March 1st Challenge + Meet our Guest Designer **Iris Babao Uy**

Well hello everyone! How are you all going? I hope you all enjoyed the switch up with Get Creative last month as much as we did. Thank you all for embracing the concept and our new sister blog and I am so happy to see that many of you played along with both challenges. We are back to normal this month, and this is actually our 12th month that we are posting challenges and next month it will be our one year anniversary. Unfortunately this is the last month for some Design Team members who will end their term here at the end of this month, but we will talk about all that plus some new changes on April 1st!

For the time being a new month is upon us which brings a new challenge for the next 2 weeks. 

The current challenge is one that will push you out of your comfort zone because you have to scrap a layout or create a project about YOU. Many MANY people find this daunting...I can understand that. I personally do not have a problem scrapping my self as I want my children and those I leave behind one day to know the real Nadia. But I was SO SO SO surprised to learn that my Design Team really struggled with this. This saddened me...it saddened me as I see SO many wonderful qualities in all of them, yet it astounds me how hard us women are on our selves. We truly are. I think one thing we are ALL good at for certain, is just being WOMEN in this day and age!! 

SO I am particularly keen to see you all find something that you are good at, as little or as big as that might be and be confident enough to share it with us here. I cannot wait to see your entries!! Come on ladies..its time we believed in our selves and put our selves first just this one time..!

March 1st Challenge

Journalling Criteria/Theme:

All About Me!

The focus of your journalling and the theme of your layout has to be based on YOU and something/s that you are really good at. Don't be shy! We are all good at something as small or as big as it might be.

Ideas for journalling: being a good mum, cooking, talking, understanding people, organising, cleaning, gardening, studying, computers, fashion, exercising, scrapbooking, good at my job, maths, languages, writing , drawing, painting, photography, running, craft, sewing. Maybe you can talk about an aspect of your personality..your sensitivity, your 6th sense, your patience, your strength or bravery, your ability to stay positive. 

Remember that you are allowed to also create a card or altered project based on this sketch and theme and instead of the journalling criteria you need to use a quote.

You MUST combine our journalling criteria with this sketch..

Guest Designers

It gives me GREAT pleasure to have this super talented lady give us inspiration on our blog this month. Please help me to welcome the amazingly talented..

Iris Babao Uy (The Philippines) 

I am a scrapper from The Philippines, a wife and a mother to two sweet girls Nicole and Cheska. I rarely plan my pages – I let a photo or a patterned paper inspire me and I take it from there. I love the shabby chic and romantic style but I also enjoy working with bold patterns and striking colors. I’m an ink and paint type of person. I just have to get it a little messy to consider my page done. If I don’t have ink and paint on hand, then I just tear little bits of elements and stick it randomly for the sheer fun of itJ

I am fortunate to be designing for Webster’s Pages, Basic Grey, and Hambly Screen Prints. I was also named as one of the first two Prima Masters. I am also currently a designer Aussie Scrapsource and Dusty Attic and an endorsed teacher for WOW embossing powders. My work can be seen craft books as well as craft magazines such as Creating Keepsakes and the like.

I teach classes in Asia and soon in Europe. I may be reached through iris_sparkup@yahoo.com.

My blog address: My White Space

And here is Iris'take on our current challenge.

We also welcome the winner of the last challenge, who is one of Australia's nicest and most talented scrappers...

Cathy Cafun (Australia) 

Hi, my name is Cathy Cafun. I live in Brisbane, Australia with my DH of 26 years and 2 teenage children. I found my passion for scrapping 7 years ago when I was introduced to this addictive craft by a friend, and have been hooked ever since.

I’m not really sure what my style is, but I do love mixing and layering patterned papers together and playing with different mediums. Having a son and a daughter means I enjoy creating very feminine pages and also love the grungy distressed style. I find browsing blogs, online galleries & mags a great source of inspiration and really enjoy challenge sites as they are a fantastic way of getting you out of your comfort zone. There are so many amazingly talented artists on these sites and I love looking at all their gorgeous creations and finding new and inspiring ideas to get the juices flowing.

