Bonus Challenge #289b - Getting Inspired

It's the holidays, right? And you have lots of time on your hands, and maybe some new stamping tools to play with. You go looking for a challenge or two to work on and you discover that all the challenge blogs have taken a hiatus over the holidays as well, just when you had the time to really play! 

As You See It to the rescue! We see you and your dilemma! So we developed a brand new-to-us type of challenge and we're leaving it with you to play until we're back in January.

It's an Inspiration Challenge. We provide the Inspiration photo and you use something that you see in it, be it the colours, images, theme, or layout to create your own project and submit it to us.

As it is during the holidays, we will comment when we can, but may not be quite as diligent as we normally are, due to commitments with our own families. The challenge will close at 11:55 pm on Wednesday, Jan. 11, and winners will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7:00 pm.

The first regular challenge of 2023 will come out on Friday, Jan. 13 at 6:00 am. (All times are in Pacific Standard Time.)

We at As You See It want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Here's the Challenge Banner: 

And here's how a few of the team have interpreted it:

Heather Cooper

Heather Heroldt

Jan Clothier

Deborah Wheeler

Here are some guidelines for the challenge:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D project or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• Look at the photo and use any aspect of it to inspire your own creation. It could be colours, theme, images, or layout!
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your blog post. Turn off word verification so we can send you lots of feedback. Make sure you link the post not the whole blog to the Linky. Use #AYS289b when uploading to a public gallery.
• If you’re unsure about ‘the rules’, check the details under the Challenge Guidelines.
• You can combine our challenge with up to 3 other compatible challenges.
• We do reserve the right to delete, or not consider, entries that do not comply with these guidelines.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Winners for Challenge #289 - Breakneck Baubles

It continues to only be the brave of heart who take on our speed challenges! Or maybe crafters have a hard time breaking themselves from the tyranny of perfectionism! It can be very freeing to let go of the requirement of being perfect for a challenge like this and just do enough to finish the job adequately in 10 min! Using your scrap pile is NOT cheating! Colouring only part of an image is a great technique to use for a speed challenge and for other times as well! Punches vs dies are great for speed challenges! It's a good thing to try! Okay, next time, right?

Now on to our winners for this challenge! 

Our Top Pick is: Cindi Copeland

Cindi used the crisp combination of navy and white to create her breakneck bauble consisting of a simple embossed snowflake and layered circles! So clever and uncomplicated. The addition of rhinestones added the glitter that many baubles bring to the tree and a pretty bow at the top completed the look! It took just 8 minutes and 55 seconds, so Cindi had a whole minute to spare! Look what a beautiful project you can create in under 10 minutes!!

Our Featured Artist is: Stephanie L.

Stephanie's scrappy Christmas bauble is adorable. We loved the technique she used and the paper she chose to do it with! Then the embossed background is so amazingly crisp and festive and the stamped and die cut sentiment is so merry and bold, and the whole card adds up to be a Featured Artist worthy creation, completed in only 9 minutes and 58 seconds! Amazing!

And we think you may want to check out the following Honorable Mentions on their sites:

2. Yvon

7. Stamp n' Sip

                                                   

Congratulations to our winners and thanks to everyone who played along! Our winners today can pick up their badges on this page and display them with pride on their blogs or sites. 

Although this was our last regular challenge of the year, we are planning to post a bonus challenge tomorrow to last you over the holidays, giving you something to do when you have the most time to do it! There's often a dearth of challenges to play just when you have the time to play them! This one will be a new kind of challenge for us - an Inspiration Challenge!   

You Still Have a Few More Hours to Play Challenge #289 - Breakneck Baublees

You still have a few more hours to play with our Theme Challenge #289 at As You See It Challenges! Why don't you give it a try, here?

The Challenge will close on Wednesday, Dec. 14th, at 11:55 pm Pacific time.    

You Still Have Time to Play Challenge #289 - Breakneck Baubles

You still have time to play with our Theme Challenge #289 at As You See It Challenges! Why don't you give it a try, here?

The Challenge will close on Wednesday, Dec. 14th, at 11:55 pm Pacific time.    

Challenge #289 - Breakneck Baubles

For this challenge we are doing a Speed Stamping Challenge and the theme for the challenge created by Design Team member Jan is Christmas Baubles! So you are making some pretty brisk ornaments here - Breakneck Baubles!  To get your adrenaline pumping in the most enjoyable way, create a card or other stamped project in under 10 minutes that illustrates the theme of Christmas Baubles or Ornaments! Please let us know how long it took you to make it in your description.

When we do a speed challenge we are not expecting a detailed masterpiece from you. We want you to have fun and see what you can create in under 10 minutes! You can design it in your head or sketch it out first. You can gather all your supplies ahead of time. But once you start the cutting/stamping/die cutting/embossing /etc. process, you must start the timer!

