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23 June, 2016

June 2016 Mini Challenge - ART

Hello and welcome to our May More Than Words Mini Challenge!

We have continued to be delighted and amazed by your 
wonderful creations for these challenges. We can't get 
enough of your incredible designs, gorgeous 
colours and tantalising textures!

Here is our new challenge board:
Here's how it works:

The Mini Challenge runs on the last week of each month and is for
cards, tags and ATCs only. (ATCs, or Artist Trading Cards, are small works of art, about 2.5 by 3.5 inches or 64 x 89mm). This challenge requires you to use a specific word on your project. We must see the actual word. You have only one week - until the last day of the month - to enter, so be quick!

Entry for the Mini Challenge is only via our Facebook page 
under the relevant post. 

The winner will receive a $25 voucher from Dusty Attic, 
our fabulous Mini Challenge sponsor.

And just to sweeten the deal, all our prizes 
include free shipping to anywhere in the world!

You can see all our rules under the Rules tab at the top of this blog.

Are delicious creative ideas running through your mind? Here's what 
our Design Team came up with:

Di Garling - Tag

Lilibleu - Tag









We hope this inspires you to give the challenge a go!

You have until 11.55pm EST on Tuesday the 31st of May to get 
your entries in right HERE so get your crafting on!

16 June, 2016

Special Guest Spotlight on
FINNABAIR


We have the cream of the crop this month in terms of our GDT!

This extremely talented and innovative lady needs no introduction
as she has revolutionized the art of mixed media throughout the world.
Her outstanding reputation as a true artist spans the continents and her many
products no doubt grace your scrapbooking table and shelves.
In short, we all love her and we all want to be her!!


Yes, we are thrilled to have the one and only Finnabair 
join us as our June Special Guest!
She has agreed to play along with our June Main Challenge 
which seemed to have been designed especially for her, as she is by far 
the best at creating beautiful artsy messes!



Here is what Anna had to say about herself and her art:

"My name is Anna Dabrowska, also known as Finnabair.  I'm a woman of many interests: a mixed media artist, art journaler and designer who loves new challenges, experiments and developing new techniques and skills.  My projects are texture and art medium-based. I make paper and canvas layouts, collages and altered art, tags, journal pages and many more.  I believe in the power of recycling and upcycling and just adore texture, paints of any kind and flea market supplies.  Freedom, embracing creativity and being true to your inner voice is my main 
source of inspiration and creative energy.  

I'm a full time designer and artist and as an experienced travelling teacher I offer a range of my own mixed media-based classes in collage, artistic scrapbooking, art journaling and more.  I truly enjoy teaching and during my classes I focus not only on showing techniques, ideas and tricks but also I try to spread my love and enthusiasm for arts and crafts as I believe in the therapeutic and liberating power of creativity.  

I work with such international brands as Prima Marketing (product designer since 2013) and 7 Dots Studio (product designer since 2011).  I run my own Creative Team who supports my creative Blog and I design for international mixed-media and scrapbooking magazines.  My biggest pride and adventure of the last years is my own mixed media line of products released with Prima Marketing which happen to be source of inspiration for a large group of creative people."

Visit Finnabair here:

If you haven't already done so, we strongly encourage you to visit any of Finnabair's links and get ready to be amazed by true creative genius!

Let's take a look at this month's IMAGINE & GET MESSY Main Challenge followed by Finnabair's amazing interpretation:




Finnabair shares this about her gorgeous layout:
"My projects are usually messy, so getting on the higher level of 'messiness' is not easy!  I decided to start with the 'Homegrown' papers from 7 Dots Studio and let it go with a bit with splatters of gesso, Indian ink, Brushos and finally my Alcohol Inks which were sitting in my drawer for far too long.  I put it all together, added some wire and Mini Art Stones for good measure, and in combination with my crazy photo I got very vivid and bright.  This full of expression project is as crazy as my imagination sometimes is! I hope you will enjoy!"

Here are a few close-ups:




We have no doubt that you are speechless, as we are, over this masterpiece!
We absolutely love all the attention to details that Finnabair puts in every one of her creations.  This layout is so full of color and texture that it is a perfect 
take on our challenge.

Thank you so much Anna for joining us this month as our Special Guest!

If you haven't joined in on our June IMAGINE & GET MESSY Main Challenge yet, 
you still have 2 weeks to do so!  Get your mixed media on 
and show us how messy you can be!

08 June, 2016

Announcing our May Winners!


What a FANTASTIC response to our May Challenge..
A BIG thank you to each & everyone of you that was inspired to play along!!!

We have now tallied up the votes... 



OUR MAIN CHALLENGE WINNER

KIRSTEN HYDE (entry 41)



Congratulations Kristen!  You have won our May Main Challenge! 
Kirsten, please contact Kerrie at kerrie(at)artdecocreations(dot)com(dot)au 
to claim your $50 USD value prize from COUTURE CREATIONS.
(Please indicate that you are the MAIN challenge winner.)


