DESIGN TEAM CALL

This post will remain at top until the DT Call is over on 10 December. Please see posts below for updated challenges and info.

Do you think you have what it takes to be a Lollipop Girl for C.S.D.???

Candy Shoppe Designs is holding a Design Team Call for the January-April 2010 Term. C.S.D. is looking for unique individuals to help keep the blog a fun place for people to keep coming back to. This call is for individuals who want to share their awesome talent, give people something to talk about and inspire others.

Lollipop Girls are expected to:
-show dedication to their position as a DT member for C.S.D., as they will be held responsible for 9 NEW layouts during their 4 month term (between January-April 2010).
-be punctual!
-become a "Sweetheart" (Follower) of the C.S.D. Blog and show their presence by leaving comments. What's a "team" without Team Spirit?
-promote C.S.D. wherever possible.
-show off the C.S.D. Link Badge and Lollipop Girl Blinkie in Blogs/Forums where it's OK to.

As a DT member you will be allowed bragging rights of being a "Lollipop Girl for C.S.D." You will have your picture and fun facts about you on the C.S.D. Blog along with a link leading back to your own personal blog (if you have one). You will have your bi-weekly creations featured on C.S.D. to give our Sweethearts some inspiration. You'll have the first opportunity to contribute ideas about topics we should cover and/or challenges we should host. You can include the DT position on your scrapbooking resume and at the end of your successful 4-month term you will be sent a "Goodie Box" filled with products from our Sponsors as a big thank you for your time and commitment with C.S.D. (This current term ALL Sponsors gave something to the Lollipop Girls).

***Applicants should take all Lollipop Girl Requirements listed above into consideration before applying for the position.***

To apply please submit:
-Your full name, nickname, address, telephone number, email, blog link (if you have one), as well as links to other online forums you take part in regularly (incl. your user names for each).
-Info. of any DT's that you are currently on or have been a part of in the past. Experience is not a requirement for this position.
-Info. of any published work. Again, not a requirement.
-A total of 3 of your favorite layouts that best represents your scrapbooking style.
-2 other projects that you are proud of. It can be cards, altered items, mini books, and even additional layouts, etc.

-21 Random Fun Facts About You.
-A headshot.
and
-A short & sweet BUT detailed essay as to why you feel you would be an asset to the C.S.D. DT. (Do you design sketches? Do you have a knack for certain areas? Do you know of any possible sponsors? Let me know!)
-Be sure to also include a detailed idea for a challenge to possibly host on the blog. Be sure to include pictures (if any). I want to see how unique you can get!

Send all information to:
Lynnette Davis at candyshoppedesigns@hotmail.com with "I wanna be a Lollipop Girl for C.S.D." in the subject line. Due date for entries will be 10 December. Designers chosen to be the Lollipop Girls for C.S.D. will be informed by 15 December via email.

The BOLD & The Beautiful

If I said it once, I said it a thousand times....Okay, maybe I'm over-exaggerating....but have I not said "We Lollipop Girls like to spice things up?" We thought we'd give you a little taste of another Design Team called The Pink Ninja's. Check them out! Their a quirky bunch. We've traded Design Teams with them for 1 challenge. Don't worry! The Lollipop Girls are in the good hands of Ninja Master's Ally and Nely, so their safe and will be back with you all in December! In the meantime, we're going to serve The Pink Ninja DT on a silver platter for you all to enjoy.

The challenge we had them do for us is called The BOLD & The Beautiful and basically all you need to do is mix at least 3 different patterned papers that DO NOT coordinate and make them work together. I mean....3 totally clashing patterns that if put side by side would make you go "Whoa! Don't go there!".....and then we want you to go there! LOLThe main colors for each patterned paper must be pulled from the above color palette (Fuschia, White, Yellow-Orange and Black). You must also create your title or any wording used in BIG & Bold Lettering. Try using just scraps.....I did!

Check out what The Pink Ninja Design Team did for this challenge and then go ahead and try your hand at it! By Lynnette Davis

By Jennifer Priest

By Michelle Jacknicke

By Ally Serrato

By Brandy Myers

By Emily Hammann

By Heidi Myers

By Gloria King

By Christina Rayevich

By Pearl Liu

*I know you see a few of us Lollipop Girls still here and that is because we 3 are on both the C.S.D. DT and The Pink Ninja's DT.

Well, we've hoped that we've inspired you and we would love to see YOUR take to this challenge so go ahead and link up your layouts for us all to enjoy!

