February 2017 Main Challenge TOGETHER & AMPERSAND

It is February 1st and that means a brand new challenge here

at More Than Words, and we know you are going to LOVE this one!!

Our Main Challenge is based on a word inspiration and a creative challenge.

The challenge is open to layouts, canvases and art journal pages only.

Make sure to read our instructions below carefully!

Word Inspiration - TOGETHER

Creative Challenge - AMPERSAND

What does the word TOGETHER inspire you to create?

You can choose to add the word somewhere on your project or simply

be inspired to create from it. Please explain in your blog post

how the word inspired you, if not already obvious.

February is known to be the month of love throughout the world

and we want to celebrate this special month by focusing on the symbol

that brings us together, that connects us to one another... the logo of unity.

This symbol is called an AMPERSAND "&" and we would love to see

how you will use it on your project.

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 designers' creations and descriptions as example.

Also, remember that you must include our board image

and a link to the More Than Words blog in your entry post.

Please check out our challenge rules in the RULES tab above.

VALERIE OUELLET

Valerie: "I used the word TOGETHER as the title to my page because in my photo, 

my daughter and I play and laugh together. My AMPERSAND is between 

the words 'you' and 'me'.

SANDERIJN DE BRUIN

Sanderijn: "My page is called: Ensemble. This is the French word for TOGETHER, or as we call it in Dutch: samen. The page is about my daughter and her friends who have been friends since they met at kindergarten, and still now (3 years later) they love to play together. I hope that they will be able to treasure their friendship for a long time! I added an AMPERSAND next to the picture."

PAMELA ELLIS

Pamela: "I love this photo of my daughter and granddaughter. As a single mom, she carries the burden of raising a child alone and is doing a phenomenal job! Because of their situation, they share a special bond and are always TOGETHER. 

I have used the AMPERSAND in the title."

NICOLE DOIRON

Nicole: "The word TOGETHER inspired me to create a layout about my very favorite scrapbooking subject: my boyfriend and I and the special love we share. We are

 'so happy together' as the chipboard titles says. For the creative challenge, I used 

a giant chipboard AMPERSAND that I found on my last stroll in the craft store. 

I knew it would be perfect for this challenge. I added another smaller ampersand 

in gold on top of the big one."

LILIBLEU

Lilibleu: "TOGETHER... this word immediately made me think about this photo of me and my two boys when they were very young.  This is a photo that I like a lot because it reminds me of a beautiful moment full of sweetness! I used an AMPERSAND chipboard to complete the 'You & ME' title sentence."

KAVITHA

Kavitha: "For this month's challenge, I made a love themed canvas, using the word 

TOGETHER as part of my title. For the creative challenge, 

I used a wooden AMPERSAND."

KAREEN DION

Kareen: "TOGETHER... of course it's my family! We are, most of the time, together. 
They are the most important people in my life. For the AMPERSAND, I chose 
to create one using a die and added it as an embellishment. I find that 
it completes my layout perfectly."

JENNIFER MARIE

Jennifer: "For me, TOGETHER is obviously my husband and I. This is my first love and he will remain as the last. For this page, I wanted to combine raw with bling which really represents our relationship. For the creative challenge, I inserted the AMPERSAND in my title... to add a softer side as our love is also."

HEATHER MCMAHON

Heather: "With Valentine's Day coming up I chose to use a photo of my husband 

and I for the TOGETHER challenge word. With AMPERSAND as the creative 

challenge, my title was almost predetermined! I loved working with these metallic 

coppery colours as they enabled me to create a romantic layout without being 

too over the top for my husband."

ELENA TRETYAKOVA

Elena T: "February is a great month in our family!  During this month of love, we celebrate my husband's birthday.  We have been TOGETHER for 20 years that have been the longest and best part of my life. The symbol of our creative challenge, the AMPERSAND, I've used as an embellishment in my composition."

ELENA MARTYNOVA

Elena M: "This month, I was inspired to make a fun page for my art journal. The cat and mouse are an unlikely pair, but are best friends, and they travel the world TOGETHER. I added the AMPERSAND as the moon in the sky."

EKATERINA ZENEVICH

Ekaterina: "This page is about me and my muzhe. The photo was taken on 

New Year's Eve. This year, we will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. 

We have been TOGETHER for 10 beautiful years! I incorporated the creative 

challenge on my layout by adding a few AMPERSANDS on stickers."

DI GARLING

Di: "My February layout features myself TOGETHER with my two grandbabies. 

I love this photo and thought it was just perfect for this challenge. I think 

the whole layout is self-explanatory... Nanny & Grandbabies = Love.  

You also cannot miss the AMPERSAND!"

CAROLINE ELLIAM

Caroline: "TOGETHER is all about me and my teen boy. This guy just turned 13 and we rarely take pictures of us as it is not considered 'cool' anymore! What a joy when he does accept to take a pose with me! I stamped a couple of 'together' words on my background and I added a badge with an AMPERSAND on it for the creative twist."

ANGUREE VAN RENSBURG

Anguree: "February is the month of love and holds some very special memories for me. Yes, I am one of those people who got married on Valentine's Day. Not because it was Valentine's, but because the day fell on the 14th and it was exactly a year after our engagement. It just happened to be Valentine's Day as well.  I was inspired by the AMPERSAND, my memories of this day and our life TOGETHER.  It will be 13 years, and I still love him to bits, maybe even more than all those years ago!"

AGA BARANIAK

Aga: "For this challenge, I made an art journal spread on which I used the word TOGETHER and the picture of a family to emphasize that my family is most important to me. I also used the AMPERSAND symbol on the background of my art journal to express my wish that my family will always be together, & forever."

What a load of amazing creations from our very talented DT

that are bound to inspire you this month.

What will also inspire you are these fabulous prizes up for grabs!

All our prizes include free international postage!!

MAIN CHALLENGE WINNER

a $50 USD prize package from LEMONCRAFT

(Image below is for illustration purposes only)

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

"Lemoncraft was born from a passion and desire to fulfill your creative dreams!

We are a Polish manufacturer of products for all paper craft artists who share

our passion for beautiful artistic designs. In our product selection, you will find

a wide range of scrapbooking papers, ribbons, flowers, buttons/badges (flair) 

as well as other useful items for scrapbooking, card making, decoupage

and many other areas of creativity and inspiration!"

Next, 4 runners up, in no particular order, will each be awarded a prize, as follows:

RUNNER UP 1

a $25 USD prize package from 2CRAFTY CHIPBOARD

(Image below is for illustration purposes)

RUNNER UP 2

a $25 USD prize package from 49 AND MARKET

(Image below is for illustration purposes only)

RUNNER UP 3

a $25 USD prize package from 13 ARTS

(Image below is for illustration purposes only)

RUNNER UP 4

a $25 USD prize package from PION DESIGN

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

RANDOM WINNER

a $25 prize package from SCRAP & CRAFT

Each month we hand pick an entry 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, the most beautiful photo, etc.

We call it our... 

MYSTERY WINNER

a $25 USD prize package from FABRIKA DECORU

And lastly, we will randomly award a prize to one lucky blog follower

who has commented on any of our February blog posts.

LUCKY COMMENTER

a $25 USD prize package from COCOA VANILLA STUDIO

(Image below is for illustration purposes only)

We are so very grateful to all our generous sponsors for these fabulous prizes!

To learn more about all of them, click on the SPONSORS tab above.

We are looking forward to see your take on our

February Main Challenge TOGETHER & AMPERSAND!

Link up your project using the LinkyTool in the right sidebar

by February 28th at 11:59 pm EST.