You have 10 minutes! Let us know, with your entry, how long it took you to complete your card or project! The key is to KISS!! Keep It Simple, Stamper!

Now we'll see what our Design Team did with the theme in under 10 min.:

Heather Cooper 9m55s 

Heather Heroldt 9m10s

Jan Clothier 8m25s

Jane Knudsen 10m0s

Joanne James 10m0s

                                    Deborah Wheeler 7m13s                                        

Here are some guidelines for the challenge:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D project or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• You can come up with your design and gather materials before you start the clock, but once you start work, you have to complete your design in 10 min. State in your blog or description, how long it took you to make it.
• Use the given theme in your project.
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your blog post. Turn off word verification so we can send you lots of feedback. Make sure you link the post not the whole blog to the Linky. Use #AYS289 when uploading to a public gallery.
• If you’re unsure about ‘the rules’, check the details under the Challenge Guidelines.
• You can combine our challenge with up to 3 other compatible challenges.
• We do reserve the right to delete, or not consider, entries that do not comply with these guidelines.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Winners for Challenge #288 - We Know What You Did Last Summer!!

Vacations! We yearn for them all year long! And we all have a different idea of a good time when we plan our own. Great ideas in your cards! But it was no holiday choosing a winner! However, we did the deed and here are the winners for As You See It Challenge #288:

(Side note: we wanted to remind you that the maximum number of challenges in which your project can be entered, in order to be eligible for awards in our challenges, is 4 including ours.)

Our Top Pick is: Cheryl Hamilton

This clever card of Cheryl's is actually a gift card holder, but with the Paradise Palms stamp set design on the front, becomes a reflection of Cheryl's desire for a tropical paradise vacay! And we're totally with her on that wish! The use of the beautiful Sun Prints designer paper for much of the background really works well with the rest of the design and helps to build a trifold card with a purpose! 

Our Featured Artist is: Deb Horst of Sendable Sentiments

Deb loves the beach, and winter or summer, a holiday will find her there! We just loved her jaunty little festive seahorse, wearing a garland of holly for the holidays! He's mounted on a stenciled and ink-blended background of blues with a sand dollar as an embellishment! The snowflake embossed background panel also adds to the Christmas flavour as this card totally merges a beach holiday with the seasonal holidays in a totally natural way! A well-earned Featured Artist award!

                                                      

And we think you may want to check out the following Honorable Mention on her site:

1. Laurel Seabrook

Congratulations to our winners and thanks to everyone who played along! Come and check out our new Speed Stamping Challenge tomorrow morning on our blog! Our winners today can pick up their badges on this page and display them with pride on their blogs or sites.  

You Still Have a Few Hours Left to Play Challenge #288 - We Know What You Did Last Summer!!

You still have a few hours left to play with our Theme Challenge #288 at As You See It Challenges! Why don't you give it a try, here?

The Challenge will close on Wednesday, Nov. 30th, at 11:55 pm Pacific time.    

You Still Have Time to Play Challenge #288 - We Know What You Did Last Summer!!

You still have time to play with our Theme Challenge #288 at As You See It Challenges! Why don't you give it a try, here?

The Challenge will close on Wednesday, Nov. 30th, at 11:55 pm Pacific time.   

Challenge # 288 - We Know What You Did Last Summer!!

Actually, we don't know what you did last summer, or winter, or whenever you go on vacation - but we're going to find out, when you tell us, through your projects what activities you like to do when you go on holidays! Are you rugged outdoors people who like to hike, climb, camp and canoe? Do you prefer to stay in a luxury hotel and relax by the pool? Do you like new experiences and adrenaline rushes? Are you an eco-tourist or a voluntourist? Let us know with your creation!

What do the Design Team do on their vacations?

Heather Cooper

Heather Heroldt

Jan Clothier 

Taking a break this week

Jane Knudsen

Joanne James

Deborah Wheeler

Here are some guidelines for the challenge:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D project or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your blog post. Turn off word verification so we can send you lots of feedback. Make sure you link the post not the whole blog to the Linky. Use #AYSI288 when uploading to a public gallery.
• If you’re unsure about 'the rules’, check the details under the Challenge Guidelines.
• You can combine our challenge with up to 3 other compatible challenges.
• We do reserve the right to delete, or not consider, entries that do not comply with these guidelines.

