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 MCMAHON

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

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 HAPSI

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 KATZAKI

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 OUELLET

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 DOIRON

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 FUNNELL

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 GARLING

 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 SANGRADOR

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 TRETYAKOVA

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 KISSEL

 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 BH

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 ELLIS

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.