Challenge #22 - FIBERS!

Challenge #22 comes to you from the fabulous Cindy Tobey. You have seen Cindy's work in countless magazines and books and she is also a 2008 Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame winner. Here is her challenge:

I love to knit and crochet. I love the feel and texture of the fibers in my hands as I make a blanket or garment. I also love to use fibers on my scrapbook pages. My challenge to you is to somehow include fibers on your layout. The fibers can be anything from yarn to thread, you can crochet them on, sew them on, tie them on or simply glue them on, but have fun with it! I can't wait to see your creations!

For my layout I actually crocheted onto it with some yarn. It's a technique that I've used a few times and found that I really love! I simply punched some evenly spaced holes along the top of my page and crocheted into them. For a quick "how-to" on crocheting check out this website http://crochet.about.com/od/learnbasics/a/beginners.htm.

Becky: Becky's layout includes some homemade crocheting as well. Notice she also used a piece of fabric down the left side and used fuzzy stickers for her title. She even included photos of her sewing - a great subject to scrap!

Deb: Deb's used yarn for a faux crochet look. She took a Stampin' Up snowflake stamp (this one had lines extending from the center rather than a typical snowflake), then lightly stamped the layout with versamark ink. She used a hole punch to punch holes for her yarn and just threaded it through the holes. Genius!

Alicia: Alicia did some freestyle hand stitching to create a flourish/paisley shape. Cute!

Jen: I used some crazy multi-colored fibers and a chipboard flower circle from Scenic Route. I simple attached one end of the fiber to the back of the chipboard and wound the fiber around and around, covering the shape and then taping the other end at the back as well.

And here is the RAK, generously donated to us by Cindy, that will go to the winner of the challenge.

Go grab some of those fibers you have tucked away in your scrap space or pull out the knitting needles. Show us what you've got! Post here or email us your image by Midnight, Sunday, July 13th to be considered for the RAK.

Challenge 21 Slideshow and WINNER!

Method Playground Call for Designers

Are you a scrap technique junkie? Do you love to try new things with your scrapbooking? Method Playground, a scrap technique challenge blog, is looking to add some new designers…. perhaps you will be one of them!

A bit about us: Method Playground currently has 4 designers who post technique-based scrap challenges every other week on a rotating basis. We also love to utilize guest hosts (like Ali Edwards, Layle Koncar, Teresa Collins – to name a few!). We strive to be a fun, low-stress challenge blog. We do this because we enjoy it – there is no financial compensation – just the joy of playing and sharing.

Requirements:
(1) Post a challenge to the MP blog on a rotating basis (we are hoping every 3-4 months). Provide a RAK to a person(s) of your choice. It does NOT have to be huge.
(2) Participate in the other bi-weekly challenges given by your co-designers (2 layouts/month – easy peasy!) We hope you will participate as much as possible, but we understand that sometimes life gets in the way of scrapping.
(3) Give feedback to those who participate in our challenges.

Application: If interested, please submit the following:
(1) 3 layouts. Please tell us a little about any techniques you used (please keep the attachments under 100K).
(2) Links to any other blogs or online galleries that you want us to see.
(3) Link to a resume (if you have one).
(4) A short paragraph telling us why you would like to be a part of our team.
(5) A list of 3 sample challenges that you might use if chosen (you are not required to use these if you are chosen – we just want to see your ideas!)

Previous design team work is not necessary. This is also not an exclusive gig – you are free to do whatever other scrapping you like!

Please apply via email: methodplayground@gmail.com

DEADLINE is July 15, 2008. New designers will be notified by August 1, 2008.

Challenge #21 Fabric!

Dress it up with Fabric

This 2 week challenge is to incorporate fabric into your layout. Use it to mat a photo, tear it in strips or make pretty shapes with it, the possibilities are endless!
Here the fabric was used by Alicia to create a beautiful mat that compliments the photo and colors of the paper.

For a great tutorial on how to make YoYo’s like Jen did visit Heather Bailey's blog.

Here Becky cut circles of different fabrics and then they were machine sewn on. After the different patterns of stitching were done, the fabric was cut and distressed with scissors to create texture.

Deborah used fabric in her accents, adding a striped fabric inside her bracket and a fabric star over her photo block.


Please post a link to your layout on the blog by June 29th to be considered for the RAK, one person will win a $15 gift certificate to an online scrapbooking store!

We look forard to seeing how you dress it up!
Alicia

Slideshow of Challenge #20

The winner of the RAK is Brenda Hurd with her tribute page to her husband



This was a very fun challenge and the layouts were wonderful.
We really appreciate those of you who took the time to play!

On a small technical note, we really want to include the images of all those who play in the slideshow, there are some file types that we are not able to "grab" from the hosts that you post your links too, if you don't see your project, it is because of a technical issue or a problem with the link. If you would like that image to be included, please feel free to email us the image and we will try to include it.
Again, thanks so much for playing!
B-

Method Playground #20

We have Kim Hughes as our Guest Designer for this challenge!

Her challenge:

How wonderful that we are seeing stamps everywhere within the scrapbooking community. Stamps are so versatile and are definitely here to stay. They provide us with titles, journal spaces, frames, endless accents and more. Your challenge is to create a layout (any size) and use stamps as your patterned paper. Cornish Heritage Farms is providing some wonderful stamping products as a RAK, including one of my June release stamp sets, which are called "Baby Love" and "Paradise Found". So whip out your cardstock and solid papers or add stamps to subtle patterned papers to create your own unique look.


Kim used houndstooth Scrapblock to create the frames, the pin dot on the sanded Core-dinations background paper. She then used the vintage ledger Scrapblock for a journaling area.

In another project Kim created to share with us, she stamped a small hibiscus flower from her newest travel set as a simple way to create beautiful background papers that compliment each other just by changing inks.

Jen used the houndstooth Scrapblock to create her background, the writing paper Scrapblock for a mat and the special delviery stamp from Kim's "Baby Love" set.
I love the use of the yellow to move your eye around and the journaling around the outside of the layout brings it all together!

I used the pin dot Scrapblock on the background to add subtle texture, and masked that area to create a cloud where I stamped the vintage ledger Scrapblock for a journaling area.
The great thing about stamping to create your background is that you can make it your own, any color, texture, size. The possiblities are limitless!


Deborah used the perfect plaid Scrapblock to create her background as well, embossing the stamp with clear embossing powder. She used the writing paper Scrapblock to make a journaling area and stamps from Kim's Paradise Found kit to embellish her page.


Alicia used the pindot scrapblock to create variety and texture on her background paper, with a color that compliments the photos, very eye-catching!

Please share a link to your project in the comment section of the blog to be considered for the RAK!
B-

Challenge 19 slideshow

Heather you will recieve the RAK from Core-dinations (please email us using the link at the side) You used tearing in a few different ways, and your topic and color combinations were so eye-catching!
Very inspiring!

Here is the slideshow with more wonderful creations from people that played along with this challenge!

We appreciate the time that it takes to create and post, thanks so much!
B-