Thursday, August 1, 2013

Full Circle in 192 Ways


No...you are not seeing things!




Yes...this is a graphic of the
VERY FIRST CHALLENGE
here in The Play Date Cafe.

Back then, my partner Sarah Anderson & I only
imagined the fun if we could make
a go of our concept...to give folks a 'general' color palette
and let them run with it
AND
they could make
ANYTHING THEY WANTED TO!

Cards...Layouts...Cupcakes...Jewelry...Wall Decor
Centerpieces...Scarves...Digital work...
Mixed Media...Assemblage...

Each week, a Sarah & myself would take turns hosting
using a graphic of our choice.
This was Sarah's first graphic...


Not long after that, we knew Ruby McGuire had a
super eye for color & design and she lent her
hand to the color stories...


For the past two plus years, we have been super-privileged to
not only have 
Jaclyn Miller on our team,
but also as our Color Story Coordinator.
She has brought some of the most creative & on-trend color combos
for our players each week.

Did you know that our challenge was the
VERY FIRST CHALLENGE
she ever entered!


This color story became a player FAVORITE...



AND....Who can forget our 
'Color Splash' challenge?


This sadly....is our last 'splash' to share.



Julie Ranae here with you....

It is with a sad but grateful heart to announce
The Play Date Cafe is now closed.

I could share a variety of reasons why the timing is right,
and a few reasons why I still have second thoughts.

When my bestie Sarah and I set out to do this challenge, our hope was to
meet designers from all over the world who would enjoy coming
by to share their work in our gallery, and that' exactly what happened.
We had also hoped to make some long-term friends as well.
That MOST DEFINITELY happened!

Each designer that joined our team
(please see our side bar & our alumni page above)
started out as strangers, but quickly became friends,
sharing triumphs & tragedies during their journey on this team.
Several designers took on roles in an administrative capacity
including internal communication, social media & so much more.

I've had the honor of  remaining friends outside of The Cafe
with nearly all the designers who have served on this team.

We've had
 THIRTY-THREE
amazing designers
on our team
and over
FORTY
wonderful guest designers.

And our sponsors!!!

Please take some time to visit the 'sponsors' pages
above & check out all the fabulous support we have received
over the past {nearly} four years.
On behalf of our team here at The Cafe, we thank each one.

As for the 'Cup of the Week' from recent
previous challenges, we will contact those folks directly
to share their prizes.
Thank you for your patience.

There are only a handful of challenges that make it to
Challenge #192
I am proud to say that The Play Date Cafe is one.

It was my decision to end on a quiet note.
We thought about having a month-long farewell party
(as we are inclined to do here in The Cafe)
but it's my preference to take this one opportunity to
 HONOR 
ALL THE DESIGNERS, 
SPONSORS,
FOLLOWERS 
& FRIENDS
of The Play Date Cafe.

As I end this letter to you all,
I am reminded of the 'heart-shaped' teardrop of our
VERY FIRST COLOR SPLASH CHALLENGE

The tears that well as I finish this post are all in the shape
of this heart....I am forever grateful for your love & support
and for your part in making
The Play Date Cafe
THE BEST COLOR CHALLENGE!

~ Much love.....Julie

Thursday, July 25, 2013

It's a {splash} of Neon!



Oh Yes it's that time once again!

It's a 'Color Splash' Week here in The Cafe.

Simply create something using 
black & white with a
'Splash' of Neon Yellow

Next week, The Play Date Cafe has some
pretty BIG NEWS to share
and we hope you will make plans to join us.

 This week
Our 'Cup of the Week' will win...



Now for inspiration from
our Design Team... 
























Please link up your project below
and have fun!

You can stay up-to-date with all that's
happening here in The Cafe.
Come *LIKE* us on Facebook
and
Follow us on Twitter
@ThePDCC

Join us again Monday night as we 
announce the 'Cup of the Week'
and Honorable Mentions
here in The Cafe!


Thursday, July 18, 2013

A Few of {Our} Favorite Things!


These colors simply say 'Summer'!

Welcome to a brand new week here in The Cafe
and what a terrific week we have for you.

