Coming Soon!!! Getting Creative with Ann challenge

Hello everyone!! Just like many of of my fellow stampers, I sometimes lose my mojo and need assistance getting creative. As I think about ways to re-energize my creative thoughts, I decided to throw my rubber stamp in the arena and offer up a weekly creative challenge. I know many stampers in blogland are offering the same type of challenges, but I want to offer this for my loyal visitors and friends in way for all of all to grow as stampers. Thus, the Getting Creative with Ann challenge has been born!!

What is this creative challenge you ask? Let me explain! My weekly creative challenge will embrace many types of challenges such as:

Sketch challenges - My own sketches, old SCS sketches or sketches from any of the popular crafting magazines, to name a few.

Color challenges - just like the color challenge on SCS, a grouping of colors will be provided for you to create with. You may see old color challenges from SCS or anywhere!

Technique challenges - here you will get to try out a variety of techniques such as; easy & familiar heat embossing, Cuttlebug Smoosh or something I come up with!!

Spotlighted Stamper challenge - we all know the "famous" stampers in our venue such as Beate, MaryJo Albright and Sharon Johnson just to name a few, but what about all the others out there who quietly stamp and share their work with world? This challenge will spotlight those "unknowns" and their creations. This could be a stamper with only an SCS gallery or a stamper who has a blog and an SCS gallery. I have a few ideas for a fun twist with this challenge!!

Minimum Materials - are materials at a minimum? Then this challenge is for you! Here materials you would be allowed to use on your creation would be kept to a minimum! Remember the early days of stamping, or if you're just getting started you don't own everything you would like to!!

Embellishment Encore - with this challenge the focus will be on the embellishments and finding avenues to showcase them on your creations. How many embellishments do you have sitting around, still in the package, you just aren't sure how to use??? I know have my fair share!!

Creative Idea - this challenge will motivate you to create based on a visual stimulus. Like a picture of a beach sunset, photo of nature scene or just looking around your home or out of your stamp room window.

So, my idea is to focus on a different challenge every week to help you, and me, grow in our stamping talents. On each challenge I will choose a random winner who will receive the creation I post as my sample, along with some simple stamping goodies. How's that sound??

Do a lot of these challenges sound familiar? They should, as many of them are featured on SCS and is where my idea came from. I have my own ideas to put a spin or a twist on each of these, but also going back into the early days of these challenges and focusing on them too. Credit will always be given where I found my ideas. SCS is a major influence on my stamping and what helped be to grow as a stamper.

I have a poll going on the right asking what day of the weekend, Saturday, Sunday or either day sounds good for you. I know a lot of the challenges already out there are during the week and I want to focus more on the weekend. Especially since I work during the week, as I know many of you do too.

So cast your vote and let me know what you think about new feature to begin!! I hope many of can join me in Getting Creative!!!

Happy Stamping everyone!!!

~~~Ann~~~