The Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC23

What inspires you to create?
Is it a sight or a sound?
What about a scent or a taste?

This week we thank the folks at
Martha Stewart.com for this fabulous
inspiration photo.

You're welcome to use either

cream or white for your project.

Throughout the coming months, we have

a number of fabulous guest designers joining

us here in The Cafe.

This week, we welcome

Arielle Gordon of 'Snappy Stamper'.

Arielle was a

'Cup of the Week' winner and you'll see why!

Welcome Arielle!

This week, it's a British Invasion!

Both our senior designer Sarah Anderson

and team member Ruby 2 Shoes are hosting.

Here's Sarah's thoughts about her creative process:

"Blue has been my favourite colour since primary 

school but funnily enough I rarely use it in cards.

I noticed that for all the other Play Date challenges 

which featured blue, I have crocheted or sewn, 

so this time I decided to challenge myself 

to make a card.  I still had to get my paint out though

as all my 'blue' inkpads lean towards teal.  

However, it was only this week 

that I discovered that some people didn't realise 

that you could use paint on stamps.  

If you've never tried, why not give it a go?  

I used a piece of cut n dry foam to apply 

a baby blue and a bright blue to my stamp,

then added layers to my card 

and finished with some stitching."

Now...meet Ruby 2 Shoes
Your design team host for this week!

I started stamping about 20 years ago

(oh my goodness, that sounds awful out loud!) 

I then got into die cutting and 

left stamping behind a bit.

More recently I’ve started to combine the two. 

I found it quite difficult to get back into stamping

because my ideas were a bit old fashioned,

but since starting my blog I have been inspired

by so many other stampers out there. 

They’ve made me realise that you can stamp cards

and still make them look contemporary!  

I  love playing along in challenges.

They really push me to think outside of my usual designs;

There is nothing as satisfying as starting out 

with a piece of white card

and playing with papers, ribbons and inks! 

I tend to put a little piece of me into 

every card I make.

I’m addicted, I absolutely love it!

Here's what our other designers have done to inspire you.....

Lisa Somerville ~ Splendiferous Creations

Suzanne Czosek ~ Suzz's Stamping Spot

Savannah O'Gwynn ~ Savannahland

 

'Private Blend' Designer  

Mona Pendleton ~ Cupcake's Creations

 

Stephanie Kraft ~ HandKrafted by Stephanie

Arielle Gordon ~ Snappy Stamper

Guest Designer

The prize for this week is a Designer Paper Grab Bag

Please follow the rules carefully to enter.

Deadline for prizes is 11:59pm EST on Tuesday
Cafe Spotlight will be announced during the next challenge.

ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY! 
We want you to enjoy this challenge, so interpret the colors the way you see them. We are not using specific card stock color names nor brands for our challenges, so you can really break out of the box and have some fun. What we do ask is that the colors that are in the challenge be OUR focal colors...when using additional colors, please limit them to neutrals. You are welcome to combine challenges, but we do ask that 1. They be used for the first time here 2. You mention in your post that you are playing (better yet, display our color challenge photo) and 3. OUR colors are the focus of the card.

See complete rules on sidebar at right

TO LEAVE A COMMENT, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO WINNERS SPOTLIGHT

The Fab 4
The Cream in our Coffee
and
THE CUP of the WEEK

Another challenge has come to a close.

A very warm thank you to all who entered.

This challenge is only successful because of YOU so please, PLEASE play with us again!

 The Play Date Cafe congratulates 
The Fab 4 for Challenge #22:

(in alphabetical order)

Linda B ~ Card Challenges & More
  Melissa H  ~ My Paper Obsession

Teresa Kline ~ Enjoy the VA Sunshine
Tracy Evans ~ Craft Addicts

The Fab can proudly display the

'I Made the Fab 4'

badge on their blogs!

The Cream in our Coffee

( make sure you see this talent, too! )

Aussie Loz

Sue Lelli

Lori Stokes Wright

Nancy Hendel

Jan Hennings

Deb

Barbara Washington

Paul B

Jaclyn Miller

CinnamonSally

 

and The Play Date Cafe Cup of the Week...

Magdalena ~ Axes Designs

Magdalena wins a Designer Paper grab bag and can proudly display

the 'Play Date Cafe Winner' Badge.

