Challenge Winners!

Susan here (one more time this week) to announce a couple of challenge winners...

First, the winner of the "Tiny Banner Challenge" chosen at random (which by the way, had SO MANY fabulous entries!!!)... is Leah!!!

With her super-fabulous "Cousin Fun" page...



And next, the winner of this week's Sketch Challenge is... Aimee (adripofcoffee) - with her gorgeous "Paradise" layout...

Congrats Leah & Aimee! You both win a $5 Studio Calico gift card. Please email me at seweinroth@gmail.com with the following:

* Name

* Address

* Contest/Challenge you won

* Prize - $5 Gift Card

:)

Tiny Banner Challenge!

** Updated with... Celine's "Tiny Banner" page! **


I love love LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE how artsy and unique and totally creative Celine's work is! And a pom-pom trim tiny banner....?!?? GENIUS!!!! :)

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Hi Guys! Susan here with my first post for the SC blog... & first challenge! Woohoo :)

I have been obsessed with pennant banners for a while now. Really, who hasn't?! Whether made of paper, felt, or fabric - they are so cute & adorable and add a festive touch to any decor. And so, the super-talented Celine (who will be hosting the blog with me this week!) came up with the idea for our "little challenge" this week...

Add a Tiny Banner to your Layout!!!

Can I tell you how much I LOVE this challenge?! Here is my page...

I punched out triangles from both solid cardstock & also from cardstock that I had misted for my title banner, and then added Studio Calico Homefront letter stickers. I machine stitched through the top of the "banner" and left the ends of the thread hanging (instead of trimming it like I normally would).

We would love to see you try to use a Tiny Banner on your page too! Doesn't have to be a pennant style banner (but it could be!) - really just whatever type of banner inspires you... You have until Saturday night at midnight PST to enter this challenge... the (random) winner will be awarded a $5 gift card to the Studio Calico shop!

Sorry to keep you waiting....

.... but I am going to make you wait one more day.

I know, I am terrible -- I said I would be back on Sunday to post my layout and it just didn't happen. This weekend was one of those where we were busy with family things and I had some unexpected things come up that took me away...

That's not to say that I don't feel bad though and I truly am sorry to keep you waiting! My layout will be posted here tomorrow for sure! (It is done... just needs to be photographed and uploaded... and why is that the most time consuming part for me when it comes to posting layouts, when that part should be the easiest?? hmmm... need to work on this!)

Anyway, to make up for it I am doing a little giveaway! Yes... that's right, free scrapbooking stuff is coming your way. Well, not all of your ways, but to the lucky winner! It will be some goodies from my own stash - some newer things and some oldies-but-goodies that I am still hoarding and holding onto - things that I have 10 of because I loved so much and never wanted to run out! (I'm not the only one that does that right???)

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post, but you also have to tell me something -- what things would you like to see here on the blog?? I know that all of us gals are always trying to think of fun things that you guys want to see here so this is your chance to let your voice be heard and tell us! Make sure to answer the question in your comment or you won't be entered into the drawing. Oh, and try to be specific. For example, if you want more tutorials, tell us what specifically you want tutorials on. Make sense? Ok, great... let's get this party started! I will draw the winner a week from today!

Hugs! -- Maggie

Final CHA Post

Sorry for the delay in posting....I was wiped out yesterday and took some time to recover from our trip home. I also spent some time at the office getting kits boxed and ready for shipping tomorrow.

We visited the Consumer Show before we left on Friday morning. It was interesting to see....I couldn't believe how many people were lined up waiting to get in. We were told that the pre-show registration was around 5,000 people, and from the look of it, most of them decided to get there first thing Friday morning. I spent a few minutes talking to a young girl while we were in line. She was very excited because her Mother had signed her up for a Crop session. She was literally bouncing on her feet, chomping at the bit to get in and get started. We went in and looked around for a little bit and then decided that we had better get started for home.

We had a pretty good trip, we got caught in some nasty traffic a couple of times, but all in all it wasn't bad. We got home around midnight and I could not wait to get home and get into my bed!!

