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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

The Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC31



It's another week and you know what that means...
a BRAND, NEW CHALLENGE!

We can tell by the fabulous number of entries
each week that you are enjoying the challenges
and boy, does that make our design team happy!

Speaking of our design team...
For the next 8 weeks or so, our designers will
be sharing with you a little about their
studios/art space/the places they create.

We also want you to know that 
beginning next week, we have 

a brand new line-up of 
celebrity guest designers
and fabulous sponsors

so you will not want to miss a week!

IMPORTANT 
CAFE NEWS

Well...it's not so much news but we have a request
we'd like to make.

Would you consider turning off 
word verification on your blog?

Our design team make an effort to visit and comment 
on every single entry, but the word verification 
prompt is making it harder to do each week.
Word verification has been causing many designer's
computers to literally 'lock up' which in turn does 
not allow us to let you know we stopped by.
You can change your blog settings to monitor 
your comments if you are using it to avoid spam.
We sincerely appreciate your consideration!

This week's color host is senior designer, Julie Ranae.
Here's her thoughts behind this week's
color story inspiration...

"I am a magazine fanatic...yes, FANATIC!
When I want to relax, a cup of tea
and a magazine are all I need  : )
I have been a collector of a variety of genres for
many years, including Martha Stewart Living.
My collection of Martha magazines go back nearly
20 years when I was a bookseller at our local
book store and this fabulous new
'home keeping/entertaining' magazine
hit the newsstands.  I was hooked!
That explains why I use a lot of the photos
from marthastewart.com for my color stories.
I still find this magazine...
VERY INSPIRING!"

 

Your host for this week's challenge is
Let's take a peek inside her studio 'Jelly Bean Designs'...

"I love my studio...
but my studio wasn't always so great at the beginning.
I had papers on beds and stamps in the spare bedroom drawers...
things in the garage and at least five of every tool 
because I couldn't find them anywhere. 
About two years ago, my husband made 
one of our bedrooms into my studio.
I just LOVE it! 
I am in my studio about five hours a day.
I am very picky about always having everything 'in it's place'
and I try to keep it clean (there are days when I am messy!). 
My fav part would be my two desks.
One is an L-shaped white desk. It is where I create all my cards.
My other desk was created specifically for my sewing machine. 
My grandma gave me her old vanity drawers
(a gift from my grandpa)
I love this desk because it is sentimental as she loves to sew too!
If you would like to see more of my studio, 
you can check out a YouTube video on my blog!"


Here's what the rest of our designers have done to inspire you.....


Stephanie Kraft ~ HandKrafted by Stephanie


Senior Designer 
Sarah Anderson ~ The Art of Moodling
 

Ruby McGuire ~ Ruby 2 Shoes Design

 
Senior Designer
Mona Pendleton ~ Cupcake's Creations


Lisa Somerville ~ Splendiferous Creations


Suzanne Czosek ~ Suzz's Stamping Spot


The prize for this week is a Stamper's Surprise!

Please follow the rules carefully to enter.
Deadline for prizes is 11:59pm EST on Tuesday
The 'Cup of the Week' will be announced during the next challenge.
ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY! 
We want you to enjoy this challenge. 
Interpret the colors the way you see them. 
We do not use specific card stock color names or brands.
Break out of the box and have fun! 
The main requirement is:
PDCC COLORS BE THE 
FOCUS OF YOUR SUBMISSION
When using additional colors, please limit them to neutrals. 
You are welcome to combine challenges, 
but we do ask that:
 1. The PDCC name and/or photo is used
2. OUR colors are the focus of the card.
 
See complete rules on sidebar at right




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 #30:
(in alphabetical order)

 Deborah ~ Cards and Things
Diana ~ Diana Evans Illustration  
Joan ~ JJ Creations
Silke Ledlow ~ My Life

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! )



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


Elise wins the Designer Paper Grab Bag
compliments The Play Date Cafe.

and can proudly display the 'Play Date Cafe Winner' Badge.

Elise will also be eligible to be a
guest designer here in The Cafe.

Elise, please contact Julie Ranae at julieranae@hotmail.com
with your mailing address to receive your prize.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC30



 The design team here at The Play Date Cafe are
excited to see this challenge grow each week.
Many thanks go out to YOU for not only playing
with us each week, but for sharing The PDCC with
those you know who also love a good challenge!

