It's So Challenging
Written by Debbi Tehrani
News - Special Features/Collection of the Week
Scrap Mojo -- It's So Challenging
Scrap-mojo, that exciting creative spark that kindles an urge to flee to our scrap spaces and create something wonderful. It motivates and inspires us and makes us happy to be scrapbookers. But sometimes, scrap-mojo disappears and no matter how hard we look for it, we're left unsparked. It can be frustrating when we have a whole Saturday to scrap and we sit there in our scrap room paralyzed and staring at our desk and wondering where that elusive scrap-mojo went.
This month, I'd like to share a tip that helps me most when my mojo is flagging: join a challenge. There are hundreds of scrapbooking challenges on the internet. You can find them on scrapbooking forums, kit clubs, manufacturer blogs, and challenge blogs, to name a few. Many challenges have a design team that provides layouts inspired by the challenge and most challenges have a means for you to share your creations, either by posting links through blog replies or in galleries on their site. This gives you the opportunity to get praise on your layout and, if you like, to develop a camaraderie with other players.
With so many challenges out there, it can be difficult to decide where to begin. Scrapbooking challenges fall into several categories, and thinking about these classifications can be a great starting point.
Product-Based Challenges
If you find yourself staring at your enormous stash of scrapbook supplies and wondering where to start, then product-based challenges are a good place to begin. With these challenges, the hosts suggest a product or a list of products to use on your layout. These are fun challenges that get you digging into your stash and using things you may not have thought of using.
How Much Is Too Much? is a challenge blog where the hosts pose eclectic challenges surrounding a clever theme and usually ask the players to use a certain numbers of things. For example, a March 1st challenge played off the letters in the name of the month, and the challenge was to use M for metal, A for arrow, R for red, C for chipboard and H for happy (scrap about something that makes you happy). My layout, 52 Teas, was a result of this challenge.
52 Teas by Debbi Tehrani Supplies Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket; Chipboard Letters: Cosmo Cricket; Word Sticker: Cosmo Cricket; Chipboard Accent: Cosmo Cricket; Butterfly Accent: Jenni Bowlin; Photo Turn: 7 Gypsies; Brad: 7 Gypsies; Crepe Paper Ribbon: Jenni Bowlin; Rhinestone: K & Co; Border Punches: Martha Stewart, Fiskars; Ink: Clearsnap; Other: Doily, Ribbon
There are numerous supply-related challenges, and I've listed a few below. To find them, just do a search using the name of the challenge.
Scrap Your Crap - This challenge encourages players to use their really old stuff in creative ways.
Paper Secrets - This site has a variety of challenges posted each month, one of which focuses on a supply
Topic and Journaling-Related Challenges
Maybe you don't know what to scrap about or you have a set of pictures to draw from but don't know where to start. Topic or journaling-related challenges are great mojo-sparkers. Challenges in this category prompt you to scrap about a topic or to journal in a certain way. My favorite is Journaler's Junction, which is taking a sabbatical, but the blog is still up where you can see all the previous challenges. The hosts offer a prompt that may be conceptual, topical, or technique-oriented. For example, my layout Expertise was a result of a challenge that asked players to begin their journaling with "Once upon a time."
Expertise by Debbi Tehrani Supplies Patterned Paper: Rusty Pickle; Note Paper: Knock Knock; Letter Stickers: American Crafts; Word Stickers: Making Memories; Brads: Bo Bunny; Digital Journaling Spot: Jen Wilson; Ink: Clearsnap
Wordplay is another favorite journaling-related challenge. The author of this challenge presents intriguing prompts to get you digging deep into your thoughts. My layout You Can Do It came from a prompt that asked players to give yourself a pep talk.
You Can Do It by Debbi Tehrani Supplies Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Basic Grey; Chipboard Letters; Basic Grey; Chipboard Accent: Basic Grey; Rub-on: Maya Road
Here are a few more topic or journaling-related challenges to get you started:
A True Friend - The challenges on this blog are related to documenting memories about your pet. For example, prompts are given to scrap about how your pet got its name.
ScrapMojo - This blog challenges players with an eclectic variety of prompts, like use your favorite Wizard of Oz quote on a layout or scrap about your name.
One Little Word - This challenge is no longer running, but the site is still up and very inspiring. The challengers gave the players a word to spark ideas for scrapping.
Journal Challenges - Open-ended journaling-related challenges are posed each fortnight.