By doing so you could WIN a Vintage Styled Apron from our Sponsor BOOJIBOO. Check out the Apron Jennifer Priest scored from them. Just think....you can wear the apron when doing messy scrappy stuff, while making Christmas Dinner or for your hubby (with nothing underneath) as a nice surprise for when he comes home from work. ;) Whatever you decide to use it for, we can be sure you'll look cute doing it!

When we announce who the Winner of this challenge is I'll be showing you all another cute picture of our other Lollipop Girl Michelle Jacknicke wearing the Apron she scored from them.

Boojiboo specializes in vintage styled and retro styled aprons for adults and children. The apron styles are all ORIGINAL Boojiboo designs. They make their own patterns to ensure a perfect fit! Make sure you own the original apron with the sweetheart neckline, flared skirt, and fitted bust! Check them out TODAY to get your very own or get them for a gift for that someone special!

DEADLINE for entries is 8 December.

Sweetheart Winners Announcement

Was New Moon good or what? I know, I know! The books are still better...I plan on re-reading them all before Eclipse comes out next summer to refresh my memory a bit. It's possible by then that I will have re-read the books about a dozen times. LOL

I have a few announcements to make...the first being that I have the newest Sweethearts Winners List. I'll start with the Watch Your Language Challenge.

Some of you showed us your potty mouths and some of you sugar coated it, but all in all the Lollipop Girls and I thought those of you who stood up to this particular challenge had a lot of balls and we give you all much props for participating. There can only be 1 Winner and for this challenge that would be Lora Oliver. Excuse my language but we Lollipop Girls thought her layout kicked a$$! Check it out for yourselves!
For the Big Ego Challenge we think you all proved yourselves righteous but like I said...there can only be 1 Winner and for this particular challenge we Lollipop Girls all agreed that Amy is AWESOME!
For the Team Edward vs. Team Jacob Challenge it was SO hard to choose a Winner. We thought Amy Oxford did AWESOME this round again with her Vampire Chic layout...
and we also thought that Olga had an awesome take to the challenge as well with her Miss Personality layout...
So, we gave them both an HONORABLE MENTION for thier layouts. We gave the Winner title to Mindy Baxter with her Forever card. How cool is this card people?...
What can I say? Real men sparkle! ha! Thank you EVERYONE for playing along to our challenges. We have so much fun looking through all the entries and deciding on the Winners...please keep participating because next time, it could be YOU!

To the Winners...the contact info. to claim your Blog Candy (prizes) is on the menu bar above. Reminder: Anyone can play for fun but if you were playing for the prize the s&h is the Winners responsibility. Thanks for understanding!

I need to tack on additional info. for the Winners and anyone else who may be affected by my absence but I am moving out of state (from Fort Lee, VA to Fort Hood, TX) and after today will have little to no internet access. I'll have a new address by December 8th and should have my internet back up shortly after. So, please have patience until I get back online for answers to any of your questions and what not.

Your next challenge from us will be up later tonight and included is a BIG surprise to show you all just how much we here at C.S.D love to stir things up. Watch out for it!

Last but definately not least is our "Shout-Outs." We want to give a shout-out to Ally Serrato for being our Special Guest Designer in October and Chris Aiton for being our Special Guest Designer for November. We can't wait to share with you all who our Special Guest Designer for December is.

We also want to give a BIG shout out to all of our October and November Sponsors. Without them this challenge blog wouldn't be so rewarding.

E.A.D. Designs

Precocious Paper

Memorable Seasons

Color Me Miki

Check them out and see why we think they are so great and don't forget to check back here tonight to see the latest challenge from us Lollipop Girls.

Team Edward vs. Team Jacob Challenge

Okay, it's no secret that I (along with a bunch of the other Lollipop Girls) are Twilight fans. Yes, I really enjoyed reading about the teenage vampires. VERY MUCH I might add. Yes, I can watch the movie over and over again with as much anticipation as I did the very first time I ever watched it. And yes, I plan on buying a bunch of tickets to take my daughter and her friends next week to watch New Moon in the theaters. I figure, my daughter and the rest of her pre-teen friends will make me look a little better if I had to stand in line to watch this movie. Obsessed? Maybe.

Now, even though some of you may not "get it," that's okay. You didn't have to plant your face in the books for this challenge and you didn't even have to see the movie. All you need to know is that Edward is a Vampire and Jacob is a "Werewolf" and they are both in love with the stupid Lamb ~ Bella.

Choose a team to be on ~ Edward's or Jacob's.

Team Edward -
Who's afraid of the BIG Bad Wolf? Not Edward! If you choose to be a Vampire girl than you will need to completly dazzle me. As a Vampire, Edward's skin sparkles in the sunlight. Yes, real men sparkle! So, dig out your bling-bling and use it!

Don't stop there! If you chose Edward you also need to use the colors Black and Red. It doesn't have to be all black and red. Just as long as there is some black and red on your paper creation (even in the tiniest bit) then you are all good to go!

Team Jacob -
Prefer half-naked guys instead? If you choose to run with the Wolves then you will need to include a heart because Jacob has one.

Reminder: If you see a wolf running around your house, don't shoot at it!

You will also need to use the colors brown and white.

No matter which team you choose to be on, you DO NOT have to create a Twilight themed Paper Creation. It can be anything of your choosing. Just follow the rules above set for each team and no vampires or wolves need to be incorporated into the making.

You can create more than just a Scrapbooking layout if you wish. Just as long as it is a Paper Creation it will be eligible. Please make sure to link it to Mr Linky below by the due date which is: Sunday, 22 November.

Terri from Color Me Miki is our Sponsor for this challenge and she has donated the BEWITCHING Kit that includes some of the New Pink Paislee Twilight line. It will go to 1 Lucky Winner that the Lollipop Girls choose from the entries. If you like "Eclectic," you will LOVE Color Me Miki! Click on their highlighted name to be taken over there to check out the home of the miki kits!

To get you inspired here are a few creations by the Lollipop Girl Desigh Team here at C.S.D. and our Special Guest Designer for November.
This first and AWESOME scrapbooking layout is by our extremely talented Guest Designer Chris Aiton. Obviously she chose to be on Team Jacob.

This tag is by our lovely Elina. She chose to be on Team Edward.

This layout is by Jen P. and she chose to be on Team Jacob.

This layout is by Jen F. and she chose Team Jacob as well.

Jenny chose to be on Team Jacob too and created a layout!

Dr. Annika created a layout and she chose to be on Team Edward. Woo-hoo, yeah! LOL

Sandy was on Team Jacob and she created a layout.

Melissa chose to be on Team Edward. She created a Halloween themed card.

Who would I be if I didn't choose to be on Edward's Team? LOL I chose to create a Stickles Storage Box. On the top of the box it says "Make Life Sparkle."

Remember, DUE DATE for entries (for the Blog Candy) is 22 NOVEMBER:

Big Ego Challenge

Big Ego Challenge

Due Date - 11 November

Our Lollipop Girl, Rasberry Dazzle, inspired us to throw this fun Challenge.

Rules are:

-That you must create a Paper Creation (it doesn't have to be a layout) about yourself

-Use little icons that define you (or ones that you simply like)

-Choose a title that exudes confidence (it can be a quote if you wish)

Here are examples from the Lollipop Girl Design Team....

"I have a BIG Ego!" by Lynnette Davis

....at least on my good days I can say I do. I actually get the Delia*s magazine in the mail and used t-shirt icons they had in the magazine. I LUV these cute shirts and would buy them all if I could. My favorite is the green one with the #2 pencil. He's scribbling away saying "I wanna be number 1!!!" LOL I remember telling my husband the same thing before we were married. I knew I deserved to be treated as someones #1 and he really makes me feel like I am. "An Iconic Story" by Sandra Polette

Notice how the icons on Sandy's layout become instant Eye Candy? She went to Photobucket.com and did a main search for "icons" to get these. You can even be more specific and type in "cupcake icons" if you fancy. She was a real inspiration to us! "Back 2 Square 1" by Michelle Jacknicke

Michelle had a really fun time putting her life into icons. It was something she had never done before and in order to keep it all in line she had to leave out so many icons that she liked. Don't you just love her title? So fitting! "I Wanna Rawk The World" by Elina Koutsouradi

"Yes, this is what I wanna do… I wanna rawk everybody’s world, with my mind, my presence, my humor and my scrapbooking!! I picked funny icons in black and white to show that I am too sexy even for his squarepants!!"

xo Elina "Recipe Of Me" by Melissa Ferguson

Now how clever is this?! Melissa created a Mini Book out of Recipe Cards. She picked them up at Michael's for $1.50. Talk about thrifty. This is just AWESOME! It makes a perfect little coffee table book and it's filled with all her favorites from TV Shows to Music. "It's All About Me!" by Dr. Annika Prestwich

Journaling reads: I have a lot of things I crave....expensive handbags, chocolate Starbucks coffee, fast cars, nice scrapping things and on top of all of this I crave and need success and a career! Generally, it's all about me!
xo Annika
"Bold As Love" by Jennifer Matott

"I found lots of icons that were the color red and thought it would be perfect to illustrate the song lyrics from one of my favorite John Mayer songs "Bold As Love." What color is more confident than red?"

xo Jen

"Bad Ass Bitch" by our Guest Designer Ally Serrato

She surely is but I'm just wondering where the other 2 angels are....Charlies Angels that is. ;)

The Lollipop Girls will vote for the WINNER and she will have a chance to win this Tinkering Ink Blog Candy!!! Blog Candy donated by Jill from Memorable Seasons. Make sure to check out Memorable Seasons for all your latest needs when it comes to capturing the seasons of life. Please post this Blog Candy on the sidebar of your blogs to help C.S.D. reach 200 Sweethearts.
DUE DATE TO LINK UP FOR BLOG CANDY IS 11 NOVEMBER

Sweetheart Winners

Is everyone ready for Halloween yet? I finally am. My boys are going to be Star Wars Characters this year and my oldest daughter will be a China Doll and my youngest a Scarecrow....a cute scarecrow with pigtails and all. Perhaps she can wear the costume during Thanksgiving too! :) What are you and/or your kids dressing up as this year? Whatever it is you will become I hope you all have a wonderful time trick-or-treating!

FYI-I extended the deadline for the "Watch Your Language!" Challenge and if there are anymore of you that want to participate you have until Midnight on Halloween (est) to link up your creations.

On to the WINNERS List....

For the "Make Your Own Patterned Paper" Sweet Tooth Challenge our Winner is Deanne K. Her craftiness came out in the card she created out of a bunch of paper flowers and the Lollipop Girls thought it came out fab. Don't you?

For the "Envelope Bookmarks" Sweet Tooth Challenge the Lollipop Girls voted and our Winner is Chris. The Lollipop Girls loved the edge you gave to your bookmark and thought it was grand!
As for the "Think Pink" Sweet Tooth Challenge we have a Winner and a couple of Honorable Mentions. First off is our Winner and that is none other than Gina. She showed us that she is an advocate and the Lollipop Girls thought her layout was perfect.

The Honorable Mentions are....Heidi and....

Deanne K with their very clever uses of Pink Ribbon. Job Well Done Ladies!!!!

Thank you to all who participated in our Challenges and stay tuned tomorrow for the newest Challenge we have for you all.

Winners can get the Contact Info. from the Contact Us tab in the Menu Bar at the top of the blog to claim their prizes. Thank you!

Blue Moon Scrapbooking

Hi Sweethearts! I'm going to extend the WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE Challenge in case there are anymore entries. The NEW due date will be Halloween. Tomorrow I will be announcing the WINNERS for a few of the past Challenges that have ended so make sure to stay tuned. I also wanted to give you all a heads up about some fabulous giveaways over at one of our Sponsors blogs. My bestfriend, Lisa Shaw, the owner of Blue Moon Scrapbooking has so many awesome things to giveaway. Go on over and check it out!

"Watch your language young lady!"

Hey Sweethearts! Sorry for the delay in Challenges/Tutorials. We are off track due to computer issues I am having (and my computer is only 6 months old) so this really sucks! LOL Anyhow, I am not able to upload any photos of mine to my computer at this time but I'd still like to share with you all what the Lollipop Girls created and to continue with all the fun there is to be had. I'll be playing along at home and will include my own creations in the Eye Candy Gallery to share with you all once my computer gets fixed. Maybe I'll even bug my neighbor to use their computer to upload some pics. LOL No....Seriously thinking here....I'll knock on their door tomorrow. hehehe

Here is our Fashionably Geek Challenge Winner, our new Challenge info. and our Newest Sponsor for you to check out....

You all came clean and admitted how geeky you all can be and trust me...we believed you! LOL The Lollipop Girls voted and finnabair came in 1st Place with her gorgeous "PURE" layout. Those puppy dog ears were too cute and we loved the way you used negative space in your creation. Plus, the overall design is just too awesome for words!!! Thank you for participating here at C.S.D. and for continuing to share your fabulous work with us. Congratulations on your win again!!! We hope you enjoy the fantastic vinyl rub-ons from E.A.D. Designs. Check out her layout and thank you to everyone for playing!

