pulling out all the cardstock colors to create for a color challenge, then going from there. Well, what if you changed it up a bit and pulled out patterned paper the next time around? Not only will you learn to see if you can create using a different process, but also to see if you are using your supplies effectively. Some processes may work best for you given time constraints or based on the challenge at hand, but take a moment to determine what your system is and then try to see if it should be altered to be more effective and efficient for you.

How do you create for challenges and magazine calls? Please share with us in the comments section so we all can learn new ways to incorporate into our processes to make paper crafting easier for us all! We want to hear from you!

Please let us know what other types of information would you like to see shared in our Creative Corner features. Would you like to see tutorials, more on the creative process, or how we tackle each challenge? How often would you like to this feature in your inbox or reader? Please leave us a comment!

 

 

You can also view the video in HD on YouTube.

 

Check back tomorrow if you entered in the Color Trends Challenge with Music to see who the winner and check out the hot designs!

We also have an interesting new challenge going on to paper craft for men, so check that out too!

 

We’ve been hearing all the buzz about the big masculine paper crafting challenge. Oh how difficult it is to craft for those men in our lives.  We thought it was the perfect time to embark a Masculine Color Trends Challenge. Please roll up your sleeves and create with us because this will be a learning experience for all of us to join forces to tackle on this challenge…together!

Please make sure you review the rules below.

The photograph(s) in the challenge inspiration board are by Flying House Studios and from our very own designer, Tina Fussell!

Skipping Stones Design (SSD) is a stamp company whose mission is to help paper crafters share the gift of laughter one stamp at a time. SSD started in 2005 and has a variety of stamps in their online store to attract all paper crafters. Their stamps are photopolymer high quality clear stamps and priced just right. On their blog, SSD challenges crafters with a sketch every week.

 

This challenge requires you to create a masculine paper craft project using the color challenge. Creating paper craft projects for men, young and old, is often considered a big challenge for most designers. We welcome you to think outside of the flower box, rhinestones, and luxurious ribbons to your stash of brads, eyelets, wood grain, and various patterned paper collections that will make those guys in your life *LOVE* your handmade creations! We can’t wait to see what you create.

The main colors are featured in the challenge inspiration board above. Keep the colors of your project as close to the colors in the challenge image. Remember, colors can be incorporated into your project in more ways than cardstock. If you would like to use a neutral of white/cream and black/brown, please feel free to add it!

Upload a photo of your project to your blog or online gallery, such as Splitcoaststampers or Flickr, then copy the direct link to your project to the embedded link widget below or on one of the design team’s blogs. If you do not have a direct link to your blog/gallery posting that features the challenge, your link may be deleted. If it is deleted, no biggie, just come back and re-link the correct link! Only links left in the link widget will be considered for challenge submissions.

NOTE: **If you are having difficulties with our link widget, please click the question mark link to get help from their blog. They offer useful step-by-step instructions.

IE v6 Browser Users: The link widget is not compatible with IE version 6. Please feel free to download Firefox for free here. You can also update your IE browser here. Sorry for any inconvenience in the cross-browser issues, but we hope you give Firefox a try!

We also have a Flickr Group available to share your projects. Please add your projects to Embellish Magazine Flickr group.

If you want to use the graphic above, feel free to, but make sure you right-click and choose the “Save Image As” choice to save it to your computer, then upload to your blog!

After the challenge ends, the design team will select top designers who created hot projects to highlight. The designers will be highlighted in a blog posting. You can find all blog postings related to challenge winners in the category menu in the footer below, called “Embellish What’s Hot.”

Additionally, there will be a designer who will be featured and will Grunge from Skipping Stones Design. The winner must contact Embellish within 48 hours of the announcement. We reserve the right to select a new winner if the designer makes no contact.

The designers are showcasing some rough and tough designs ton inspire you on how to create masculine paper craft projects.  For additional information and photos, please click on the images to visit their blogs.

 

Ashley created a birthday card using the Grunge stamp set. She stamped the wood grain and diamond metal toolbox patterns. She also heat embossed the sentiment and embellished the card with star die cuts.

Charlene created this masculine birthday card using the Grunge stamp set. She stamped the wood grain and embellished with buttons. A star was used as a focal point to set the tone for this birthday tough guy!

Cristina designed this tough birthday card using the Grunge stamp set as well. She stamped the metal toolbox pattern on a tag and finished it off with an eyelet. Guys love that hardware!

Mariana made this nostalgic card for the #1 DAD using the Grunge stamp set. She stamped the metal toolbox pattern on gray cardstock, which makes it so realistic. She also added some hardware and nostalgic elements to personalize it.

Sarah used the Grunge stamp set to design this tough guy birthday card. She stamped the metal toolbox pattern and also the sentiment on the tag. Sarah showcases how you can layer a card for a guy and still pull it off!

