The Little Brown Dress

Ready for another Christmas challenge? Thanks to all of you who played along last week and came back for more!

For those of you who may be new to CSAYL, we post a new challenge every Friday. Some weeks we'll have a sponsor company with prizes and other weeks we'll just play for fun. Our challenges will run every Friday until November 18th, and if you play along with us each week, you'll have all of your Christmas cards DONE before Thanksgiving!

Let's get started, shall we?
Our sponsor this week is....

Deedee has generously donated a $10 credit to her online store to one lucky winner!

And now on to the challenge....
Inspiration can come from anywhere.
Even a little brown dress. (photo courtesy of "Cat on a Limb")

I found this adorable handmade dress while perusing blog-land one evening. You can check out how one talented Mommy made it right here.

Check out how the design team was inspired by this cute toddler dress... Lovin from My Oven by MacKenzie.
Warm Wishes by Patricia.

A light into the World by Lisa.

Just Chillin' by Judy.

Deer Friend by Joan.

Let it Snow by Kerry.

Beary Merry Christmas by Alyssa.

Merry & Bright by Becky.

Merry & Bright by Jodi.

Gingerbread Holidays by Louise.

Okay kids, now it's your turn.
How does the little brown dress inspire you?

How much Bling can YOU Bring? - Top 10 and a winner!

Thanks to all of you who participated in our first challenge of the year! I had so much fun hopping over to all of your blogs and seeing your beautiful projects!

Here are 10 of my favorite projects this week!
(just click on the pic to go to each blog if you like)

And now for our winner of the Bling challenge!
Congratulations to........
CORRY SMYRSKI!!
you've won FIVE FREE DIGIS FROM PINK CAT STUDIO!
(I'll be e-mailing you soon Corry)

Thanks again to all who participated!
Check back shortly for a sneak peek at our next challenge!

How Much Bling Can You Bring?

For those of you who know me, you know how much I love my bling! To start the new year of challenges off right, I want to know......HOW MUCH BLING CAN YOU BRING? Gems, glitter, Stickles, whatever tickles your fancy! Bling it up, make it sparkle and leave us a link!

And speaking of starting off the new year right...
Our fabulous sponsor this week is
PINK CAT STUDIO!

One winner will be chosen this week to receive FIVE FREE DIGIS of their choice!

You have until 12:00AM (P.S.T) on Thursday to upload your "blingy" creation and the winner will be announced on Thursday afternoon. I'll also be sharing links and photos of my favorite 10 entries!

Now, how about a little inspiration from our new design team?

Lily Baked Cookies by Jodi.

Lily Elf Carrying Tree by Joan.

Lily Elf Carrying Tree by Kerry.

Betty & Snowman Decorate Tree by Alyssa.

Polar Bear Present by Louise.

Kissing Penguins by Judy.

Betty Candy Cane Fairy by Patty.

Kissing Penguins by Lisa.

Birds Make a Christmas Cupcake by Becky.

and last but not least....Lily Candy Elf by MacKenzie.

Now let's see how much bling you can bring!

Leave a link to your sparkly Christmas project for a chance to win 5 digis from Pink Cat Studio and a spot in our Top 10!

Here's how it will work...

Our first challenge of 2011 will be posted right here on Friday, March 4th at the stroke of midnight! After that, a new challenge will be posted EVERY Friday through November 18.

Here's how things will work this year:

• Create a NEW project according to our challenge, post on your blog and link back to the challenge post at CSAYL.
• Add your entry to the CSAYL challenge post with a direct link to your project post.
• Stop by at least 2 other challenge entries and leave them some love.

The challenges will close on Thursdays at midnight (PST).

On Thursday afternoon, I will post my TOP TEN favorite entries and announce the winner! (on some weeks, we will have more than one winner!)

And then on Friday, we'll start it all over again!

I'm really excited about this year and can't wait to see what you all do. See you back here in 4 days!

Our Fabulous Sponsors for 2011!

Hi there stampers!
Thanks for checking in today!

A good challenge is always fun, but sponsors make it even more fun, right? I love using images from my favorite companies and being introduced to new ones! So without further adieu, here are some of the generous sponsors that I've lined up for 2011!!

{Just click on the pictures to check out their shops}

A big thank you to the companies that we'll be working with this year! Thanks so much for sponsoring our challenges and spoiling our winners! I've got a few more sponsorships in the works, so I'll be sure to keep all of you updated.

Our challenges start up in just three short weeks!
I've got lots of fun ideas jotted down, but I'd also like to know what your thoughts are. What kind of challenges would you like to see? Got any fun ideas? Leave a comment on this post and if we use your idea, you can be a guest designer!

Introducing the 2011 Design Team!

Thanks again to all of the fabulous ladies who applied!
Today I'd like to introduce you to the 2011 Christmas Divas!

Drum roll please.......

Alyssa Scritchfield joins us from Colorado, USA.
Her blog is: acs paper creations

Becky Givans joins us from Texas, USA.

Her blog is: Bouncyflouncyfunfunfun

Judy Applegarth joins us from Nevada, USA.

Her blog is: Scramp Alot

Kerry Steger joins us from Brisbane, Australia
Her blog is: Stamped Simplicity

Lisa Kind joins us from Buffalo, New York.
Her blog is: Kind Creations

Louise Forsyth joins us from Dannevirke, New Zealand.

Her blog is: punk n' scrap

And last, but certainly not least.....
Our returning members from last year who just couldn't get enough!

Joan Ottevanger from the Netherlands.
Her blog is: Scrapmum

Jodi Ann Lee from Hawaii, USA.
Her blog is: Inked Inspirations


Patty Chalas from the Dominican Republic.
Her blog is: Mis Ideas y Creaciones

And here's little ol' me from California, USA.
My blog is: Midnight Scramper

Please join me in giving all of these ladies a warm welcome to the team! Our challenges will start up again on Friday, March 4th but I'll be back here next Friday with a sneak peek at some of our sponsors for 2011!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
MacKenzie

A big thank you to all of the wonderful CSAYL fans who applied for the 2011 design team! There were SO many great applicants and I had fun checking out your blogs and beautiful creations.

I'll be introducing you to the new team this Friday!

See you then!

Design Team Call!

Hello CSAYL fans!

My name is MacKenzie and I've been part of the CSAYL design team for the last two years. My talented friend Maria, was running the show, but she's decided to give paper crafting a break and concentrate on other hobbies.

I was offered the opportunity to take over CSAYL and decided to give it a go! I've got some great sponsors lined up, ideas for challenges, and other things in the works. The only thing I'm missing?
A DESIGN TEAM!
That's where you come in!

I'm looking for team members that can commit to:

1. Creating a card or project once a week from March - November.
2. Posting the challenge details and a sample on your blog every Friday from March - November.
3. Using specific images, provided to you, on weeks that CSAYL is sponsored
   
   
   What's in it for you?
   
   1. Free digital images to play with on weeks that CSAYL is sponsored.
   2. Getting your holiday packaging and cards finished by November!!
   
   
   If you're interested, please send an e-mail with the following info to brucklerATcomcastDOTnet
   
   1. "DT Call" in subject line
   2. Direct links to (3) of your favorite cards / projects that you've created recently
   3. A link to your blog
   4. A bit about yourself.
   
   
   This design team call will run for the entire month of January.
   If you're chosen to be on the team, you will be notified the first week of February. Challenges will begin the first week of March and continue through the end of November.
   
   I can't wait to see your creations!
   Hugs,
   MacKenzie
   "Midnight Scramper"