Well, enough of that....are you ready for your CHA quiz? I've gone back through all of the CHA Blog Posts and come up with 10 questions. Please go to the CHA Blog Contest thread on the message board and answer the questions. I'll pick several winners from all of the correct answers.

1. What was the name of the restaurant where we stopped for lunch and early reveal on the way to CHA?
2. What kind of cake did we have for dessert before Reveal Monday night?
3. What design team members were at CHA with us?
4. Name at least one subscriber that we met at CHA?
5. What image did Stephen screen print onto his shirt?
6. What make-and-take did April complete?
7. What colors are the cameras on the Studio Calico shirts that we wore on Day 2?
8. What is the name of the Sassafrass line pictured in the Day 2 post?
9. What was the Captain's name on our Air Boat Tour?
10. How many Bald Eagles did we see on our tour?

OK, good luck! Remember, go to the CHA Blog Contest thread and answer the questions. I'll wait until Tuesday morning (8:00 am CST) to draw winners. I'll make sure to post the winners on the message board!

Thanks again for all of your positive feedback this week! I really enjoyed sharing our days with you through the blog. We would have loved to have you all there with us, but having you with us through the blog was almost as good!

Photography Week Final Installment

Thanks for joining us this week! I hope that you had fun and learned some helpful techniques that you can use in your photography!

We wanted to finish off the week with a bang so I am giving away a spot in my next Online Photography Workshop!

I just finished teaching my second one and I have to agree with the students when they say that it goes by too quickly! (It seems like that is the story of my life lately though! :) ) I always have so much fun teaching these fantastic students and the best part is seeing how much progress they make throughout the course! It is awesome!

Here's what some of my students are saying. (Watch for a new testimonials section on my workshop blog coming soon!)

"I just opened my mailbox and there was our last lesson. I am feeling so ambivalent about opening it. I am excited to see what new you have to teach us but I am sad its the last lesson already. I just want to say (and I know this sentiment has already been expressed by many) that I wish this were not over and that I thank you from the bottom of my heart for so freely sharing not only the cogent basic instructions but also the the tips that short-cut a lot of the learning curve and get us loving our cameras - and not being intimidated by them. You could have been proprietary about the knowledge you acquired through your own study and hard work, but you are just the opposite.

I have such a long way to go to rough tune and gradually fine tune my photos but already I am reaping such pleasing rewards that it spurs me to keep taking, keep improving. Almost all of my shots are already such an improvement over those immediately pre-course. Really, I just can't express how grateful I am for this course, your style of teaching and your gentle, encouraging style of critique!

I am so sad this course is almost over. If you do plan additional courses in the future, I am pretty sure you will have a large audience among former students - me included.

Thanks Maggie."

Carol B

...........

"Let me just say I see a major difference in my pictures as far as exposure and lighting goes. I had the composition down, but needed/still need help with my exposure and knowing what to do in different light situations. Today, I took the kids to the pool and was able to get some bright happy photos without being overexposed and even was able to catch my son jumping mid-air into the pool with no motion blur. I've really enjoyed working in manual and am happy/relieved to find that its not as intimidating as I thought. Thanks so much Maggie for the great guidance, and all you participants that post your work so I can learn from it. Looking forward to these last few lessons! Have a great week everyone!"

Barbara roberts

............

"This is so much fun! I absolutley can not believe after 4 weeks I am shooting in manual and loving what I see! You are amazing Maggie!!!"

Adrienne Banaszynski

To enter the drawing for a free spot in my next class, all you have to do is leave a comment here. I will be draw a winner Monday July 8th so you have plenty of time to enter.... one entry per person please. The next class is getting quite full but there are a few spots left if you are interested in getting in. I will be doing one more workshop later this year and more next year, so if you don't get in, you can get in to one of the next ones. You can find all of the details and updates about my online workshop here.

The world in our eyes

Each and everyone one of us has a different view on the world.
Some of us wear rose tinted glasses and some of us see the world for what it is.
But when we see the world through a camera it becomes a consuming obsession to make it appear creative, mystical, abstract, dramatic, calm and whole plethora of other artistic adjectives.