Magdalena will also be eligible to be 

a Guest Designer here in the Cafe.
Magdalena please contact me at julieranae@hotmail.com
with your mailing address

The Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC22

 The Play Date Cafe welcomes YOU!

If you are new to our challenge, you are going to have
lots of fun playing along with us.
 Sign on as a follower,
Take the 'I Play...' badge for your blog
and HAVE FUN!
You'll find the information you need to play over on our sidebar.

If you have been a long-time guest in The Cafe,
you'll want to stock up on all the mochas, lattes
and caffeine you can because we have so many fun things
coming beginning in April.

NEW SPONSORS...CELEBRITY GUESTS
and SO much more
DON'T MISS A WEEK WITH US!

A huge thanks goes out to our

March Guest Designer 

Jean Franks Beck of Bluebird Paperie

Our design team have loved borrowing her for the past
two weeks and look forward to her returning again soon.


Have you ever looked at a color combo and asked,
"how will I make those colors work?"
Well, here's what our challenge creator Julie Ranae does
when she asks herself that same question...

"The first thing I do when I begin a color challenge is grab
cardstock in the closest colors possible.  I may not end up using
those particular pieces, but it gives me a starting point.
From there, I will go through my designer papers to see if any
graphics on those might stand out to help with a theme.
Then it's onto my stamps and embellishments.
If I take this 'track' with each color challenge, it helps me to
really focus and the ideas tend to flow."

Now...meet Stephanie Kraft

Your host for this week's challenge.

"I was introduced to stamping shortly after my daughter 

was born (about 6 years ago), but at the time I was more interested in 

scrapbooking. I stamped and made cards on occasion, but it wasn't until a 

couple of years ago that I became passionate about stamping. 

I created a blog in Sept 08, started participating in challenges 

and began stamping more frequently. 

Now, barely a day goes by without me getting inky! 

Stamping has brought out a creative side in me that I thought didn't exist. 

As much as I enjoy the creative process, I especially love giving

handmade cards and gifts to friends and family."

Here's what our other designers have done to inspire you.....

Sarah ~ The Art of Moodling

Ruby McGuire ~ Ruby 2 Shoes Design

  
Lisa Somerville ~ Splendiferous Creations

Suzanne Czosek ~ Suzz's Stamping Spot 

 'Private Blend' Designer  
Mona Pendleton ~ Cupcake's Creations

Savannah O'Gwynn ~ Savannahland 

Jean Franks Beck ~ Bluebird Paperie

Guest Designer for March

The prize for this week is a Designer Paper Grab Bag

Please follow the rules carefully to enter.

Deadline for prizes is 11:59pm EST on Tuesday
Cafe Spotlight will be announced during the next challenge.

ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY! 
We want you to enjoy this challenge, so interpret the colors the way you see them. We are not using specific card stock color names nor brands for our challenges, so you can really break out of the box and have some fun. What we do ask is that the colors that are in the challenge be OUR focal colors...when using additional colors, please limit them to neutrals. You are welcome to combine challenges, but we do ask that 1. They be used for the first time here 2. You mention in your post that you are playing (better yet, display our color challenge photo) and 3. OUR colors are the focus of the card.

See complete rules on sidebar at right

TO LEAVE A COMMENT, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO WINNERS SPOTLIGHT

The Fab 4
The Cream in our Coffee
and
THE CUP of the WEEK

Another challenge has come to a close.

A very warm thank you to all who entered.

This challenge is only successful because of YOU so please, PLEASE play with us again!

 The Play Date Cafe congratulates 
The Fab 4 for Challenge #21:

(in alphabetical order)

Andrea M ~ Work in Progress
  Cathy ~ Papier Girl

Julie Day ~ J. Day Designs
Melissa Bove ~ Creating From the Heart

The Fab can proudly display the

'I Made the Fab 4'

badge on their blogs!

The Cream in our Coffee

( make sure you see this talent, too! )

Nance Salkeld

Sue Lelli

Lynne

Rosemary D

Kim C

Helen

Kathryn B

Julia

 

and The Play Date Cafe Cup of the Week...

Michele ~ Miche's Niche

Michele wins a Designer Paper grab bag and can proudly display

the 'Play Date Cafe Winner' Badge.