We are wonderfully excited to share this week's
celebrity guest designer...
Maile Belles 


  It's our guess that Maile is no stranger to you.
She is currently on the design teams for
Embellish Magazine, Wplus9Design 
and Papertrey Ink.
She has been published in a variety of
paper crafting magazines including:
Paper Crafts, Cards and the
premier issue of Embellish, which is
owned by our recent guest,
Ashley Cannon Newell.
You don't have to wait for these publications to
hit newsstands, though.  You can see Maile's
creativity anytime on her blog


Senior Designer, Mona Pendleton is the
'chooser of this week's colors' for you!
Aren't they wonderfully 'spring-like'?!
Wait till you see what she did to help inspire you...


Yep...that's 'Mona-style'   : )


Your designer host for this week is our own
Here's how she approached this week's challenge:

"This challenge, I loved the colors as they were
soft, pastel and springy.  But when I went to
start working on my card, I was stumped!
I started with the idea of doing a baby card,
but as usual, I meandered away from that and
picked up my alcohol inks and a new stamp
and THAT'S the card I am sharing with you!


Here's what the rest of our designers have done to inspire you.....


Savannah O'Gwynn ~ Savannahland


Stephanie Kraft ~ HandKrafted by Stephanie


Ruby McGuire ~ Ruby 2 Shoes Design


Senior Designer 
Sarah Anderson ~ The Art of Moodling


Lisa Somerville ~ Splendiferous Creations



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
The 'Cup of the Week' will be announced during the next challenge.
ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY! 
We want you to enjoy this challenge. 
Interpret the colors the way you see them. 
We do not use specific card stock color names or brands.
Break out of the box and have fun! 
The main requirement is:
PDCC COLORS BE THE 
FOCUS OF YOUR SUBMISSION
When using additional colors, please limit them to neutrals. 
You are welcome to combine challenges, 
but we do ask that:
 1. The PDCC name and/or photo is used
2. OUR colors are the focus of the card.
 
See complete rules on sidebar at right



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 #29:
(in alphabetical order)

 Cathy ~ Papier Girl

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! )



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



Jaclyn wins the Designer Paper Grab Bag
compliments The Play Date Cafe.

and can proudly display the 'Play Date Cafe Winner' Badge.

Jaclyn will also be eligible to be a
guest designer here in The Cafe.

Jaclyn, please contact Julie Ranae at julieranae@hotmail.com
with your mailing address to receive your prize.




Wednesday, May 12, 2010

The Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC29



Are you ready for some COLOR??!!
Any idea what this is?

What an amazing color inspiration photo chosen by
Senior Designer, Sarah Anderson.
Sarah is our resident mixed-media designer and
as a team, we know exactly why this would be her
choice to share with you this week.
Here's what she had to say, short & sweet...

"When I saw this photograph of 'peeled paint', 
I just fell in love with it!"


Our design team went all out with these colors,
but before we share their creations with you,
let's meet this week's
celebrity guest designer.
We are super excited to have
 Heidi Van Laar
in The Cafe this week.


"Hello there, I'm Heidi, a stay-at-home
mom of 3 beautiful boys.  I'm married to an
amazing and super supportive man for 11+ years
and live in southern Washington.
I have always loved art and used to work as 
a graphic designer.  I started scrapbooking in
2002 after my oldest was born.
That morphed into card making and now it seems
I don't have time to scrapbook anymore!
Over the past year, I have been published in a variety
of Paper Crafts publications and have some work
coming out in future issues of CARDS.
I currently design for Caardvarks and GCD Studios.


Your designer host for this week is our own
Lisa Somerville.
Here's how she approached this week's challenge:

"When I saw this week's challenge, I wasn't sure
what I was going to create.  The color combination
surely was a challenge for me, as they aren't colors
I use together often.  Once I picked a technique
using the colors as a background, and found the
perfect image, the card came together rather quickly.
That's the great thing about challenges, they give you
that needed push to work outside of your comfort zone."


Here's what the rest of our designers have done to inspire you...


Suzanne Czosek ~ Suzz's Stamping Spot


Senior Designer
Mona Pendleton ~ Cupcake's Creations


Savannah O'Gwynn ~ Savannahland


 Stephanie Kraft ~ HandKrafted by Stephanie


Ruby McGuire ~ Ruby 2 Shoes Design


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
The 'Cup of the Week' will be announced during the next challenge.
ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY! 
We want you to enjoy this challenge. 