Tina designed this clean and simple card using the Grunge stamp set. She stamped the patterns on cardstock strips and divided the stamped sentiments. This is a very quick and easy way to create a card for a guy and ship it off in the mail!

Click the image above for additional rules. There are new rules, so please visit the link. Your entry may be deleted if your submission is also a part of a lot of other challenges.

Challenge ends Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST

 

 

Thank you to all of the talented designers who participated in the Color Trends Challenge with Birds. We were blown away by all of the fabulous creations you all shared with us.  Even if you didn’t get a chance to create something for this challenge by the deadline, you can always participate and use the color combination at any time to get that creativity flowing again!

A big congrats to the top six designers who are featured for this challenge. Each of you shared unique designs that made us fly right off our seats! Make sure you click the photo images to check out each of their blogs!

Our big winner is Natalie Hearns, who created such a delightful card. We really loved your design so much that it was voted #1! You should be proud! Please contact us and we will get you set up to claim your Tiffany Doodle digital images soon. Don’t forget to click on the images above to view all of the winning entries and share some love!

Please join us for our current challenge – Color Trends Challenge with Music – and enter for your chance to win a Heartsong stamp set from Skipping Stones Design.

We hope your are going to sing all the way to you craft space to create for this Color Trend Challenge. Please make sure you review the rules below. The photograph(s) in the challenge inspiration board are by Flying House Studios and from our very own designer, Tina Fussell!

Skipping Stones Design (SSD) is a stamp company whose mission is to help paper crafters share the gift of laughter one stamp at a time.  SSD started in 2005 and has a variety of stamps in their online store to attract all paper crafters.  Their stamps are photopolymer high quality clear stamps and priced just right.  On their blog, SSD challenges crafters with a sketch every week.

 

This challenge requires you to create a paper craft project using the color challenge and music. Background patterns can be found everywhere on paper craft projects lately. Music sheet patterns are a very popular style, whether you use stamps, patterned paper, or vintage music sheet to achieve the look, it will surely make your project sing sweet tunes! We can’t wait to see what you create.

The main colors are featured in the challenge inspiration board above. Keep the colors of your project as close to the colors in the challenge image. Remember, colors can be incorporated into your project in more ways than cardstock. If you would like to use a neutral of white/cream and black/brown, please feel free to add it!

Upload a photo of your project to your blog or online gallery, such as Splitcoaststampers or Flickr, then copy the direct link to your project to the embedded link widget below or on one of the design team’s blogs. If you do not have a direct link to your blog/gallery posting that features the challenge, your link may be deleted. If it is deleted, no biggie, just come back and re-link the correct link! Only links left in the link widget will be considered for challenge submissions.

NOTE: **If you are having difficulties with our link widget, please click the question mark link to get help from their blog. They offer useful step-by-step instructions.

IE v6 Browser Users: The link widget is not compatible with IE version 6. Please feel free to download Firefox for free here. You can also update your IE browser here. Sorry for any inconvenience in the cross-browser issues, but we hope you give Firefox a try!

We also have a Flickr Group available to share your projects. Please add your projects to Embellish Magazine Flickr group.

If you want to use the graphic above, feel free to, but make sure you right-click and choose the “Save Image As” choice to save it to your computer, then upload to your blog!

After the challenge ends, the design team will select top designers who created hot projects to highlight. The designers will be highlighted in a blog posting. You can find all blog postings related to challenge winners in the category menu in the footer below, called “Embellish What’s Hot.”

Additionally, there will be a designer who will be featured and will Heartsong from Skipping Stones Design. The winner must contact Embellish within 48 hours of the announcement. We reserve the right to select a new winner if the designer makes no contact.

Like music to our ears, the design team has created the ultimate inspiration for us all to admire. Sing along with us and peruse these designs. For additional information and photos, please click on the images to visit their blogs.

 

Ashley created a birthday card using the Heartsong stamp set. She stamped the music sheet to create a background and used the butterfly music sheet stamp as a negative die cut embellishment.

Charlene created this color block card design using the Heartsong stamp set. She heat embossed the music sheet pattern and added the bird as a fun embellishment.

Cristina designed a note card using Heartsong stamp set. She stamped the music pattern in various inks and added a button. And just like that, Cristina jumps right on in and takes on these challenges like a pro! Welcome, Cristina!

Mariana made this scenic card using the Heartsong stamp set. She stamped the music pattern on a circle shape and added the butterflies. The grass sets the tone of a sunny day!

Sarah used the Heartsong stamp set to design this lovely card. She added the music background pattern on the kraft pocket that contains a little tag. To see the tag, click the photo for more details on her blog.

Tina designed this beautiful layout using Heartsong stamp set. She embellished her page with the stamped music butterflies and bird. Check her blog for more detailed photos!

Click the image above for additional rules. There are new rules, so please visit the link. Your entry may be deleted if your submission is also a part of a lot of other challenges.

Challenge ends Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST