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Several weeks back, several of the CatScrap designers & I participated in an art journal challenge and offered up some gorgeous freebies to help infuse some interest in this quickly spreading digital art form. It was a lot of fun to see all the different ways everyone incorporated the elements and interpreted each prompt. You can read more about it in this post. 

If you missed out on the challenge, never fear, for the lovely and uber-talented Fiddlette has packaged up all of our offerings and made the whole shebang available for sale at CatScrap for a super-low price. Don't miss out on this unique collection of digital altered art!

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I decided to alter the guidelines for the [MakeItMeaningful] Challenges, so that it's not required to use the kits or products from the actual series. I want everyone to be able to participate and play along with us, and not be limited by what's in your stash! So, feel free to use whatever products you'd like (although be mindful of the CatScrap/MScraps gallery guidelines that require at least 50% of product from their respective shops.) Other than that, I hope this will open up the challenges to more people and allow us to all be inspired by each other!  

Being summer, I know a lot of people are on vacations and busy enjoying the warm weather, so it's difficult to get participation going right now. So, for those who might stumble across these challenges a little late (after the individual challenges have closed) remember, you can still submit a LO for any challenge (and even post to FB) to increase your chances for winning the FINAL drawing, when I tally ALL entries across the [MiM] galleries. :D

Thanks for having patience with me. I'm new to hosting challenges, so it's a learning process for me. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let me know! I'd love to hear from you! ;)

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Hope everyone is having a fantastic summer! I know it can get super-busy this time of year, but it's nice to find a few minutes to beat the heat and curl up in front of the 'puter to get some scrapping time in. We've only got another week left for the Embrace [MiM] Challenge, so I'm hoping we can get some more people to play along.

If you're just hearing about this now, you can find more info about the [MakeItMeaningful] challenges here. Just jump in where you're at, and have fun with it!

I thought I'd share with you my LO for the Embrace Challenge, about embracing my dream of becoming a writer...

"It was an unexpected and amazing thing when I discovered my true passion for writing stories. But with so much self-doubt and insecurity, I never allowed myself to believe I could ever be published or even have the guts to try. But I realized that it's better to try and fail, than to never try at all. I won't let my fears hold me back from embracing my dream of becoming a published writer one day."

Check back next week for the next [MiM] Challenge, using my True Strength Kit...Thanks for stopping by! ;)

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With summer in full swing, and lots of celebrations going on, I wanted to do a fun, bright kit, and lucky for me, the CatScrap Summer Catwalk colors fit perfectly with my concept, so, here is my Light Up The Sky MEGA Kit Collection!

An explosion of colors, stars and sparkly elements, this kit is chock full of awe-inspiring fireworks graphics, perfect for capturing any celebration's greatest moments...from 4th of July to birthdays, and everything in between, this kit will make all your most vivid memories POP!


I didn't want to limit this kit to 4th of July, since not everyone celebrates it, so I aimed for highlighting ANY celebration with fireworks-- birthdays, New Years, Disney trips, city festivals, etc. You can also incorporate the theme into layouts about your sweetie, or self- empowerment (Katy Perry's song, Firework, was hummed a few times while making this kit! )

The Solids and Fine Print paper packs, and Alphabet are very versatile and coordinate with the Catwalk colors, so I've offered those separately, if you wanna keep it simple. But the MEGA collection, which includes the Fine Prints, Solids and Alphabet, PLUS the kit-exclusive patterned papers and elements (there are a TON!), can save you a bunch if you're the 'gotta-have-it-all' type!

And it's ALL on sale 20% off through the weekend, so don't miss out! You can find all of the Light Up The Sky products HERE.
In the MEGA Collection, there are over 75 papers, 110 elements (from glittery fireworks graphics to unique star and fireworks buttons, epoxy wordart and custom-made firecracker graphics), so you'll have PLENTY of pretty sparkly things to play with!

The Fine Prints are a collection of 38 versatile subtly patterned papers (in 4 different patterns and an assortment of 13 colors), perfect for backgrounds and layering,and to help balance out the bright patterned papers and elements in the Light Up the Sky Kit. Plus, they also coordinate with any of the CatScrap Summer Catwalk 2011 products! ;)

And don't forget the Solids, 24 nicely textured and subtly shaded cardstock papers for a simple background....in the Summer Catwalk colors, as well!


And last, but not least, is the charming & versatile black epoxy alphabet, which turned out SO cute.....And the best part is, it's perfect for any layout or project! :) Includes upper & lowercase letters, numbers and some punctuation. [*word tiles in preview not included - for preview purposes only]


Here's a layout I created about my daughter and my niece at the Miley Cyrus concert....this kit was perfect for it!

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The challenge for my Embrace kit is to create a layout showing how you've embraced something you've struggled with...whether it's letting go of something weighing you down, overcoming something you're afraid of, or trying something you've never done before. It can be as simple as making your peace with your kids messy rooms, as challenging as facing your fear of heights, or as profound as finding your faith again. I know this topic can get very personal, but that is the essence of the [MakeItMeaningful] series...to get you to dig down deep and record the parts of your life story that know one else can tell. 

This topic is a little tough, so I'll keep it to a simple journal prompt for the Embrace challenge. Remember, you don't have to use the kit to participate! You can create your layout however you wish, but keep it within the challenge guidelines. When you've created your page, post it to the CatScrap gallery here. If you'd like to be entered twice for the drawing, share your layout on Facebook, along with a link to my Embrace Kit, and add 'Posted to FB by [your Facebook name] in the comments section of your gallery upload. Be sure to stop by the [MiM] forum for inspiration and encouragement as you work on your submission, and to discuss the current challenge with other participants!

I'm looking forward to seeing all of your lovely layouts and all the different ways you've embraced life. Remember to enjoy the process of recording your experiences...because you never know when your words will be the catalyst of change in someone else's life, simply through sharing your story. And that, in itself, is pretty meaningful. ;)

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The [MakeItMeaningful] blog challenge is all about inspiring you to scrap about the things that matter most to you. And while everything we scrap about is essentially something important to us, I want to challenge you to document the parts of your life story that aren't always at the forefront of our minds when we scrap. Those little bits of experience we gain from the less-than-perfect parts of life, or a smidgen of hard-earned wisdom that we otherwise might forget, unless we get it down on paper, so to speak.

Each month I'll release a kit in the [MiM] series, along with a coordinating freebie only available here on my blog. The following week after the kit's release, I will post a challenge, whether it be a journal prompt or layout assignment. Create a layout around the challenge or journaling criteria and then post your layout to the specified gallery/forum in the challenge post. You DON'T have to use products from the kit highlighted (although it's very appreciated!), but do respect the CatScrap/MScraps gallery guidelines by using at least 50% of products on your LOs from their respective shops. The challenge will run for three weeks from the challenge post date, and then I will tally up all the layouts in the order posted, and select TWO winners using a number generated from random.org. Winners will receive the NEXT [MiM] kit to be released for FREE!

Plus, you can be entered into the drawing TWICE by sharing your layout, & a link to my kit, on Facebook. (To qualify for a second entry, send me a friend request if you don't already follow me on FB, so I can validate your post! ;) )

At the end of the [MiM] series, I will place each entry from all challenges into a final drawing to receive a $20 gift card to my shop! (And each FB post will give you an additional entry, as well!) So, if you participate in all six challenges, and post to FB each time, you'll be entered to win twelve times! ;)

If you have any questions about the challenge contest, please feel free to contact me at lisasisnerosdesigns@q.com.