The blog is now "closed"

Thank you all so much for joining us in our few short months and making it possible! It was a great experience and we'll never forget it!

Final Challenge - Stash

Hi everybody, I hope life is treating you well this second week of May. We're that much closer to the summer and warm weather!

Today I've been tasked with sad news. Unfortunately, this weeks' Stash challenge will be our last, here at Handmade Love. Due to waning interest in challenge participants, as well as within the Design Team, we feel its time to hang up our hats and call it a day. It's been a good fun run for us! And we appreciate all of you who have played along!

So without further adieu, here is our final challenge.

Dig into your Stash and create a layout that fulfills the following parameters:

• Use ONLY cardstock or ONLY patterned paper
• Include some ink (pen, mist, stamp, etc.)
• Tag on at least 4 lines of journaling
• Nab at least 2 photos to include on the page
• Feel free to include any other items of your choosing

Also, The participants of this week's challenge as well as the Music Challenge, will be entered for a chance to win a small and final RAK.

And here are a few layouts from the Design Team:

Brittney - Photo Booth Fun

The Stash Challenge definitely was a challenge! I knew that I couldn't just use cardstock (maybe I'll try that sometime), so I went with patterned paper. I used Cosmo Cricket, Prima, and Sassafras Lass papers.

Leigh - Breckenridge

I glimmer misted 2 acrylic snowflakes pages from a mini album :) Super fun technique, the bling really makes it pop!

Jamie - Cheers, Bye!

Seriously, it wasn't until just now that I got the irony of this layout. One of my best friends moved to England last February and these photos were taken at her Bon Voyage Bash. I used a sheet of Basic Grey's Basics line as the background paper. It's an awesome alternative to plain cardstock!

So there you have our final pages. Again, we just want to thank all of the followers and all of the challenge participants. You all are what made this fun!

xxbesos

j.leija

Scraplift Challenge - May 6

Happy Thursday! How is everyone post NSD? I hope yall had a blast and created up a storm :)

Today I'm bringing yall the Scraplift challenge. The DT choose one of Brittney's amazing creations to scraplift and it's pictured below.

And here is what we came up with:

Brittney - Family on Christmas

It was difficult to lift myself. I knew that I didn't want something that closely resembled my previous layout, so here's what I came up with.

Jamie - Stonework

Love the three photos that Brittney centered on the page! I varied it slightly by using a vertical and a few horizontal photos.

Michele - Sweet as Sugar

I loved the scraplift LO-- such a versatile design. This is another page that I made for my little cousin's scrapbook.

Submission Instructions:
You may submit a maximum of TWO projects by the challenge deadline and will get one chance at the prize for each entry. Your project must be NEW as of the challenge date & must meet the criteria posted by the challenge hosts to be eligible to win. To submit your layout, add the direct URL for your layout to Mr. Linky. He’ll be at the bottom of each challenge post. You can link to your uploaded project in a gallery like Two Peas in a Bucket, a Photobucket account, or a post on another blog. Just make sure the URL takes us directly to your project and not just your blog homepage or whole gallery.

The challenge winner will be chosen by a random number generator. Every challenge winner will get a special “Challenge Winner” blinkie to use in their signatures on messages boards or blog posts. We will pool all the challenge entries and do a prize drawing with the random number generator at the end of the month. We may also occasionally have smaller prizes for mini-giveaways, so keep checking back!

If you have questions about any of this or have a problem using the blog, e-mail us at handmadelovechallenge@gmail.com

April Winner

Thank you to everyone who participated in our April Challenges! The winner of the Sassafras prize pack is Tammy!! Shoot me an email at Aleigh224@aol.com so I can get your prize out to you!!

Music Challenge - April 29

Hi everyone! It's Allison here and it's time for this weeks music challenge! Your challenge for this week is to draw your inspiration from the album cover below for the project of your choice! Be inspired by the photos, the title, the colors, you name it!

Here's a look at what our design team came up with!

Allison's "The Resistance Tour"

I love using tons of photos on my layouts so this album cover was perfect! All of these photos are from a recent concert I went to and I liked them all so I chose to use them all!

Michele's "Family"

"I know this seems like a bit of a stretch, but the challenge picture prompt reminded me of these mosaic tiles I had."