Miche will also be eligible to be 

a Guest Designer here in the Cafe.
Miche please contact me at julieranae@hotmail.com
with your mailing address

The Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC21

Spring is definitely in the air...Oh yeah!

Last week you got a glimpse of our new design team.

This week, we are excited to begin sharing their inspiring work with you.

Also joining us for the next two weeks is our

March Guest Designer 

Jean Franks Beck of Bluebird Paperie

 Jean designs for Cornish Heritage Farms and

Gingersnap Creations.

She is a favorite here in The Cafe 

and we think you'll like her too!

 Each week, you will hear our senior designer's thoughts

behind their color inspirations AND learn a little

something about each of our new designers as

they become your host for each challenge.

Private Blend designer Mona Pendleton's
eye zeroed in on this week's

inspiration photo.  Here's what she has to say...

"Cherry blossoms...a sure sign that Spring has sprung!

The various shades of pink with yellow scattered about

makes for a fabulous color palette for this week's challenge"

Now...meet Savannah O'Gwynn

Your host for this week's challenge.

"I started crafting at a young age, but I didn't buy my first stamps

until my birthday last year.
Last June, my husband encouraged me

to leave my teaching profession to pursue my
crafting passion and it

was then that my life changed.
I started buying lots of stamps, started

my blog and began entering challenges.  I found that I really love

all sorts of crafts.  I love working in my studio and being creative."

Here's what our other designers have done to inspire you.....

  

Sarah ~ The Art of Moodling

Stephanie Kraft ~ HandKrafted by Stephanie

Ruby McGuire ~ Ruby 2 Shoes Design

Lisa Somerville ~ Splendiferous Creations

Suzanne Czosek ~ Suzz's Stamping Spot 

Julie Ranae ~ Julie's Open Window

Jean Franks Beck ~ Bluebird Paperie

Guest Designer for March

The prize for this week is a Designer Paper Grab Bag

Please follow the rules carefully to enter.

Deadline for prizes is 11:59pm EST on Tuesday
Cafe Spotlight will be announced during the next challenge.

ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY! 
We want you to enjoy this challenge, so interpret the colors the way you see them. We are not using specific card stock color names nor brands for our challenges, so you can really break out of the box and have some fun. What we do ask is that the colors that are in the challenge be OUR focal colors...when using additional colors, please limit them to neutrals. You are welcome to combine challenges, but we do ask that 1. They be used for the first time here 2. You mention in your post that you are playing (better yet, display our color challenge photo) and 3. OUR colors are the focus of the card.

See complete rules on sidebar at right

TO LEAVE A COMMENT, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO WINNERS SPOTLIGHT

The Fab 4
The Cream in our Coffee
and
THE CUP of the WEEK

Another challenge has come to a close.

A very warm thank you to all who entered.

This challenge is only successful because of YOU so please, PLEASE play with us again!

 The Play Date Cafe congratulates 
The Fab 4 for Challenge #20:

(in alphabetical order)

Davi ~ Alstromeria's Artistry
  Gayle Page-Robak ~ A Stamper's Touch

Jo Hooper ~ My Crafting Journey
Veronica ~ Vroncards

The Fab can proudly display the

'I Made the Fab 4'

badge on their blogs!

The Cream in our Coffee

( make sure you see this talent, too! )

Arielle

Kim C

Rachel

Paul B

Jenn Gibble

The Paper Princess

 

and The Play Date Cafe Cup of the Week...

Jacqueline ~ My Scrap Basket

Jacqueline wins a Designer Paper grab bag and can proudly display

the 'Play Date Cafe Winner' Badge.

Jacqueline will also be eligible to be 

a Guest Designer here in the Cafe.
Jacqueline please contact me at julieranae@hotmail.com
with your mailing address

Blog Hop Winner.....

Cassie Lu ~ Crafty Cassie's Corner

Cassie please contact me at julieranae@hotmail.com

with your mailing address

The Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC20

What a week it has been here in The Cafe.

This week, we are going to PARTY

So let's get right to it!

CAFE NEWS

Are you ready to meet the new designers who will be

inspiring you this season?  I know you are!

They officially begin next week and you

are going to have a great opportunity to welcome

them, but more on that shortly.