We're not the AVERAGE Paper Crafting Challenge Blog and we're going to prove it, yet again! The newest Challenge here at C.S.D. is....

"Watch Your Language!"

This "Watch Your Language!" Challenge will change your whole outlook on Paper Crafting, I assure you!

Just how so? Well, I'm going to have you all dig deep down and let her out. We're all women, I want to hear some roaring!

"WTF!" "OMG!" We're all a little guilty and have let it slip, most of the time without even realizing it. I know I have with all these damn computer problems lately. LOL So, what's wrong with putting it down on paper? Nothing! Bad words exist.

I'm going to start you off with a little test to see where you are all at "mind-wise" for this.

I'm thinking of a word that starts with F- and ends in -UCK. There are two obvious answers to this. For those of you who thought of a "Fire-Truck" we have a little bit of preparing to do. But if I'm right, the larger percentage of you thought of a different answer. Now am I right or am I right?

Yes, this may be a little iffy BUT....yes, the BIG BUT....that is what a "challenge" is all about! Are you up for it? If so, challenge yourself and think up something you can create in this Paper Crafting realm and use those naughty words!

Keep in mind that you don't need to over-do it. You can use the word "a$$" or "I3!tch" or the s-word, b-word or any other x-word for that matter without sounding too hostile.

If you have little ones and need to be appropriate for their sake feel free to use "symbols" or the word "beep" in place of the bad word. Use your imagination and go away at it! Most of all....have FUN!

Along with any challenge you have your rules and here are your DO's and your DONT'S....

Our Sketch Artist, Anam Stubbington, has created this Exclusive Sketch for us here at C.S.D. However, you DON'T need to use it if you have something else in mind.

You DO need to include at least 1 cuss word (or your substitute).

You DON'T need to create a Scrapbooking Layout, any Paper Creation will do.

You DO need to make sure it's linked up with Mr. Linky with "Watch Your Language!" as your post title so that it's easier for the Lollipop Girls to locate it when voting.

You DON'T need to play specifically for the prize if your here just for fun but keep in mind that the winner will be responsible for their own s&h.

You DO need to make sure your Paper Creation is linked up by the DUE DATE which is: Monday, October 26, 2009 if you are playing for the Blog Candy. Otherwise, feel free to share your creations anytime and we may just add it to the Eye Candy gallery at some point.

To get you motivated this is what the Lollipop Girls and our Guest Designer, Ally Serrato, have come up with....

Now, some of you may be aware that our Lollipop Girl, Michelle Jacknicke a.k.a. Twistedsoda Pop, lost her job recently. A job she held down for 10 years. Well, the whole experience helped her create this work of art titled....

"Shit Happens!"Meanwhile, at home....more specifically, in her Laundry Room at home....Our Lollipop Girl Jennifer French a.k.a. Orange Passion was having problems with her dryer. Therefore, she was forced to hang her clothes to dry (for 2 months straight I must add). Talk about laundry being your least favorite chore...try adding on "hanging clothes to dry" instead of having the luxury to use a dryer. LOL All of this because she thought that her dryer was broken. Little did she know, after her father came by and spent many frustrating hours taking apart the dryer he finally discovered that the dryer was set to "AIR FLUFF." After the embarrassment wore off from her forgetting to turn the dial back she came up with this.... In another household our Lollipop Girl, Jennifer Matott a.k.a. Sweettart, is pulling her hairs out and screaming at the top of her lungs (having one of them bad days) and wishing that everyone could just leave her the F#*! alone!.... UH-OH! Our Lollipop Girl, Jennifer Priest a.k.a. Butterscotch Scrapper, must wash her little boy off from his mud bath. I could only imagine the mess girlfriend! You turn your back for what seems like only a minute and come back to this.... Our other Lollipop Girl, Melissa Ferguson a.k.a. Cupcake is appauled by this challenge and will speak no evil, hear no evil or see no evil....j/k.... Across the ocean and far, far away our Lollipop Girl, Dr. Annika Prestwich a.k.a. Pink Coffee Bean is compiling a list of bad words in another language and using it for self therapy against some of her mean ol' patients and creating this here mini book (please view her blog to view the inside pages)....
Farther away than that is our Greek Goddess/Lollipop Girl, Elina Koutsouradi a.k.a. Sour Puss, who as you know is a cat lover but she does have a bitch as well....
Closer to home we have our other Lollipop Girl, Jenny Brannies a.k.a. Candy Apple Red, along with her son trailing behind her mocking her every word....