Leigh's "Holidays 2008"

"The poster totally inspired the "patchwork" square background for the title page for our Christmas 2008 Album."

Jamie's "365 Days of Urijah"

"I loved the inspiration CD cover so I made my own :) This is for the cover of a DVD I put together for my nephew's first brithday"

Monica's 365 Days Card

"On my card, I took inspiration from the sun and the "500 days" part of the cd cover. For the sun, I used a circle for the middle and handcut triangles to tuck underneath."

Well that's it! Hope you got inspired! We can't wait to see what you come up with! Use the link below to share your projects. Submissions close in 2 weeks (May 13th at 11:59PM).

Submission Instructions:
You may submit a maximum of TWO projects by the challenge deadline and will get one chance at the prize for each entry. Your project must be NEW as of the challenge date & must meet the criteria posted by the challenge hosts to be eligible to win. To submit your layout, add the direct URL for your layout to Mr. Linky. He’ll be at the bottom of each challenge post. You can link to your uploaded project in a gallery like Two Peas in a Bucket, a Photobucket account, or a post on another blog. Just make sure the URL takes us directly to your project and not just your blog homepage or whole gallery.

The challenge winner will be chosen by a random number generator. Every challenge winner will get a special “Challenge Winner” blinkie to use in their signatures on messages boards or blog posts. We will pool all the challenge entries and do a prize drawing with the random number generator at the end of the month. We may also occasionally have smaller prizes for mini-giveaways, so keep checking back!

If you have questions about any of this or have a problem using the blog, e-mail us at handmadelovechallenge@gmail.com

Last of the Sketch Inspiration

I'm back to bring you the last couple of design team layouts based on this week's sketch challenge! Don't forget that you have until May 5 by 11:59PM to submit your project based on the sketch!

Jen - "Wen"

This is one of my fav photos taken during a backpacking trip in Northern China. It was taken at some of the worlds oldest Buddhist caves, this monk stopped to smell some flowers, it was such a beautiful moment. The character is the Chinese word "wen" meaning senses used to depict smell but also means to have a deep sense of the gods and spirituality. The quote at the bottom is from Buddha - " Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment".... so fitting!

Monica - "Is it naptime?"

I interpreted the sketch pretty much right on (I love how they take the guesswork out of scrapping!). I was very excited to use the new Basic Grey Max & Whiskers on a page about my dog, Dinky!

Sketch Challenge - More Inspiration!

I'm back to bring you some more design team interpretations of this week's sketch! See the original post to find the sketch and instructions for the challenge. Have a great weekend!

Allison - "Too Cute"

I loved Shannon's sketch so this layout came together pretty quickly!  I did move the title and put my journaling in its place.

Michele - "Beauty"

This is a layout of my cousin-- isn't she beautiful?! I just loved this Bo Bunny paper; I felt that the colors complemented the picture nicely. Also, I was pumped to use those glitter chipboard letters because it is surprisingly hard to find layouts of mine that work with them!

Leigh - "Scenic"

I did this in 11x8 format- a perfect fit for this sketch!

Sketch Challenge - April 22

Yikes, I'm so sorry that this is being posted so late! But I (Monica) am here to bring you the latest sketch challenge! This one was created by Shannon! Your challenge this week is to use this sketch for inspiration. Here is it:

And here are a few interpretations by our design team:

Brittney - "Bliss"

I loved this sketch - it was so easy to work with. For this page I used items from My Mind's Eye "Love Me Do" collection.

Jamie - "My Wish"

The very last page of my nephew's 0-12 album! I personally, think it was made better by Shannon's lovely sketch.

We can't wait to see what you do with the sketch! Link your project below... you have 2 weeks (May 5 by 11:59PM) to submit your project!

Submission Instructions:

You may submit a maximum of TWO projects by the challenge deadline and will get one chance at the prize for each entry. Your project must be NEW as of the challenge date & must meet the criteria posted by the challenge hosts to be eligible to win. To submit your layout, add the direct URL for your layout to Mr. Linky. He’ll be at the bottom of each challenge post. You can link to your uploaded project in a gallery like Two Peas in a Bucket, a Photobucket account, or a post on another blog. Just make sure the URL takes us directly to your project and not just your blog homepage or whole gallery.