Thanks so much to all the girls at Once Upon a Sketch for the wonderful opportunity to guest design this month.

And here is Cathy's layout based on our sketch and journalling criteria.

Incredible work ladies. Thank you so much for your wonderful input!

Design Team

(please visit their blogs for close ups and to leave them some LOVE!) 

Lene Neby (Norway)

Pamela Young (USA)

Jeni O'Connor (Australia/Canada)

Patti Hamil (USA)

** Imaginarium Designs chipboard "mother" title and butterflies

Irini Liolia (Greece)

** Imaginarium Designs  chipboard butterfly

Natalie May (Australia)

**Imaginarium Designs Chipboard flourish**

Page inspired by Melinda Spinks

Mahlin Wiggur (Sweden)

** Imaginarium Designs  chipboard frames

Vicky varvadouka (Greece)

Sandi Taloumis (USA)

**Imaginarium Designs chipboard butterfly (lower right)

Nadia Cannizzo (Australia) 

**Imaginarium Designs chipboard embellishment 1 frame, butterfly, word LOVE and window with lattice 

Sponsors

"Berry71bleu is an Etsy shop owned by Marivic Clifton. We specialize in custom and premade embellished hang tags, scrapbook pages, and altered gift ideas with a vintage flair. Each handmade item is unique and embellished with vintage or modern replica findings that goes perfectly with what we sell. We also accept custom orders. Pls visit our etsy shop,http://www.etsy.com/shop/berry71bleu/ or email berry71bleu@gmail.com for more information. Check out our blog, http://berry71bleu.blogspot.com/ for inspiration from our Design Team".

*****

Feature Art is an art paper designing company located in South Australia.

CREATING THE UNIQUE DESIGN is our company mission. We offer unique patterned paper that help to develop the versatile craft projects for the craft industry. All our paper product is designed and printed in Australia. We will continue to provide our customers with excellent products and best service always.

Website: http://www.featureart.net.au/store/index.php

Prizes

How would you like to be our Guest Designer for April? This is the challenge where you have the chance to win a spot on our design team for the whole upcoming month simply by winning this challenge. As well as being our Guest Designer, as chosen by our Design team, you will also receive this GORGEOUS kit from Berry71Bleu 's etsy shop....

Papers from GCD (sweet surrender collection), Journal, Lace trims, Fab Scraps metal embellishments, vial of silver glitter, set of clear stamps from 7 gypsies, Tag from Berry71bleu, paper flowers, prima flowers, Rhinestone vintage-style pendants,sequined picks, butterfly, adhesive faux pearl, glittered skeleton key ornament

Lastly we LOVE to encourage EVERYONE here at Once Upon A..Sketch to play along with us NO MATTER your skill level or scrapbooking style. SO we have 2 prizes us for grabs for 2 RANDOMLY chosen people.

Firstly, another prize from our ongoing sponsor Berry71Bleu. One randomly chosen entry will receive this GORGEOUS handmade tag from Berry71Bleu. Here is an example of the kind of tag you could receive..

Our second prize for one RANDOMLY chosen person will be 2 paper collections from FeatureArt...

Good luck everyone!!

Things to consider when playing along...

**This is an international blog, so anyone can enter

**You are free to combine Once Upon A..Sketch challenges with other challenges. We don't mind at all!!!

**You are allowed to create a card, layout or off-the-page item based on the provided sketch and additional journalling criteria. If you are creating a card or altered item you only need to include a quote.

**You are also allowed to flip or rotate the sketch or alter it to suit your needs, but please make sure its still recognisable.

**Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery and link it on the right hand side of this blog using the Link tool. Please provide a direct link to your post, not your entire blog.If the link tool is down, please leave a comment on the comments section and link your layout there.

** The deadline for this challenge is midnight March 14th, Australian Eastern Standard Time . The Design Team will vote and the winners and the Top 5 project will be announced soon after the challenge has finished.

**You may enter as many times as you like

**Also, please consider turning off word verification for comments on your blog.

For a complete list of the rules please see the top of this page.