Interpret the colors the way you see them. 
We do not use specific card stock color names or brands.
Break out of the box and have fun! 

The main requirement is:
PDCC COLORS BE THE 
FOCUS OF YOUR SUBMISSION
When using additional colors, please limit them to neutrals. 
You are welcome to combine challenges, 
but we do ask that:
 1. The PDCC name and/or photo is used
2. OUR colors are the focus of the card.
 
See complete rules on sidebar at right





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

It's getting harder and harder for our team to
choose a limited number of players to recognize.
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 #28:
(in alphabetical order)

Jeri Jo ~ Aunt JJs
Michelle2 ~ Happy Stamper
Nancy K ~ Happy Heart Studio
Tenia Nelson ~ Jazzy Paper Designs

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! )

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



Cath ~ Inky Fingers

Cath wins the Designer Paper Grab Bag
compliments The Play Date Cafe.

and can proudly display the 'Play Date Cafe Winner' Badge.

Cath will also be eligible to be a
guest designer here in The Cafe.

Cath, please contact Julie Ranae at julieranae@hotmail.com
with your mailing address to receive your prize.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC28


The design team here at The Play Date Cafe are
excited to see this challenge grow each week.
Many thanks go out to YOU for not only playing
with us each week, but for sharing The PDCC with
those you know who also love a good challenge!

We are wonderfully excited to share this week's
celebrity guest designer...
Ashley Cannon Newell.


If you are an avid reader of blogs or paper crafting
magazines, then Ashley will certainly be a familiar
name to you.  As someone who has enjoyed the 
art of design her entire life, she began as a child
creating hair accessories and designing clothes, and in
high school, paper crafting started with a simple scrapbook.
Over time, Ashley rediscovered the craft 
and started blogging in 2008.  
Her favorite techniques include rubber stamping
and creating her own embellishments.  She really 
"likes the challenge and it saves a few dollars, too!"

She lives in Northern Virginia with her best friend
and love of her life, McArthur and their
Yorkshire Terrier, Ozzy.  They enjoy photography
and travel.  During the day, Ashley is a legal editor
and by night she paper crafts.
Ashley's work can be found in a variety of card-based
publications and most recently, she has started her own
challenge-based e-zine, Embellish Magazine, to inspire
others to create when there is no mojo.

Travel to A New Design at
http://ashleynewell.blogspot.com/



This week's color host is senior designer,

"I vividly  remember using crayons in grade school
to create this color combination and it has been
one of my favorites ever since.  I was really happy
to find these fabulous photos from Marthastewart.com
and knew that it was a 'color story' that I wanted
to share.  I hope you have fun with it!"


Here's what the rest of our designers have done to inspire you.....

Ruby McGuire ~ Ruby 2 Shoes Design


Lisa Somerville ~ Splendiferous Creations


Suzanne Czosek ~ Suzz's Stamping Spot
 

Senior Designer
Sarah Anderson ~ The Art of Moodling


Savannah O'Gwynn ~ Savannahland


 Stephanie Kraft ~ HandKrafted by Stephanie


Senior Designer
Mona Pendleton ~ Cupcake's Creations




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
The 'Cup of the Week' will be announced during the next challenge.
ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLAY! 
We want you to enjoy this challenge. 
Interpret the colors the way you see them. 
We do not use specific card stock color names or brands.
Break out of the box and have fun! 
The main requirement is:
PDCC COLORS BE THE 
FOCUS OF YOUR SUBMISSION
When using additional colors, please limit them to neutrals. 
You are welcome to combine challenges, 
but we do ask that:
 1. The PDCC name and/or photo is used
2. OUR colors are the focus of the card.
 
See complete rules on sidebar at right




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 #27:
(in alphabetical order)

Beverly G ~ Gott Heart Art
Kim C ~ Kraft-a-holic-Kim
Laurel S ~ Laurel's Place
Michele ~ Miche's Niche

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! )

  

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


 Lin ~ Sending Hugs

Lin wins the Designer Paper Grab Bag
compliments The Play Date Cafe.

and can proudly display the 'Play Date Cafe Winner' Badge.

Lin will also be eligible to be a
guest designer here in The Cafe.

Lin, please contact Julie Ranae at julieranae@hotmail.com
with your mailing address to receive your prize.