The Challenge

I have been wanting to post this for a while but due to challenge rules I was not allowed to post this layout publicly until voting had closed, which actually happened last night.

The challenge was set up like this. Anyone who wanted to participate was to send the hostess $1 and in return we each got a pile of supplies that we had to use on our layout. Everyone was sent the same amount of paper and the same embellishments (besides the fact that they varied in size, color, pattern etc) I do believe there were 2 pattern papers, 1 'ugly' paper, and 9 embellishments (and we had to use 8 of the 9 embellishments), and and we had to include chipboard and the word 'love' somewhere on our page also. We were allowed to make any sized page we wanted to, and use as much or as little of each of the papers also. We were also allowed to add whatever else to the page we had as long as we did use the materials we were given according to the rules. Then everyone e-mailed a photo of their page off to the hostess, and a poll was set up for voting.

This had to be one of the most challenging challenges I've ever done... I was being 'forced' (willingly...lol) to use things I wouldn't normally use and I had certain criteria to follow, and I couldn't talk about or show anyone what I was doing (that was the hardest part!) AND I chose a really hard photo for me to face and scrap.

So I got the package in the mail, opened it up right away and my first thought was what the heck am I going to do with this? After 20 minutes of looking it over thinking I'll never pull it off, a photo came to mind, and the rest was a piece of cake! I decided to do 8x8... then I started looking trough a ton of pagemaps but nothing was saying "this is the one" so I winged it without ANY pre planning, I just started cutting and sticking not knowing what the next move or placement was going to be.

and now that I've talked your ear off, here is the layout I created:
(click on it to see a larger image)



This is a photo of my Dad and my Grammy. Grammy is still here, but my Dad past away 4 years ago on the 18th of February of Cancer. I was given his photos to make a scrapbook almost right away, and I just haven't been able to bring myself to pull them out an really work with them. I have taken them out and scanned them to keep originals but even that took me years.

This challenge was so amazing in that it gave me inspiration and I will even go as far as to say it gave me the strength to pull out this photo and scrap it to the best of my ability.... and trust me folks, I had no idea I had it in me to create a page like this....normally I will pick apart any creation I make pointing out it's flaws and what I could have done to make it better, but not this one.... I can't find one single thing wrong with it.... it's Perfect.

With all that said I DID win the challenge (yay me)... but honestly I had more fun completing the challenge and seeing what everyone else came up with for their layouts than the actual winning part... that was just the cherry on the top ;)

~Jenn