Challenging

Hi everyone! I think this is the longest I have ever gone between posts. I've been out and about a bit this summer and moderately busy at work (which leaves me exhausted at the end of the day), but I think I haven't been scrapping much just due to a lack of creative inspiration. Scrapbooking challenges to the rescue! I think most, if not all, of the layouts here were done for challenges. So, let's get caught up! Full disclosure: this is a really long post, but there is a lovely musical interlude in the middle to break things up.

This first page was done for a July challenge at Oscraps that asked you to create a page using anything found in the freebie section of the shop there. There are several pages of products to choose from! Here is my end result:

I used items from four various freebies found in the Oscraps shop; I won't post the images of the products but here are the links if you want to check them out:

ArtPlay MiniPalette Memento by Anna Aspnes

Carpe Diem by Jopke Designs

World Geography 101 by Mediterranka Design

You Are Here by Joanne Brisebois

Another July challenge at Oscraps was a multi-photo challenge, which is not that unusual, but this time participants were required to use TEN photos! This (mostly) single-photo scrapper was stumped for a minute until I remembered our local fireworks display for Independence Day, where I was practicing taking photos with my new phone:

I used a themed collection from Snickerdoodle Designs called Freedom:

Next up is a layout I did for a mini kit challenge at Just Art Scrapbooking. The hostess offered this kit for us to use:

I scrapped one of my daughter's photos from her trip to Brazil earlier this year, and I'm proud to say that this layout got a mention on the Gallery Standout Blog on July 14th:

Another Just Art challenge last month was a Quote Challenge, asking participants to scrap a quote by none other than JK Rowling, of Harry Potter fame! I used a quote from the first book but felt it had enough general appeal to create a non-Harry page:

For the layout I used this mini kit by one of my favorites, Natali Designs, called Muse:

I'll take a little break from challenge layouts here to show you an older layout that I posted to some new galleries last month. If you'll remember, Snapdragon Digital Creations has opened up shop at My Memories, and she rehabbed a previous kit for a new audience.  Here's the layout:

...and here's the kit, called Bucket List:

Okay, back to challenges! Yet another July challenge at Oscraps was a traditional paper challenge, which required digital scrappers to create a page that could have been made using real paper and embellishments. No exotic photo treatments or blending allowed! We were given a sketch to follow, and here is my result:

I again used Freedom, by Snickerdoodle Designs, that I showed you above. That is one handy kit! I also added some elements and papers from a product called Liberty by ViVa Artistry.

Moving into August, the first Oscraps challenge I participated in was one that asked you to incorporate sunshine onto your page, either the word or the theme. This is my offering:

I used this fun little mini kit from the 52 Inspirations category of the Oscraps shop, By The Pond by Mediterranka Designs:

My next page was done for the Oscraps challenge that asked scrappers to create a page based on song lyrics. I have wanted to do a page for a while now using lyrics from the song No Hard Feelings by the Avett Brothers, one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard:

Here's my layout:

I mixed parts of two products; ArtPlay Palette Tangier by Anna Aspnes:

...and a more recent kit called Time To Fly by Vicki Robinson Designs:

Almost done! Another challenge at Oscraps had participants scrapping a photo or photos that conveyed the feeling of hot. Since I had just enjoyed my first bonfire of the season a couple of weeks ago while on vacation, I knew just what photo to use:

I found most of what I needed in this older kit from Floriju Designs called Hello August:

...but I also grabbed some goodies from Cosy Days by Palvinka Designs and This Is Me - July by Snickerdoodle Designs, both of which I've shown you in previous posts.

Finally, here's a page I just finished earlier today, my first for the August challenges at Just Art Scrapbooking. It's a quote challenge, and the quote was to be one about art:

I can't take credit for that gorgeous spill of rainbow colors down the page; that came ready-made in a paper from All About Me by the Oscraps Design Team, a collab I showed you a few posts back. I also grabbed some arty goodness from Art & So by reginafalango:

And so we have come to the end of my post! Thanks for sticking with me---I'll try to not develop such a backlog again. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and make sure you come back and see me soon!