Tina Azmus and I want to share our world though our cameras "eyes" this week in ways that will test your photographic skills and thus promoting a unique catalogue of pictures that can reflect your personality/emotions in a single snap. Im so excited because Tina's photos are awe inspiring, for me alone, as it is :)

So. This weekend gone by I went to test out my new camera whilst out for a walk with my mini Dachs, Eddy. I was in a particularly bad mood which forced me to lose my patience. That meant that I didn't want to wait around and faff with my settings (I usually shoot in manual). Instead I set my camera to Aperture priority, got down low, angled my camera, clicked and hoped for the best.

Im positively delighted with the results of our woodland walk pictures and will probably scrap these to journal recent emotional events because had I not of been feeling that way, I don't think id have had the notion to try out these perspectives with so much zest.

At this point of my walk it was sunny and I wanted to sap up the cheery feeling of this flower.I wanted to feel as calm as the lake
I wanted to feel clean of any bad feeling
It felt good to be nestled amongst bright, sunny flowers besides a dirt track
I wanted to stretch out and go to a place where I could shake off the anger
And I felt re-energised the moment we set off to go back home.

The lesson I learned was not only to appreciate jaunty and angular shots but also a novel way of coaching myself to use more journalling as I am really bad at expressing myself on layouts. Its about time I vented those feelings by producing a mini which I shall share with you towards the end of this week.

You will totally begin to appreciate the world through my eyes and so Im wondering if you might care to join in with me so I can see the world through your eyes? Perhaps take a walk in your garden, down your street, in your workplace - wherever; and relish the mood you are in. If you're grouchy, giddy, calm, nonplussed - anything, Im certain you will find things to photograph to reflect your mood. You don't have to make a mini, perhaps a page will do. All participants will be in with a chance to win a free 6 class download based on Design principles which works with all manner of mediums including scrapbooking, photography and card making.

NSD Festivities

In honor of National Scrapbook Day, we have lots of fun activities planned.

First, each design team member is hosting a challenge on their blogs and giving away past add-ons that have sold out, so you don't want to miss those chances to win. Click here to read more about the challenges.

Second, we are giving away a $50 Studio Calico gift card!!! To enter, all you have to do is post the countdown widget to your blog...see it's the top icon on the right ------>
Then, come back to this thread and make a comment with your blog address. If you've already added the widget to your blog, it's okay, you can still enter, just comment on this thread. A winner will be randomly drawn at 11:59pm EST on May 2.
(Instructions for adding the widget to your blog)

Third, and the Grandest Prize of All, we're giving away a 6-month subscription for you AND a friend. To read more about how to enter, click here.

Feel free to email us at info@studiocalico.com with any questions on these contests, or post to the message board and someone will be glad to help. Thanks and happy scrapping!!!

In honor of NSD, it's CHALLENGE time!

Hello! Get out those kits you haven't used up, grab that stash, because we have something special for you today! Come one, come all, it's challenge time!

Wow. Okay, it's early. lol

National Scrapbook Day is May 2. And in honor of NSD, Studio Calico and the Design Team have a lot of fun in store. If you would like a chance to win a past add-on, as well as other prizes including a 6 month subscription, keep reading!

Each SC designer has issued a challenge. To enter to win an add-on, simply participate in the challenge, upload your layout to the Studio Calico gallery, and link that layout to the blog post from that designer on May 2, National Scrapooking Day. For more chances to win, enter more challenges! You will have one week from today to do your layouts, and winners will be drawn at midnight May 2nd. This is also when the official entry threads will be posted on each designer's blog, so make sure to wait to link your layouts until next Saturday!

April is going to be hosting a challenge on using Maya Mist. And you know that girl knows how to rock her mist.

I am hosting a stitching challenge. Simply hand stitch somewhere on your layout to be entered into this challenge.

Emily is hosting a self-portrait challenge.

Jenn is posting a fabric challenge. Use fabric as a base for your layout.