1st RUNNER UP

DAGMARA KOS (entry 39)



Dagmara, please contact Janene at janene(at)thescrapbookdiaries(dot)com 
to claim your $25 value prize from THE SCRAPBOOK DIARIES.


2nd RUNNER UP

ANASTASTIA ELENA (Entry 61)


 Anastastia, please contact Tusia at tusia(at)7dotsstudio(dot)com
to claim your $25 value prize from 7 DOTS STUDIO


3rd RUNNER UP

TANYA SONATAJOY (entry 17)




Tanya, please contact Aneta at studio(at)studio75(dot)pl
to claim your $25 value prize from STUDIO 75.


4th RUNNER UP

KRISTINA PESHKO (entry 56)



Kristina, please contact Jen at dustyattic(at)bigpond(dot)com
to claim your $25 USD store voucher from THE DUSTY ATTIC


RANDOM WINNER




ACHAWG (entry 12)


AchaWg, please contact Tenisha at
scrapelegancescrapbooksupplies(at)hotmail(dot)com 
to claim your $25 value prize package from COLOUR BLAST.


MYSTERY WINNER


IMG_2987


What caught our eye about your entry was the special post which
was a loving tribute to your grandmother. We loved the way you incorporated your grandmothers watch pieces in you work. Your creation is beautiful & full of love. 


Artjournalgirl1978, please contact Tanya at fabrikadecoru(at)gmail(dot)com
to claim your $25 gift certificate info from FABRIKA DECORU


MINI CHALLENGE WINNER

TANYA PYSHCHYK




Tanya, please contact Jen at dustyattic(at)bigpond(dot)com
to claim your $25 store voucher from THE DUSTY ATTIC
(Please indicate that you are the MINI Challenge winner.)


LUCKY COMMENTER

 please contact us at mtwchallenge@hotmail.com
to claim your $25 gift certificate info from GRAPHIC 45


And last, but certainly not least, here are some HONOURABLE MENTIONS 
from the Main Challenge who have received a high number of votes, 
but who didn't quite make it into our prize winning list, 
but very much deserved a mention:

PADORIAA (entry 78)

ERINA (entry 22)

TANYA SONATAJOY (entry 86)

TARTINE PELUCHE (entry 63)

ANNA ROGALSKA (entry 27)


To learn more about all our generous sponsors, 
click on the SPONSORS tab above!

We encourage our merit winners, honourable mentions as well as participants 
who have had your project featured on our Facebook page to grab your 
badge from our left sidebar and proudly display it on your blog!  
They were made just for you!

We cannot wait to see you interpretation of our 
June IMAGINE & MESSY Main Challenge! Details are HERE.

Link up your project using the LinkyTool in the right sidebar
by June 30th at 11:59 pm EST.

01 June, 2016

June 2016 Main Challenge
IMAGINE & GET MESSY


Hello everyone!!

We'd like to welcome you back on the blog today, on this beautiful 1st day of June, 
on which we reveal to you all a brand new Main Challenge.

Our Main Challenge is based on a word inspiration and a creative challenge.
This challenge is open to layouts, canvases and art journal pages only.

Word Inspiration - IMAGINE
Creative Challenge - GET MESSY

Use the word IMAGINE as inspiration to create your project.
You can choose to use the word somewhere on your project or simply be inspired by it. Please explain in your blog post how it inspired you, if not already obvious.

Our creative challenge this month is to GET MESSY. We want you to stretch your creativity! Mixed media techniques are so popular and you don't have to be a pro at them to have fun. All you need is a little imagination!  So, take out your paints, inks, mists, sprays, texture pastes and more to create a fabulous background or elements for your layout, canvas or art journal page. 
Getting messy is just part of the fun!

VERY IMPORTANT! You have to incorporate both requirements of the challenge, the word inspiration AND the creative challenge, on your project to be eligible to win. Just look at our DT members' creations as example. Also, remember that you must include our board image and a link to our blog in your entry post. 
Please check out our rules in the RULES tab above!




Heather: "The word IMAGINE inspired so many possibilities to me. I decided to scrap this photo of my daughter on her first overseas trip with friends as an example of the amazing places she could travel to. The GET MESSY part was easy, with paints, inks and sprays - I'm good at creating messes!"


Lilibleu: "When I saw the IMAGE word inspiration, I immediately thought of this picture of my son taken in Disneyland Paris, a place that invites to daydreaming and imagination. For the GET MESSY creative challenge, I used on my background inks and modeling paste that I applied with a doily stencil.  To further increase the mixed media style, I added a lot of small elements such as beads of different sizes and sequins. I finished my page with ink splatters."


Helen: "I used the word IMAGINE as a title for my project because this photo was taken at the ruins of Pompey where you can only imagine the magnitude of the catastrophy. I got really MESSY creating this page, 
using lots of mediums and different colours!"