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Winners for Challenge #287 - Recipe for the Earthy Blues

Thanks to all the test craft cooks who tried out our Recipe Challenge last week! You combined Earthy and Blue tones into a masculine design and it made for some handsome creations! We had everything from a shirt puzzle to lighthouses and a travel map to a graphic design for a Hebrew get well card! Oh, and a clever gift card holder! Where you have the challenge of creating, we have the challenge of choosing from among such talent! Here are the winners of our Recipe Challenge:

Our Top Pick is: Deb Horst

Deb's card features masking to give dimension and depth to her wonderfully masculine lighthouse tucked in behind the die cut picket fence and framed by the sea grasses. She has also die cut the stitched rectangles that feature the images and back the image panel. Deb has used some muted tones of blue and warm earth tones to fulfill those requirements from the challenge, and the Design Team loved the big chunky twine to complete the design.

And our Featured Artist this week:

Our first Featured Artist is: Suzy Hinton

Suzy used Night of Navy and Balmy Blue for her shades of Blue, and Early Espresso, Crumb Cake and Soft Suede for her Earth Tones in this attractive design! The die cut twigs, fir branches, and tag really add to the masculine tone of the card. The sentiment she chose is perfect, as is the DSP she chose! A masculine Christmas card without being over the top! Congratulations on being our Featured Artist this challenge, Suzy!

                                                

And we think you may want to check out the following Honorable Mention on her site:

 1. Jolanda Johnstone

Congratulations to our winners and thanks to everyone who played along! Come and check out our new Theme Challenge tomorrow morning on our blog! Our winners today can pick up their badges on this page and display them with pride on their blogs or sites.  

You Still Have a Few Hours Left to Play Challenge #287 - Recipe for the Earthy Blues

You still have a few hours left to play our Recipe Challenge #287 at As You See It Challenges! Why don't you give it a try, here?

The Challenge will close on Wednesday, Nov. 16th, at 11:55 pm Pacific time.  

You Still Have Time to Play Challenge #287 - Recipe for the Earthy Blues

You still have time to play with our Recipe Challenge #287 at As You See It Challenges! Why don't you give it a try, here?

The Challenge will close on Wednesday, Nov. 16th, at 11:55 pm Pacific time.  

Challenge #287 - Recipe for the Earthy Blues

Although she is no longer a member of our Design Team, LeAnne Pugliese designed this Recipe Challenge at the beginning of 2022 when she still was and it's a blessing to have it to look back on and remember our time with her on the team! This is such a fun recipe, using both Earth Tones and Blue Tones to create a masculine themed card!

You have to include all the elements in the recipe on your creation, but how you do that is up to you! Have fun and start your ovens, er...stamp sets!

We are so pleased to welcome our eighth guest designer, Cindi Copeland, (who was our Featured Artist on Challenge #285) for this challenge.

And this is her beautiful project for this challenge:

Cindi Copeland

Let's see how the Design Team has subtly combined their elements:

Heather Cooper

Heather Heroldt

Jan Clothier

Jane Knudsen

Joanne James

Deborah Wheeler

Here are some guidelines for the challenge:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D project or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• Use every element in the recipe, but the possibilities within those parameters are endless.
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your blog post. Turn off word verification so we can send you lots of feedback. Make sure you link the post not the whole blog to the Linky. Use AYSI#287 when uploading to a public gallery.
• If you’re unsure about ‘the rules’, check the details under the Challenge Guidelines tab.
• You can combine our challenge with up to 3 other compatible challenges.
• We do reserve the right to delete, or not consider, entries that do not comply with these guidelines.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Winners for Challenge #286 - Boo!

We hope you had fun celebrating  or not celebrating Halloween! And we hope you managed to avoid whatever scares you the most about it (and according to our entries - spiders win the prize for the scariest thing about Halloween!) We thoroughly enjoyed reading your entries and looking at your creations! There's just something engaging about the colours of Halloween!

Without further ado, I want to introduce you to our winners! Here they are: 

Our Top Pick is: Tenia Nelson

Tenia's winsome little ghost takes on a spooky air with that watery purple hue it has taken on to blend with the background! And that awesome sentiment is so perfect! Tenia always has an innate sense of what elements to add to enhance her designs with texture and surprise and never overdoes it! This design is balanced just right!

Our Featured Artist is: Jolanda Johnstone

Using a stand-out palette of black, white, orange and purple, Jolanda created a tribute to the number one fear of our very informal poll of the scariest things about Halloween - spiders! She made great use of embossing, on the spiders, threads, and bold sentiment, glitter from Wink of Stella, on the web itself and the sentiment and unique elements - check out the threads the spiders are hanging from! So cool! Put those all together with a great layout and you have a card worthy of Featured Artist! Congratulations, Jolanda.

                                                      

And we think you may want to check out the following Honorable Mentions on their sites:

3. Deb Horst 

7. Suzanne from Stamp n' Sip

Congratulations to our winners and thanks to everyone who played along! Come and check out our new Recipe Challenge tomorrow morning on our blog! Our winners today can pick up their badges on this page and display them with pride on their blogs or sites.