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