Joy is doing a cutesie challenge. Break out those cutesy papers and embellies and get to work!

Kelly is doing an ad inspiration challenge.

Kirsty is

Maggie is going to be posting an inspiration challenge.

Nik is going to be doing a graph/ledger challenge.

Nic is going to be doing a patterned paper challenge. You must use at least 3 different patterns on your layout. This is in honor of Cate and her clothing choices lately, lol! (I have the same problem, Nic)

Scarlet is doing a "makeover your space" challenge.

Stephanie is doing a "old with the new" challenge, mixing older scrapbook supplies, vintage items, etc., with new product on your layout.

Tina A is doing a music challenge. Whether it's using your favorite song lyrics, a title of a song, or what's been playing on your Ipod, incorporate music in your layout.

Tina C is doing an "embrace that white space" challenge.

(I'll update with links to the designer's blog as soon as their challenge is posted).

How does this sound?!!!

Be sure to check back later in the week for more details on additional prizes that can be won on NSD, including that 6 month subscription.

Have a great Saturday! Davinie

ETA: Saavy girls who incorporate more than one challenge in their layout deserve more than one shot to win! Be sure to link it to each designer's blog! :)

color comfort

We all like to challenge ourselves and go outside of our comfort zones when working with different color combinations in our projects. It's a great way to expand our scrapping horizons and explore colors we would never think to use. But let's touch on the colors that we're always drawn to scrap with. The colors that you reach for repeatedly. The colors that inspire you to scrap.

I find myself always going towards blues and greens. I'm also loving pink, yellow and cream. I'm comfortable with this pallet and am always pleased with the finished product.

1.Dome
2.Winter Wonderland
3.Sprinkled Happiness.
4.Growing!
5.Hope for a Brighter Tomorrow.
6.Friday the 13th Flare.

It's not only the colors we use in scrapbooking, we surround ourselves with these comfort colors. Look around you home. Check out your closet. What colors do you see most around you?

I'm going to dive into my SC stash and pull items that fit into my comfort zone and challenge you to do the same. I'd like to give away a print or 2 and will choose a random winner on Sunday. Post your layouts here along with the link to where ever you found your inspiration whether that be Flickr or a blog. Can't wait to see your comfort creations!

Tina

Resolutions

Happy New Year!!!

Its a new week at the Studio Calico blog. Stephanie and I are going to be your hosts :) We are going to focus on the New Year, new beginnings, fresh starts, resolutions.

We'll show you a couple different ideas about scrapping your resolutions, or goals for the year, and some other fun takes on new beginnings.

Our challenge for you this week is to scrap your resolutions in some way: art journal, traditional page, pillow box (a la Davinie) anything, and add it to the gallery. Add your link in a comment on this post, and we'll draw a winner on Saturday (01/10/09)

Here's my take on the challenge: Stephanie will post her's tomorrow.

scavenger hunt with prizes!

Nicole Harper and I are hosting the blog this last week of 2008 and first week of 2009. We thought it would be fun to send you on a scavenger hunt all over the fantastically designed studio calico website to see what you could find. Every day we'll have a new area for you to search. Some of the searches will be easy, some will take a little more work, but you'll get to know the site, the members, and the design team a little better by the end of our week.

Round 1: Member Profiles

Do you know how to get to member profiles? If you click on the user's name in any comment thread or gallery post they've made, you'll get to the member's profile page. Here, you'll find a slew of information, like when they became a Studio Calico member, where they live, a short bio, their favorite layouts, and the layouts they've created themselves. I've scanned a number of profiles and come up with a handful of questions to help you explore the profiles, and I've only picked members who comment regularly so they should be easy to find. I'll give you a clue and your job is to find who I'm spotlighting. Good luck!