Valia: "In my dreams I can IMAGINE I am anyone I want, from a mighty warrior princess to Titania, queen of the faeries in A Midsummer Night's Dream. For the creative part of the challenge, I got MESSY by using white gesso and clear gesso as well as mists, inks, mica powders and modeling paste."


Valerie: "I used the word IMAGINE as my title because when I hear this word, I always think of the song by John Lennon.  It's a song that I love! For the GET MESSY creative challenge, I decided to draw my flowers freehand on my background. Watercolour is my life and when I have no inspiration
I always fall back at using this favorite art medium"


Nicole: "When I think of the word IMAGINE, of course my imagination runs wild, and this is the main basis behind my project this month. When creating this mixed media piece, I let my creativity loose all the way! I used a combination of mists, alcohol inks, shimmerz, powders and lots of microbeads. It got so MESSY that my fingers stayed blue and purple for a couple days!"


Rachael: "I have gone with the word IMAGINE in a rub-on down the side of my photo.  As for the creative challenge to GET MESSY, I have added splatters of paint, inks, mists and texture paste to create my background, which is right up my alley!"


 Di: "The word IMAGINE inspired me to scrap about teenagers and what they imagine lies ahead for them in their lives. I loved getting MESSY with lots of black inks, black stamps, mists and other general mixed media, but still managed to keep a feminine edge to my layout. I absolutely loved this challenge!"


Arantzazu: "The word IMAGINE made me imagine something impossible, unreal! Imagination has no barriers, no limits... only which oneself sets.  If you only just imagine, you can create a marvelous work of art! In creating this piece, I had fun getting MESSY with different mediums, sprays and paints!"


Elena: "The word IMAGINE inspired me to create a layout about me and my desire to look sometimes in the near future and imagine what may be. I've tried to make my background a bit MESSY with white and rose splashes, stamps and stencils."


 Julia: "Can you IMAGINE the impossible? My husband mows the lawn on this photo!  It's a very unusual job for him so I thought I would create a canvas for that picture.  I combined some modeling paste, sprays, alcohol inks, powders, stamps, microbeads, metal and radio parts.  It's quite a MESSY mix!"


Kareen: "Inspired by the word, I used a wooden title IMAGINE and some phrases that match the title and what it represents to me. For the GET MESSY challenge, I decided to do a mixed media layout with dripping paint and different textures. My fingers were literally all messy and pink when I finished, so I think I nailed the whole 'getting messy' requirement.  It was so much fun to do!"


Pamela: "When I think of the word IMAGINE, I think of my grandchildren. They have the ability to imagine things that we have long lost as adults. I chose this photo of my granddaughter Emily being a woodland fairy. She believed that she owned the forest that day. As to getting MESSY, I purposefully made this layout a little on the 'sloppy' side.  I misted in random patterns, leaving some spaces bare. Even my stamping is off a bit, done in a sort of reckless way, much like Emily's play was that day."


We hope that you are inspired by all these beautiful MESSY projects
that our designers have IMAGINED into creation for you!



All our prizes include free international postage!

MAIN CHALLENGE WINNER

a $50 USD gift card from FLYING UNICORN

Here is more information about our 1st place sponsor this month:


"Flying Unicorn... it's about One of a Kind! We offer an incredible selection of products for all paper crafting artists. Our "Your Passion Your Art" monthly kits are filled with the latest and the greatest and always include an off-the-page project to keep your creative muse flowing. We share daily tips and tutorials on our blog and you can also find loads of inspiration on our Facebook page!"


Next, 4 runners up will be each awarded a prize, as follows:

1st RUNNER UP

a $25 USD prize package from 13ARTS
(image below is for illustration purposes only)

2nd RUNNER UP

a $25 USD prize package from MAJA DESIGN

3rd RUNNER UP

a $25 USD gift certificate from LINDY'S STAMP GANG

4th RUNNER UP

a $25 USD prize package from LEMONCRAFT
(image below is for illustration purposes only)


In addition, we will draw one random winner from all eligible entries!

RANDOM WINNER

a $25 USD prize package from 2CRAFTY
 (image below is for illustration purposes only)


Each month, we hand pick a winner who has not made it into our TOP 5, but who has captured our attention someway, somehow. We might pick a project due to its original use of a certain product, the cleverest title, most beautiful photo, etc. Who knows what we will be looking for?  We call this our Mystery Winner.

MYSTERY WINNER

a $25 USD prize package from FABRIKA DECORU


And last but certainly not least we will randomly award a prize to one lucky blog follower who has commented on any of our June blog posts.

LUCKY COMMENTER

a $25 USD prize package from our DT member, PAMELA


We all so very grateful for all our wonderful and generous sponsors!
To learn more about all of them, click on the SPONSORS tab above.

We cannot wait to see your interpretation of our 
June IMAGINE & GET MESSY Main Challenge!

Link up your project using the LinkyTool in the right sidebar
by June 30th at 11:59 pm EST.