The Play Date Cafe Challenge #7

It's that time once again!  The Play Date Cafe Design Team have a wonderful array of projects to inspire you to play.  This week, there is also an additional opportunity to win one of the actual projects featured in the Cafe....so what are you still doin' here? 
I give you permission to head on over now.

It's a busy time of the year and you may not have enough time to make the little things.

I added these fun snowflakes to my Etsy store today along with some matching borders.  You can get the snowflakes on their own or as a complete package, so if you need a little something extra, stop on over!

Back later....till then, enjoy the day!

The Play Date Cafe Challenge #5

It's official...The Play Date Cafe Challenge is a hit!

Today's challenge now find us with a new design team member hosting her very first challenge, so I hope you will head on over to The Play Date Cafe and see what Jules and the girls have inspired us with this week.


Visit Play Date Cafe

If you want to have inspiration at your fingertips including photos of challenge pieces and ideas for creating them, then click on The Play Date Cafe Social Network button above and join us!
It's free and most of all, it's fun!

Introducing the Newest Member of the Play Date Cafe Design Team

 This week completes the first cycle of hosting by our designers at The Play Date Cafe Challenge.  We cannot begin to tell you how much fun we have had as we prepare the inspirations behind each challenge.  We are busy with new ideas and surprises that we are excited to share, so today, I am happy to reveal WHO created the projects in last week's sneak peeks!

I am thrilled to tell you that Julie Campbell of A Vintage Chic is the newest addition to our design team.  Julie's style is classic, unmistakebly vintage.  Her blog has been a favorite of mine ever since I found her and I was so excited when she accepted the invitation to join our creative team.  
Let's get to know her a little bit more...

"Hi!  I'm Julie...Jules from here on out at The Play Date Cafe (don't want to get confused now, do we?!)  I live in a lovely house my husband built in the central coast area of California.  We love it here...surrounded by so much beauty and fabulous weather!  I'm a very happy and busy wife to Roger and mother to three beautiful, loving girls; Chelsea, Sarah and Annie.  I've been stamping for about 4 years now, and have loved learning and evolving!  My favorite style is vintage--I love everything about it!  I love to go overboard with my use of beautiful trims, but especially with glitter--
can't get enough of it!  

I give all credit for any creative bone I have in my body to my wonderful mother, Karen Smith, who is an amazing artist!  She is a dollmaker, and does just about anything else she sets her mind to.  She encouraged me early in life to try any kind of art that appealed to me, and always helped along the way, but let me develop my own style.  She gave me my love of all things vintage, as well, surrounding us with beautiful family heirlooms, beautifully illustrated old books and lovely artwork.

 

 I'm so excited to be working with Julie, Alison, Sandi and Sarah at The Play Date Cafe--what a wonderful, inspiring group of women!  I'm so looking forward to all the great color challenges ahead as we all continue to learn and create together."

I hope you will join me in welcoming Jules as she hosts this week's brand new Thursday challenge at The Play Date Cafe.

The Play Date Cafe Challenge #3

I am so glad to be hearing such fantastic feedback for The Play Date Cafe Challenge.  We are on week #3, so spread the word and join the fun!  The design team have been having so much fun working on inspirational projects for you and this week is no exception.

Our host for this week's challenge is Alison.  You will find the story behind the inspiration over at the PDCC blog, so I hope you will visit there next.

In the meantime, this is my take on this week's challenge.

I had to break out my Graphic45 from the 'Comminique Collection' along with a few other odds and ends.  When I thought of these colors together, I immediately thought nostalgia.  The photo is little more off-white than should be, but I had to take the photo in manufactured light, so I guess we will pretend that this tag was at one time a pristeen white that has aged over time as it was found in someone's old scrapbook.

One of my favorite embellishments on this tag is the extra-large polka dot button that didn't quite come out clearly in the photo, but it's there.  I added more dimension with the typewriter keys at glossy chipboard, as well.

Well, get on over to The Play Date Cafe blog and see what the other girls have created to inspire you and then please join the fun!  We love having you play along with us!

The Play Date Cafe Challenge #2

What a great week it was to see the very first Play Date Cafe Challenge come and go!  I hope that you will play along with the design team for this week's challenge, which is being  
hosted by Sarah over on the PDCC blog.

This is my offering for challenge #2.

I used a fabulous set of stamps from The Tracey Coates Collection of 'Aspects of Design' for The Stamp Man. 
My friend Jill Tuck owns this wonderfully popular store in North Yorkshire, which is in one of the most lovely areas of the UK.

I used chalks to color in the image and added touches of sparkle with silver Stickles and pewter rhinestones.

Of course, I had to add a touch of vintage lace along with the Brocade EF from Cuttlebug for texture.

The patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye 
'SpidersWeb' Collection.

I hope you will stop over at The Play Date Cafe and play along.
We are having a whole lotta fun and
we would love to have you!

The Play Date Cafe Challenge...Join Our Network!

Visit Play Date Cafe



Tonight brings the deadline for the very first Play Date Cafe Challenge...so you STILL HAVE TIME to enter. The design team have been overwhelmed by the response, not only in entries, but also in encouraging comments that have been left on each of our blogs.


We would love to have you take the next step in your support. First of all, if you have yet to visit the new home of The Play Date Cafe, click here and get on over. While you are there, we would love if you would become a public follower to show your support. From there, we hope you will consider being a part of The Play Date Cafe Social Network. This is a new Ning Group that was set up to archive the design team's entries to each challenge as well as a place where you can make friends and archive your own photos. This is also a great public gallery to use if you do not have a blog of your own.


Get those challenge entries in and watch for the next challenge this Thursday. Our UK designer, Sarah Anderson will be your host. I hope you will make a visit to her blog and check out this post on her creative process for these challenges....very informative!

The Play Date Cafe Challenge...

 
Because of the overwhelming response we are already having to our brand new Play Date Cafe Challenge, I have decided to give The Challenge it very own home....here's the details...

You can head on over the new Play Date Cafe Challenge Blog by clicking this link.  Sign on to follow along and when you are ready, Mr. Linky is there for you.  The rules to the challenge are posted on the sidebar AND in the post.  You will find everything in the post is duplicated and transferred.

If you prefer to play your first challenge directly from
The Open Window, just click here for the challenge.

It was my intention to wait until our next challenge to do this, but the response has been such that I felt it was best to do it immediately.  Also...there will be less confusion as I continue my regular daily posts and features.

SO...if you have ANY QUESTIONS, please feel free to email me at julieranae@hotmail.com
In the meantime....I will see you at THE PLAY DATE CAFE!