Challenge Me

Well it's been almost a week since the new challenges were posted, how many have you finished? I'm ashamed to say I've only done one so far but it's hard to stay inside when there's 70 degree weather in October! Let's chat about a few of the October challenges & see what great layouts have been posted so far.

First up, there's been a few changes to the forum blog train, the name has been changed to the Stuff to Scrap Road Trip & there will no longer be points given out for participation. However, everything else is still the same & it's a great way to work on your designing skills & get some traffic to your blog each month. This month's palette was submitted by Jodi of JMC Designs & is called Everyday Elegance. But as the palette was named red velvet, I'm sure I'm not the only one who got hungry & had the song Black Velvet running through their head!


Of course anyone can participate in the Road Trip from experienced designers to newbies. Even if you're not a designer you can still participate by using any of the mini kits already submitted to make a quick page to offer, just send the designer a private message. To participate you must post your preview & blog code in the November Road Trip thread by October 25th at 11:59 PM MST. Your contributions must remain a freebie until the 15th of the month, after that you are welcome to expire your kit, sell it, or leave it as a freebie on your blog. Please read through the Information Thread for general instructions & the November Road Trip thread for specific information on the upcoming Road Trip. Come & join us!

Another way to flex those designer muscles is the Color Challenge where a color palette is posted for everyone to play with. Your first option is to make a mini kit to share with the other forum members; the kit needs to remain free for the entire month for members to grab, after which you can sell it or expand it. You'll earn 10 points if you go this route. If you like making quick pages, you can do so with any of the minis provided in the thread & then post it to share with everyone. This option will net you 5 points. Please post download links for kits & quick pages in the thread; do not direct people to your blog for the download.

The last option is to make a layout that uses colors that match the palette, you can use any of the mini kits provided or any kit that features the colors. This last option will earn you 5 points. Head over to the October Color Challenge thread to see the palette! Forum member Tricia & Hannah of Scrapteam 2008 have both submitted mini kits, keep checking back throughout the month to see what else is up for grabs!

Looking to spice up your desktop? Then check out the Desktop Challenge where you'll get a prompt for creating a new background to enjoy. This challenge runs from the 15th to the 15th of each month, so hurry on up to October's thread to post your desktop. This month's prompt is to use more than two different frames & Dana has also provided a calendar for you to use on your desktop but it's not required for the points. Completing this challenge will earn you 10 points plus an extra 5 points if you use 90% or more of any current STS products for your desktop. Here's a desktop by Farrah desktop using Hocus Pocus by Just So Scrappy.

Sometimes it's hard to find just the right words to include in your layout but the Quote Challenge can give you a good jump start. Each month will feature a great, inspirational or just a really silly quote to use. The October Quote Challenge is Eat, Drink and Be Scary; you'll need to use the whole quote in your layout to earn the points. Completing this challenge will earn you 10 points & if you use 90% or more of any current STS products you'll earn an extra 5 points! Here's Be Scary by Kelly featuring Halloween Treats by Lovely Creations.

Most of us are big fans of using templates as they are great for getting a layout done quickly while still adding our own touches to the layout. Which is why the Template Challenge is usually the challenge with the most submissions! For the October Template Challenge you can pick up a fabulous template by Adriana of Adriana's Cafe. Submit a layout using the template to earn 5 points & if you use 90% or more of any current STS products you'll earn an extra 5 points [use of just the template does not count towards the bonus points]. On the left is Mother's Day by Becky of SAHM Scrapper using her, Baptism Day, a collaboration with Scraps N' Pieces; on the right is Mother and Daughter by Jodi of JMC Designs using Spookalicious & Creepy Cupcakes by The Scrappy Kat.

For this week's Word of the Week Challenge you need to use the word Searching; post your layouts in this week's WOW thread by Saturday night to earn your points. Remember that to earn the bonus points, you need to complete each week's challenge, you can find the WOW rules & point tracking thread right here. On the right we have Marcus by Katherine using Refreshed by SAHM Scrapper; on the left is Andrea's submission using 4 Seasons - Fall by Scraps N' Pieces.

For the Challenge of the Week & this week we are challenged to scraplift one of our older layouts & make it better. Make sure to post both your original layout & your scraplifted layout in this week's COW thread by Saturday night to earn your points. Remember that to earn the bonus points, you need to complete each week's challenge, you can find the COW rules & point tracking thread right here. On the left is Loves to Read by Tammy using A Good Read by AmyDane Designs [coming soon!]; on the right is Easter 2008 by Jennifer using The Bunny Trail by Scrappin' Serenity.

Finally, this week's Featured Designer Challenge is brought to you Tammy of Mommy Me Time Scrapper; post your layout in this week's thread by Sunday night to earn the participation prize. Tammy has put her whole store on sale for 40% off until Sunday so if you don't have any of her fabulous kits yet, now you've got a great excuse to pick one up! On the left is Rain by Teresaj using Rain On Me; on the right is Slushie Love by Barb using Penguin Palooza.

There's going to be a speed scrap tomorrow, Friday, October 7th at 6 PM PT / 7 PM MT / 8 PM CT / 9 PM ET & will be hosted by Amy of 3 Li'l Monsters Designs. Come join Amy & other forum members in the chat room or follow along in the speed scrap thread.

Just in case I don't get Sunday's post up in time, we also have a speed scrap on Sunday, October 9th at 2 PM PT / 3 PM MT / 4 PM CT / 5 PM ET & that will be hosted by Shel of Shel Belle Scraps. Come join Shel & other forum members in the chat room or follow along in the speed scrap thread.

The Fine Print: You'll earn points on almost all of the challenges & when you reach 500 points, you'll receive a $5.00 gift card to the Stuff to Scrap store to purchase anything that catches your fancy. Points roll over from month to month & do not expire! Please remember that to earn any extra bonus points, you must state in your challenge post that you've used 90% or more current STS products or you will not earn the bonus points. There is no double dipping with challenges, i.e. you cannot use a layout made for a speed scrap for one of the monthly challenges or use one layout for two challenges. The only exception is a double page layout where each side is for a different challenge. You are most welcome to make a post in the October Challenge Round-up thread to keep track of all the challenges & points you've earned. As always, any layouts featured in this post are linked to the gallery for easy love leaving.