The challenge winner will be chosen by a random number generator. Every challenge winner will get a special “Challenge Winner” blinkie to use in their signatures on messages boards or blog posts. We will pool all the challenge entries and do a prize drawing with the random number generator at the end of the month. We may also occasionally have smaller prizes for mini-giveaways, so keep checking back!

If you have questions about any of this or have a problem using the blog, e-mail us at handmadelovechallenge@gmail.com

Random Prompt...get it while it's hot!

Sadly, we've reached the last of our Random Prompt DT layouts. But we have some wonderful layouts done by two fabulous DT members, Allison and Brittney. Be sure to link up here, if you want to play along!

Allison's "On the Water"

I loved the prompt for this challenge. I stitched along the outlines of the waves to make them stand out more!

Brittney's "Christmas Party"

Once I saw this challenge, I knew it was totally for me - hand stitching is my favorite! This page was completed using a sketch by Jana Eubank.

It's true! If you're really into hand stitching I suggest checking out Brittney's blog. She's done some really awesome things with a needle and thread!

xxbesos

j.leija

Random Prompt...a wee bit more inspiration

Here are a few more takes on this week's Random Prompt challenge, which is to hand stitch on your layouts. The DT did some amazing work with Cosmo Cricket product, and they aren't even our sponsors (but we'd love to have 'em!). To play along, be sure to link up your layout here.

Jen's "Good Morning Sunshine"

Michelle inspired me to use my cosmo cricket early bird line and now i am addicted!! how perfect if mixes with my sass! Photo is me at cottage in Australia becoming a coffee drinker ... yep I am new to that addiction as well!

Michele's "Being Silly"

I just love this Cosmo Cricket "Early Bird" paper; in fact, this is the second time you've seen this in one of my layouts and don't be surprised if it shows up again!! I believe in getting my money's worth. haha

Thanks for checking back! We can't wait to see what yall have come up with!

xxbesos

j.leija

Random Prompt Challenge-April 15

Happy Thursday, yall! Jamie here to bring you this week's batch of goodness and the Random prompt!

This week, we're challenging you all to hand stitch on your layouts! Hand stitching is one of my favorite techniques because it can add some great dimension to your pages. So get out your needle and thread (or trusty pen) and have at those pages! And here's a wee bit of inspiration (Monica took that literally this month) to get your mojo flowing.

Monica's "What's in Your Name?"

On this layout about my doggie, Dinky, I stitched around the edges of the clouds to help them stand out better.

Jamie's "Sweet Pea"

I didn't do a lot of stitching on this, just a bit for embellishing. But I think it really adds to the farm vibe of this layout.

Jamie's "Proud Mama"

Don't have a needle and thread? Here's an alternative I like to call "faux stitching". I simply drew in the stitching with my trusty Zig! pen.

We can't wait to see what yall come up with!!

Submission Instructions:

You may submit a maximum of TWO projects by the challenge deadline and will get one chance at the prize for each entry. Your project must be NEW as of the challenge date & must meet the criteria posted by the challenge hosts to be eligible to win. To submit your layout, add the direct URL for your layout to InLinkz. He’ll be at the bottom of each challenge post. You can link to your uploaded project in a gallery like Two Peas in a Bucket, a Photobucket account, or a post on another blog. Just make sure the URL takes us directly to your project and not just your blog homepage or whole gallery.

The challenge winner will be chosen by a random number generator. Every challenge winner will get a special “Challenge Winner” blinkie to use in their signatures on messages boards or blog posts. We will pool all the challenge entries and do a prize drawing with the random number generator at the end of the month. We may also occasionally have smaller prizes for mini-giveaways, so keep checking back!

If you have questions about any of this or have a problem using the blog, e-mail us at handmadelovechallenge@gmail.com

Be sure to check back later this week for more inspiration from the Design Team!

Color Challenge- Last of the Layouts

Leigh- Sitting Pretty

"Due to our dresses, I added yellow to the color scheme and I LOVE it!"