1. This member recently graduated from Pharmacy School and is a full-fledged Pharmacist now!

2. This member loves tea(both hot and cold), roses, and historical movies.

3. This member's blog is titled "It's a Red Red World"

4. and 5. List two members who added this layout to their favorites gallery (this could have multiple answers)


6. She's been a member since 08/07/2008, has three children and has been married for 11 years.

7. This member loves watching Food Network & Bravo.

8. Her location is as follows: in a small house

When you've found the answers, make sure you are logged in as a Studio Calico user, go to my profile and send me an email with as many of the correct answers as you can find. everyone who gets the right answers will be entered into a drawing for a $5 Studio Calico gift card. You'll have until noon EST the next day to get your emails sent. We'll do the random drawing at the end of each day FOLLOWING the day questions are given, so the winner of today's drawing (Monday) will be posted on Wednesday morning. Does that make sense?

Now go hunt!

New Sneak/Reveal Countdown Widgit!!!

See the tutorial here

See what it looks like on the right side of this page.

This is a widgit you only have to add to your blog once. Every time we make a change, it will automatically update on your blog. This will make it so easy not to forget about sneak/reveal!!!

Please add it now....and for incentive, we have 3 PARIS project kits to give away.

Simply upload the widget then post to this thread with a link to your blog and we'll put you in the drawing. Thanks!

January Kit Inspiration + a MM giveaway!!!

Ever wonder what inspires us when putting together your Studio Calico kits? Many times it's new product on the market, hot color combinations, or a must-have product that we work the entire kit around. But sometimes, it's an item or photo that inspires us.

One day earlier this year, Scarlet had taken her kids to Barnes & Noble for a Saturday outing when she found this amazing book by Oliver Jeffers. The story is so cute, plus the pages themselves are works of art. Enter our inspiration for January's kit.


I hope this leads to massive guessing on what's inside your non-traditional January kit. If you were hoping for snowflakes and evergreen trees, I hope you won't be disappointed.

But, in case you are, here's an opportunity to win some more of the FaLaLa collection from Making Memories!!! Just post a link to a photo/store/book, anything that's inspiring to you for a chance to win!

Becoming Green

In October's kit, LOOKING GLASS, we featured the butterfly paper from this Tinkering Ink line. It was such a hit, we now have 2 collection packs (2 each of 6 papers), to give away.

I can certainly tell you that I'm definitely not 100% green, but I do try to do what I can. When I worked as a rep, I used to get lots of small boxes with samples each month. Instead of giving them to the recycling company, which would have been easy to do, I recycled them by giving them to my dad who manages a book store. He reused the boxes to ship books. It was a perfect arrangement: I got rid of my boxes and he didn't have to buy as many. Recycling at it's best!

So, if you'd like a chance to win this prize, post a comment here letting us know what you are doing to become green. We'll draw 2 winners this week.

It's challenge time!

Sorry I didn't get this posted yesterday. I was going to do a sketch for you or something but thought I'd make it more wide open so that more people would play (hopefully!). So the challenge is simple....scrap and share a new 2-page layout. That's it. For every double page spread that you share, you will be entered into a RAK drawing. If you use mostly Studio Calico kits on your layout, you will get entered a second time. :) Use up those kits to make room for the new one!!!

If you need some inspiration for your page, you could scraplift one of the layouts I posted the other day. Or, check out www.pagemaps.com for actual sketches to help get your ideas rolling. Becky Fleck includes double paged sketches each month in her newsletter. And of course there are TONS of Becky Higgins sketches that are all two pagers. (See www.creatingkeepsakes.com to find recent ones.) If anyone has other 2 pager inspiration sites or ideas, please post them in the comments here. I'm sure everyone will appreciate it! I'll keep this open until next Wednesday. Then I'll draw a winner for the RAK that night.

Can't wait to see what you come up with!!!!!

To Inspire

Why hello there.
This week Joy and I are taking over the Studio Blog.
Our mission: to fill your week with inspirational challenges, photos, scrappers and websites.
Let's begin with a challenge, shall we?
This week on the Dares blog, the ladies have decided to challenge your scrap minds with the use of color. Take the Dare as you wish. I personally have chosen a color that I do not

often use and find particularly hard to scrap and that's the color red.
Here's my interpretation of the Dare:

Most paper peices are from past Studio Calico kits. A great way to use up that stash!
Oh and there is a little incentive.......we're giving away an October Studio Calico kit!
Please post your color Dare in the member gallery and link it to the Dares blog.
We'll pick a winner on Friday, the 17th.

