Our dare for this week is courtesy of Wanda, and it definitely is a sweet one!!!

Here’s my dare to you. Make a project that is sweet as sugar and cute as candy. I bought this candy simply because the colors are awesome. I don’t even eat it. And check out how Kim’s ribbons match my candy! Make a project using this picture as your inspiration:

Make sure you upload your layout to the ASF gallery and then link back to the forum here.   A winner will be selected to win a small prize to be added to their next order from ASF!  Can’t wait to see those sweet and yummy creations!

I was going through our gallery today and this layout HIT me…

The simplicity of it speaks volumes…and with the 4th of July approaching I’m reminded of the fact that we are about to celebrate the ‘birthday’ of our country. The country where we CAN buy a house…and that alone is no small feat….because we live in a country where we are FREE….we have FREEDOM’s to choose, freedoms to work where we want, what field we choose.

This layout reminded me that we are blessed!

Here’s this week challenge and it is from Amy!  Do you dare to take her challenge???

Here’s my challenge: Dump out your purse and explain its contents…but don’t simply ‘make a list’ because we’ve done lists before. This time make a list with descriptions……why it’s there, what it’s used for, etc. Take pictures of your pile of STUFF after you’ve dumped it out and even take a picture of your purse. Maybe tell us where your purse came from and why you love it…..or what you DON’T like about it and why you NEED a new one. Be creative & have fun!!

Okay, now, make that layout!  Don’t forget to upload in the ASF gallery and then link your layout back to the thread in the Forums — check HERE

This dare comes from Penny: She dares you to use these lyrics to inspire a layout:
Post your projects in the gallery and link them to this thread. We’ll draw for a winner Sunday or Monday and you’ll get a little happy with your next ASF purchase!

“So Small”

Yeah, Yeah

What you got if you ain’t got love
the kind that you just want to give away
It’s okay to open up
go ahead and let the light shine through
I know it’s hard on a rainy day
you want to shut the world out and just be left alone
But don’t run out on your faith

‘Cause sometimes that mountain you’ve been climbing is just a grain of sand
What you’ve been up there searching for
forever is in your hands
When you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
seem so small

It’s so easy to get lost inside
a problem that seems so big at the time
it’s like a river thats so wide
it swallows you whole
While you sit around thinking about what you can’t change
and worrying about all the wrong things
time’s flying by
moving so fast
you better make it count ’cause you can’t get it back

Sometimes that mountain you’ve been climbing is just a grain of sand
What you’ve been up there searching for
forever is in your hands
When you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Seem so small

Sometimes that mountain you’ve been climbing is just a grain of sand
What you’ve been up there searching for
forever is in your hands
When you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Oh it sure makes everything else
Seem so small

If you’d like to hear the song, sung by Carrie Underwood, go to her official site,
www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com
and click on the orange “Listen” button on the right.

We have been doing a little challenge on the boards for gallery uploads!

What I’m going to do is try to see where we are at every Thursday night….how many projects have been uploaded to the gallery…..And then…..after about 4 weeks I’m going to ‘pick a week’…..and I’ll put everyone’s name in the hat that uploaded NEW projects to the gallery that week in a hat and draw 3 names out! They will each get a goodie from me! THEN if you uploaded OLD layouts that week I’ll put those names in another hat and draw ONE winner from that one for a goodie from me!

BUT HERE IS the CLINCHER…..THERE MUST BE MORE THAN 69 PROJECTS in that week for me to count it!!!! AND OVER 1/2 of them HAVE to be NEW items!!!! IF a week goes and there are not, then I won’t count that week! So…..GET TO SCRAPPING, CARD MAKING AND ALTERING LADIES!!!!

We do have an upload limit of 5 per person for every 24 hour period…that way, not ONE person can just upload…EVERYONE has to participate!!! We NEED your help! So what do you have to loose??? Come help us meet our goals!

Here is a little eye candy from the uploads from this week!

I PROMISE you will like my happies!!!!!!

And this dare comes courtesy of Jules, who is stepping in for Julie, who has had a family crisis. Julie, we’re thinking of you!

“Okay….every once in a while they will let us ‘old folks’ come back! Of course….I think instantly ‘old school’….and in my warped way of thinking (don’t ask, remember I said it was warped) that makes me think of Dads….and EVERYTHING I hear right now on the radio and tv is it is “Dad’s and Grads” week….
SOOOO….that FINALLY brings me to my challenge! (told you I was weird…..)

So…for your DARE this week I DARE you to do a PROJECT (layout, card, altered item…etc) with a DAD or a GRAD in mind! The possibilities are ENDLESS….You can do a layout about your dad, about your hubby…even if he ISN’T a dad yet….you could think he is a dad in training….or even a man that was a dad to you sometime in your life….OR….maybe you have a grad in your life right now, one coming up, some old graduation pictures hiding somewhere that you NEED to scrap!!

WHAT EVER JUST DO IT!

Now…do you REALLY think I would make it just that easy???? I gotta throw a LITTLE something in there….so….here it is…

YOU MUST USE 3 of the following items on your page….you can pick any 3…but they MUST be visible….
Something CLEAR (transparency), paint, polka dots (pp or ribbon or even make your own), a MINIMUM of 3 brads, felt, handwritten journaling…..

Okay….told ya….I DARE YA!”

Ready for this week’s challenge? Well, here it goes.

1. pick a line, any line of four. It can be down or across (but it cannot be diagonally.)
2. scrap a layout using the elements/techniques/colors in your line. You can add extra embellishments, colors, techniques, but not extra patterned papers. You can add cardstock as well. Colors listed need to be clearly visible.
3. Post your layout in the gallery and link back to this thread to have a chance to win a prize from ASF with your next purchase. In your post, signify the four items that you selected.

You may repeat this challenge for another chance to enter, but you have to select a different line for your next layout.

Have fun!

The weekly challenges are back! The blog is up and running again! The site has been back, but not the blog, until just this week.

There are certain kinds of pages and pictures I am just drawn to, ya know? I love pictures of people sleeping, pictures of nature and architecture, pictures of school buses, and people in urban grungy settings. I love pages with lots of journaling (hey, I don’t MAKE them, but I’m drawn to them) and pages with pictures from different time periods.

So, I challenge you to make a page using pictures that were taken several years apart. That’s it. Pretty simple. And I can’t wait to see what you do!

To make a long story short….our server migrated our site to a new platform. In the process they have not been able to move over our databases and get our site back up and running. We are having a terrible communication problem.

As of right now we are over at Sketch Warehouse using their forums to keep in touch with everyone. You can find us here. Sketch Warehouse Please register and join back in the conversation and we hope to get ASF back up and running just as soon as possible.