Jen- No Mitts

"ya.. ok I am weird... a colour challenge entry with no colour. But after going through my tiny stash and realizing I have no purples and grey (which is odd as I love them), I was finally inspired by the bottom row of the palette.. the whites and kraft...I did end up adding gray to pop the stamped snowflakes more..."

March Winner

Thanks to everyone who participated by entering layouts for March. The winner is Doris! Please leave a comment here with your email address, and I will get your gift card emailed to you! Thanks again for participating!

QOTW - April 11th

Q: What color or colors are your favorite to scrap with?


DT Answers: 


Allison: Anything bright! But I really love turquoise and green!


Brittney: Earth tones - including Kraft!


Jamie: Love to use browns, greys, blacks and whites with bright pops of color.


Jen: KRAFT!!!! I love the stuff... probably too much! other then that I love bright and bold colours in patterns!


Leigh: PINK. and kraft.


Michele: It really depends on what mood I'm in or what pictures I'm using. But if I had to say what my favorite colors are, then I'd say blues, browns, and kraft.


Monica: For backgrounds, my favorites are white & kraft. For everything else, I love turquoise/teal, fuchsia, and other bright colors.


Rachel: My backgrounds are usually black, white, or kraft and I tend to use a lot of blues and pinks.


Shannon: Kraft or white background with bright colored accents.


Steph: Kraft, white, greens, and blues!


Leave a comment and let us know what color or colors you love to scrap with!

Color Challenge- Even MORE inspiration!

We hope that you are enjoying our latest color challenge! If you need some more inspiration, take a look at these wonderful layouts from our DT team. Check back on Monday for the last of the inspiration! Happy Scrapping!

Rachel- Beautiful Easter Eggs

Purple and green- I rarely use the two colors, but I knew what I wanted to do when this challenge was issued. I used my brand new BG Kioshi and scrapped a picture of the Easter Eggs that were dyed this past week at church!

Jamie- Shades of Gray

I would never have come up with this color scheme if not for this amazing color challenge! It sets the mood and the tone for this layout perfectly.


Monica- Birthday Card

For this challenge, I decided to do a card! I used my Cricut to cut out the flower. I decided to keep it simple because the colors are so vibrant.

Color Challenge - April 8th

Welcome to the this edition of Color Challenge! We are so excited about this week's inspiration - it is so bright, cheery, and springy!

Here is some inspiration from your hostesses Michele and Steph:

Michele "Only Us"

"I have to admit that I had trouble with this challenge because I don't use purple that often. However, once I figured out my paper selection, the rest came naturally. I know this looks like a really bizarre LO, but I am including it in a scrapbook for my little cousin. The journaling reads: I have no idea how it began, but sometime between Thanksgiving dinner and dessert, a doll named Lorenzo came out and a photoshoot ensued. We were laughing so hard, while everyone else thought we were nuts! Who would think this is funny...? ONLY US!"

Steph "TWU - 2009"

"These pictures were taken last spring in the garden area of my college campus. I knew the pictures would be an absolutely perfect match for this color challenge!"

Submission Instructions:

You may submit a maximum of TWO projects by the challenge deadline and will get one chance at the prize for each entry. Your project must be NEW as of the challenge date & must meet the criteria posted by the challenge hosts to be eligible to win. To submit your layout, add the direct URL for your layout to InLinkz. He’ll be at the bottom of each challenge post. You can link to your uploaded project in a gallery like Two Peas in a Bucket, a Photobucket account, or a post on another blog. Just make sure the URL takes us directly to your project and not just your blog homepage or whole gallery.

The challenge winner will be chosen by a random number generator. Every challenge winner will get a special “Challenge Winner” blinkie to use in their signatures on messages boards or blog posts. We will pool all the challenge entries and do a prize drawing with the random number generator at the end of the month. We may also occasionally have smaller prizes for mini-giveaways, so keep checking back!

If you have questions about any of this or have a problem using the blog, e-mail us at handmadelovechallenge@gmail.com


Be sure to check back later this week for more inspiration from the Design Team!

Last of the AAM inspiration

Here are the last of the design team layouts for the All About Me challenge to scrap a self-portrait! The entries for this challenge are due by 11:59PM on Wednesday, 4/14.

Rachel - "I'm Worth the Effort"

This is a very personal layout and the journaling is hidden in the Maya Road pocket. Can you tell that I love blue? I don't think it's obvious or anything...