Hope to see you tonight!
You didn't forget did you? :)
Tina

Don't forget to post to win this RAK. Just tell us your favorite color for a chance to win this fabulous giveaway from The Paper Pixie.


******

This is Joy. Tina told me that the Dare was about color, and I immediately thought of this photo with this color combo by the FABU Elsie Flannigan.

I love the colors in this photo, so different and it immediately makes think of fall.



Here's the layout it inspired.

Halloween Making Memories Giveaway

October is just around the corner, so what better time to prepare those Halloween pages. Simply post here for a chance to win this giveaway courtesy of Making Memories.


A winner will be picked via random.org next Saturday, October 4.

Win $100 in Studio Calico Cash!

You've seen the sneak peeks of October's LOOKING-GLASS kit and add-ons, and time is quickly approaching for the full reveal and opportunity to purchase these amazing kits! We've done our part to bring you the hottest new products on the market (along with a few perfectly-coordinated Studio Calico exclusives), but now we need you to do your part to help us deliver these products right to your door! If you have already entered your new payment information onto our secure website, we THANK YOU! If you have not, please do so now, for the chance to be entered into drawings for free Studio Calico cash! On Saturday, September 20, we will be giving away ten $10 Studio Calico gift certificates. If you have entered your new payment information onto our secure website, your name will be put into each drawing... that's 10 chances to win! Then, on Reveal Night, Saturday, September 27th, we will be giving away a $100 Studio Calico gift certificate to one lucky winner! All you have to do is have your payment information entered into our website!

And don't worry... if you win a $10 gift certificate, you are still eligible to win the $100 grand prize drawing! What are you waiting for?

Blinkie RAK

Here's the deal, post the newest SC blinkie on your blog. This one here:







Post a comment plus a link to your blog here to win the Studio Calico RAK!!!

Winner will be announced next Friday.

For intructions for adding blinkies to your blog, click here.

Remember When...

We got to see April and Scarlet's highly inspirational scrap spaces and bits of Scarlet at work? I thought it was so fascinating to get a little 'bird's eye view' of their personal and work space. Maybe it's the nosy part of me coming into play, but I love seeing how other people work, organize and decorate-I'm hoping that some of you enjoy it, too. I've been working on the other dt gals to send me some pictures of their spaces, but I thought for today I'd share bits of mine with you.

When we moved into our house eight years ago, we had one room set up as a formal dining room. When I got back into crafting, I claimed it as my own. Out went the table and chairs and in came some scrap tables, a desk and my computer. It's evolved a bit, new furniture here and there, new solutions, new wall color (from butter yellow to aqua blue), but for the last seven years it's been primarily my office and work space. I love that it's open to other rooms in my home, making it easy for me to work and still be a part of the family!

Currently when not working on any pages/projects, I have two standing height tables with flip tops that line up together under my magnetic stamp wall and pegboards. When I'm working on say...Studio Calico projects, one table gets pulled out and the top flipped open. Right next to the tables are some drawers and some shelves that hold various supplies (as you can see, I could benefit from an organization fairy).

I also have one of those Ikea Expedit bookshelves that seemingly every scrapper on the planet has--and for good reason, they're handy! I keep all my albums, more supplies, old family albums and some photo gear, books and magazines all stored in it. I also have all my paper and cardstock stashed on top of it (very handy for that).

I have a few more pictures that I'll post in the gallery for you, I didn't want to make this post too long...I mean, after all, I need to include a litle RAK info, right?

RAK info? What RAK info? Oh...you mean the RAK that I have for one lucky person. Yes, if you upload and share your space or a portion of your space with us on the message board or in the gallery (say by Sunday August 10th midnight PST), I will put your name in the hat. For what? Well, something I've picked out for you...it might even be featured (not super prominently) in one of these photos...and how about if you think you spot it, email me and you'll get two entries. :)