Without further ado......

Suzanne Czosek

Stephanie Kraft

Ruby 2 Shoes

Savannah O'Gwynn

Lisa Somerville

And our returning Senior Design Team.....

Sarah Anderson
Mona Pendleton

Julie Ranae

You may realize that there in a very familiar name that is now

missing from the list.....Julie Campbell

Julie came joined our team last fall just after this challenge

got started and has been a creative marvel.

Julie has had some new and exciting opportunities open up

for her and it is with sadness but much excitement for HER

that we tell her goodbye this week.

In honor of Jules and her new beginnings

and

the new designers and their new beginnings

we are having a BLOG HOP!

Look what YOU can win!!!

Here are THREE ways to give you the best chance.....

1.  At the very end of this post, 

waaaay at the end just after our winners are announced, 

you will find the first blog you are to visit.  

Stop by there, leave a comment, then hop along

and leave a comment at the other designer's blogs.  

There are ONLY 9 total and all you have to do is click on the name!

2.  Become a follower of The Play Date Cafe...easy-peasy!

3.  Play along with this week's color challenge which is hosted

by our outgoing designer, Julie Campbell.  What a great way

to honor her by helping us to reach a record number of players.

All the details on how to play are on our sidebar and will be listed

below our design team's inspiration projects.

Deadline to enter the giveaway and challenge
is 11:59pm EST, Tuesday, March 16
Winners will be announced on
Thursday, March 18th

On to the challenge.....

This past week brought us yet again, a record number of

players for the challenge.

 

This week we celebrate the final inspirational piece

from Julie Campbell of A Vintage Chic

Here's what our other designers have done to inspire you.....

 'Private Blend' Designer  
Mona Pendleton ~ Cupcake's Creations



Julie Ranae ~ Julie's Open Window

 Sarah ~ The Art of Moodling



The prize for this week is a Designer Paper Grab Bag

Please follow the rules carefully to enter.

Deadline for prizes is 11:59pm EST on Tuesday
Cafe Spotlight will be announced during the next challenge.

ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY! 
We want you to enjoy this challenge, so interpret the colors the way you see them. We are not using specific card stock color names nor brands for our challenges, so you can really break out of the box and have some fun. What we do ask is that the colors that are in the challenge be OUR focal colors...when using additional colors, please limit them to neutrals. You are welcome to combine challenges, but we do ask that 1. They be used for the first time here 2. You mention in your post that you are playing (better yet, display our color challenge photo) and 3. OUR colors are the focus of the card.

See complete rules on sidebar at right

TO LEAVE A COMMENT, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO WINNERS SPOTLIGHT

The Fab 4
The Cream in our Coffee
and
THE CUP of the WEEK

Another challenge has come to a close.

A very warm thank you to all who entered.

This challenge is only successful because of YOU so please, PLEASE play with us again!

 The Play Date Cafe congratulates 
The Fab 4 for Challenge #19:

(in alphabetical order)

Alexis E ~ Be Inspired By Alexis
  Katt & Lisa ~ InkBig

Ledesma ~ Ledesma
Tina ~ sow.sprout.bloom

The Fab can proudly display the

'I Made the Fab 4'

badge on their blogs!

The Cream in our Coffee

( make sure you see this talent, too! )

Minneka

Chupa

Laura

Lori Turner

Woodchuck Jan

Chriss Blagrave

Kristin Tierney

Melissa H

Michele Readitt

Ann Briggs

  

and The Play Date Cafe Cup of the Week...

Nance Salkeld ~ Snap, Scrap & Dazzle

Nance wins a Designer Paper grab bag and can proudly display
the 'Play Date Cafe Winner' Badge.

Nance will also be eligible to be 

a Guest Designer here in the Cafe.
Nance please contact me at julieranae@hotmail.com
with your mailing address

LET THE BLOG HOP BEGIN!

PLEASE BEAR WITH US AS WE GET EVERYONE ON BOARD

From here, head on over to Julie's blog at A Vintage Chic
and thank her for the lovely creations she has been sharing
with us throughout the season.

Follow her instructions until you have visited all nine blogs
and then we hope you will come back and play
The Play Date Cafe Challenge!
Good luck!