Leigh - "Ski Bunny"

AAM April 1 - more inspiration!

Here are some more layouts by our design team for this week's challenge, to scrap a self-portrait! Don't forget that entries are due by Wednesday 4/14 at 11:59PM. We can't wait to see what you do with this challenge!

Jamie - "Can You Guess?"

The theme of this page is my heritage. I've had this idea in my head for months and thanks to Handmade Love, it's scrapped! Used lots of Jolee's embellishments. I love those things but never knew how to incorporate them in my scrapping. And I have officially dubbed myself the queen of the one handed self photo!

Allison - "Boredom"

This was definitely a challenge since I don't really ever scrap pics of myself. But I did remember all the pics I have of me on photobooth that I take when I'm bored!

Michele - "Just Me!"

I was very excited to use my new Cosmo Cricket "Early Bird" paper! The colors just make me happy! Thanks for looking!

Stash Winner

Our winner this week is JEN! Please email us at handmadelovechallenge@gmail.com to claim your winner blinkie!

Check out our new challenge HERE. For every layout you submit this month you will be entered into a drawing for a Sassafras Anthem kit. Thanks again for giving us the chance to inspire you this week!

All About Me Challenge - April 1

Happy April Fool's Day!! Steph and Monica here to bring you the very first challenge for April, the All About Me challenge. Your challenge is.......... to scrap a self-portrait! So many times, we neglect to scrapbook photos of ourselves. And, I don't know about you, but I am the photographer in my family so I always end up taking all the photos and getting none of myself in them. So, have a little photo shoot and pick your favorites!

Need some ideas? Here are layouts by the AAM hostesses:

Stephanie (Steph) - "This is Me"

Monica - "If You..."

One of our dt members, Shannon, shared this quote and I just knew I wanted to use it somehow. I thought it would be perfect for an "about me" layout.

Here is one more from our design team:

Shannon - "It's Who I Am"

I went in a different direction with this prompt. I chose to use words to scrap a self portrait rather than using a photo. Journaling reads: brown eyed girl, love life, Red Sox fan, New Englander at heart (born & raised), creative creative, stay at home mom, Marine Corps wife, country music lover, outspoken, active.

Submission Instructions:

You may submit a maximum of TWO projects by the challenge deadline and will get one chance at the prize for each entry. Your project must be NEW as of the challenge date & must meet the criteria posted by the challenge hosts to be eligible to win. To submit your layout, add the direct URL for your layout to Mr. Linky. He’ll be at the bottom of each challenge post. You can link to your uploaded project in a gallery like Two Peas in a Bucket, a Photobucket account, or a post on another blog. Just make sure the URL takes us directly to your project and not just your blog homepage or whole gallery.

The challenge winner will be chosen by a random number generator. Every challenge winner will get a special “Challenge Winner” blinkie to use in their signatures on messages boards or blog posts. We will pool all the challenge entries and do a prize drawing with the random number generator at the end of the month. We may also occasionally have smaller prizes for mini-giveaways, so keep checking back!

If you have questions about any of this or have a problem using the blog, e-mail us at handmadelovechallenge@gmail.com

April prize!!

Allison has generously donated the prize for April! This awesome Sassafras prize package includes patterned papers, journaling stickers, letter stickers, shape sickers, and a set of stamps from the Anthem collection. For every entry into the weekly challenges, you will get one entry into the prize drawing at the end of the month. So, if you do the maximum projects allowed each week, that is 8 entries!! Get scrappy!

Even More Stash Challenge Layouts

Hello and welcome back! Here are two more of the DT takes on this weeks Stash Challenge. You still have a couple of days to submit your projects and link them to the original challenge post for a chance to win this month's prize- a $20 gift certificate to Two Peas In a Bucket!

Monica - 4th of July and Hello card

I used cardstock for the card, a polka dot paper, and the other paper is a bunch of stripes that I cut into strips.

Teri- Just smile, please! and Congrats card

I love using 3 pictures on a single layout, so this challenge was fun for me. My journaling reads: "Dad and Ray hate it when I ask to take their picture. Ray always agrees, but Dad never smiles or makes a funny face."