Color-Based Challenges
If you know what you want to scrap, but your mojo's on vacation because you're stuck in a rut, you may want to choose a color-based challenge. With these challenges, the host provides a color palette to work from. This is a wonderful opportunity to step out of your box and try new color schemes and it's interesting to see how different scrappers use the same color scheme. My favorite color-based challenge site is Color Combos Galore. The founder of this challenge creates the most interesting color schemes. Many times when I get the color palette, I think I don't like the colors, but once I start creating with them, I end up loving them. Some of my favorite layouts were created from this challenge.
My layout Street Eats was born from this color combo:
Street Eats by Debbi Tehrani Supplies Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Crate Paper; Chipboard Letters: Heidi Swapp; Letter Stickers: American Crafts; Die Cuts: Crate Paper; Phrase Sticker: 7 Gypsies; Buttons: Foofala; Punch: Martha Stewart; Ink: Clearsnap
Color Story- Although this challenge is no longer running, the site is still up and provides a color palette and sketch. This is a very inspiring site that just might get your mojo going.
Paper Secrets - Among the many challenges this site issues, one is based on a color palette.
White With 1 - An interesting twist on the color scheme, the founder of this blog asks players to create layouts that contain the basic color scheme of white with one other color, along with another requirement, which could be a technique or a product.
Technique-Based Challenges
If you're stuck in that "same-old, same-old" rut, another fun challenge to explore is a technique-based challenge. In them, the host presents a technique for you to try. These challenges are a good way to give you a little push to try some of the cool techniques you've been wanting to. Many of the technique-based challenge blogs will show you steps for using the techniques.
A while back, I participated in a challenge at Method Playground. I had never thought to stamp on raw chipboard before and I was really happy with the result. I used a polka dot stamp on raw chipboard letters to make my layout Crab Smasher.
Crab Smasher by Debbi Tehrani Supplies Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Scenic Route; Chipboard Letters: Heidi Swapp; Word Sticker: 7 Gypsies; Rub-on Journaling Spot: Hambly; Stamps: Label Tulip; Junkitz; Ink: Clearsnap; Other; Buttons
A few more technique-based challenges you might want to explore are:
The Next Step - This challenge is no longer running, but the blog remains and has lots of wonderful tutorials and ideas that might spark your mojo.
Cuttlebug Challenge - This blog presents challenges for scrappers who own a Cuttlebug. Lots of tutorials can be found on this blog.
Design-Based Challenges
Maybe you know what you want to scrap about, the products you want to use, and the story you want to tell, but you're still stuck. A design-based challenge is the perfect answer to get your mojo flowing. There are many sketch challenges available to give you a starting point for your layouts. I like the sketches on Sketch This, which are very simple, versatile, and open-ended in a way that will meet any scrapper's style.
My layout "We Got the Memo" was inspired by this sketch. (It was also inspired by a color palette from Color Combos Galore.)
We Got the Memo by Debbi Tehrani Supplies Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Scenic Route; Chipboard Letters: American Crafts; Labels: October Afternoon; Word Sticker: Making Memories; Buttons: SEI, Hot Off the Press; Stamps: Studio Calico; Date Stamp: Making Memories; Ink: Clearsnap; Other: Textured Paper
Scrapjacked - The "jack-ers" of this challenge blog find a scrapper and scraplift them and invite players to do the same.
Pencil Lines - This challenge site brings players from all around the globe together to interpret sketches shared by guest their guest designers.
Stuck?! Sketches - This site presents sketches along with the design team's interpretations.
The Creative Type - This blog presents typography based challenges to spark your creativity.
Creative Scrappers - This is another great sketch site that has wonderful sketches along with the design teams' interpretations.
Mixed-Up Challenges
Some challenge sites offer a variety of challenges, which combine elements from all of the categories above. Here are a few challenges that do this:
The Dares - The challenges on this site range from technique to idea to inspiration pieces, like ads and more. The style of the design team is interesting and edgy.
How Dare You (Aussie Dares) - An Australian-based challenge blog where the challenges are based on a word or a technique.
Out of the Hat - This challenge blog has an interesting concept: Players submit ideas, like colors to use, techniques, number of photos, or any other idea you can come up with, and the challenge hosts pull three ideas out of a hat to pose a challenge.
I've only scratched the surface of the challenge world. Doing an internet search using the keywords "scrapbook challenge" will result in hundreds, if not thousands, of interesting challenges that will surely spark your mojo.
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