Before we get to all the details, including our fabulous
sponsor & guest designer ...

We will be catching up our latest 'Cups, Creams & Fab 4's'
by the end of the coming weekend.
We also have some BIG NEWS coming VERY SOON, so we
hope you will continue to join us!

This week's suggested colors are:

Cream...Melon...Cantaloupe 



We are super excited to have this week's sponsor


If you've been with us for the better part of the
past {nearly} four years, you will remember Mona
as part of our team here at The PDCC.
This week, she is our Guest Designer & the illustrator
of the beautiful designs for MFT, which she is offering the
upcoming 'Cup of the Week'.


"Hi there! My name is Mona Pendleton and I am designer as well as an
illustrator for My Favorite Things (http://www.mftstamps.com) as well
as a Play Date Cafe alumni. Mona Pendleton Designs for My Favorite
Things is a fun and versatile line of products which includes clear
photopolymer stamps, dies and stencils. All products are made in the
USA. I am honored to be joining along this week with the talented DT
here at The Play Date Cafe. Many thanks Julie for the awesome
opportunity. I hope you join along in the fun!"



Check out the awesome prizes for this week ...

 

Our designers want to thank Mona for generously providing
these products for our team to create with.


Now for inspiration from
our Design Team...




 
















Please link up your project below
and have fun!

You can stay up-to-date with all that's
happening here in The Cafe.
Come *LIKE* us on Facebook
and
Follow us on Twitter
@ThePDCC

Join us again Monday night as we 
announce the 'Cup of the Week'
and Honorable Mentions
here in The Cafe!


Thursday, July 11, 2013

An Oh {so} Sweet Color Challenge


Oh such sweetness !!!

Welcome back to another beautiful color challenge here at
The Play Date Cafe.

This week's suggested colors are:

Burnt Umber ... Honey ... Butter


We welcome back ...


In business since 2002, Simon Says Stamp is striving to offer you the best online selection of Rubber Stamp, Altered Art, Scrapbooking, Artist Trading Card, Card Making and Paper Crafting products in the world.  We stock over 100,000 items in our warehouse so that we can offer you quick service and 
one stop shopping at a great price!  Happy customers are the heart of our business.
We work hard to find and deliver to you the latest in stamping and paper crafting supplies!  Attending classes, workshops, and sales meetings around the world, our goal is to keep our product offerings fresh and current.  Make us your one stop easy shop - and we'll deliver right to your door!


Our Cup of the Week will win


 

Now for inspiration from
our Design Team...






 












Please link up your project below
and have fun!

You can stay up-to-date with all that's
happening here in The Cafe.
Come *LIKE* us on Facebook
and
Follow us on Twitter
@ThePDCC

Join us again Monday night as we 
announce the 'Cup of the Week'
and Honorable Mentions
here in The Cafe!


Thursday, July 4, 2013

Trend-Setting Colors



Welcome ...WELCOME
to The Play Date Cafe!

It's another warm color combo this week with a
very unique graphic.
Our Color Story Coodinator Jaclyn Miller
sure has an eye for what's on trend!

This week's suggested colors are:

Burgundy ... Terra Cotta ...Icy Blue



We are happy to welcome a great sponsor
to The Cafe


Hello.  I am Leslie the owner of The Memory Nest ~ where birds of a feather scrap together. I opened my online craft store last September to share my 12 year long love of scrapbooking/crafting.  The Memory Nest carries many different types of scrapping and card making supplies.  We also have a blog and Design Team.  The blog showcases the pages we create, new techniques learned, challenges for all to join and bi-monthly link up parties.  Hope you will stop by and visit.  We love connecting with other paper crafters ~ seasoned and beginners!


This week's Cup of the Week will win ...




Now for inspiration from
our Design Team...




 


















Please link up your project below
and have fun!

You can stay up-to-date with all that's
happening here in The Cafe.
Come *LIKE* us on Facebook
and
Follow us on Twitter
@ThePDCC

Join us again Monday night as we 
announce the 'Cup of the Week'
and Honorable Mentions
here in The Cafe!