"God Damnit!" Then, there is our Lollipop Girl, Sandra Polette a.k.a. Razberry Dazzle, who shows us how she gets dressed up on Halloween....
Last but not least is our Special Guest Designer, Ally Serrato, who hits up concerts likes there's no tomorrow and gets up close and personal with Brittney Spears behind....let's hope it was just her seat that gave her all these back shots. LOL.... The WINNER of this challenge will be voted for by the Lollipop Girls of C.S.D. and announced on the blog on Wednesday, October 28, 2009. The WINNER will win a 309 Piece Collection Kit by Sassafras Lass called "Starry Night" from the Life is Beautiful Line.
The Kit Includes:
Acid & Lignin Free
80# Cover Heavyweight Scrapbook Paper - True 12"x12" Size
12 - 12x12 Sheets of Heavyweight Double Sided Scrapbook Paper
1 - 12x12 Sheet of Die-Cut Monograms (38 pieces)
1 - 12x12 Sheet of Die-Cut Journal Tags and Trims (16 pieces)
1 - 12x12 Sheet of Cardstock Alphabet Stickers (243 pieces)

Our Wonderful SPONSOR for this Challenge is Jill Coody, owner of Memorable Seasons. Be sure to check them out for all your latest needs when it comes to capturing the seasons of life. Sign up for her Newsletter to keep up with all the sales and promotions she's got going on, participate on her Forums and join in the fun challenges she hosts on the Memorable Seasons BLOG for even more fun. You'll be SO glad you did!

SAVE THE TA-TAS!

October is here and so is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So wherever you are, whatever your doing....go to 2nd base on yourself and feel your boobies!

Today we have some "Tasty Tips" from our Guest Designer Lisa Whiteing. Lisa Whiteing lives in London but is originally from North Dakota. Please click on her name to get to know more about her.
Here are some of her clever "Tasty Tips" she wanted to share with you all....
-Use the mesh from your onion/garlic bags to create the "net" on your beachy Paper Creations.
-Pound your bottle caps flat to use for flower centers. Jones Soda works great as there is a fortune printed in each one.
-Create clear embellishments from your plastic packaging using stamps, staz on and slickwriters.
-Create texture on your Paper Creations with paint and various household things like toy cars, bubble wrap, your poofy bath scrubs, and your kids shoes (my daughter had the cutest Elmo and Zoe shoes and they had fun soles).
-Also, use your chipboard waste as a frame like I did here.....
Makes you think twice about throwing stuff out doesn't it? I love re-using stuff you never imagined possible before. Thank you so much for sharing those "Tasty Tips" with us Lisa! Anyone else have some of their own "Tasty Tips" that you'd like to share? Go ahead and link them up with Mr. Linky and let us here your ideas!

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Since it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month I felt it only right to host a Challenge using PINK RIBBON on your Paper Creations to show your support for all the women fighting against Breast Cancer. For this Challenge we're being Sponsored by Tessa Buys from Precocious Paper. Embellish and chronicle your memories with Precocious Paper. From fabric to lace, recycled cardboard to crimped cardstock, and chipboard to buttons, Precocious Paper offers over 100 embellishments for your scrapbooking and crafting needs. Many embellishments can be taken off the page as brooches or hair clips too! For the scrapbook lover who doesn't scrap herself, Precocious Paper also offers mini albums and paper bag albums.

Mention C.S.D. when you shop at Precocious Paper between October 1-8 and receive 10% off your goodies! (She'll refund the difference within 24 hours after payment). 1 Lucky Sweetheart will win this PINK Blog Candy Package from Tessa's Etsy Shop. You may play along for FUN, but if your participating in hopes of winning this Blog Candy please post the Blog Candy from our Sponsor on your Blog for an even better chance at winning.

Enter as many Paper Creations as you'd like for this....

THINK PINK CHALLENGE

Due Date: 19 October

Leave a comment and link up your entry with Mr. Linky! Thanks for playing!

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Before I let you get away to creating I can't forget to announce our "Special" Guest Designer this month. You may have seen her around busting out some serious ninja moves since she's one of the Founders over at The Pink Ninja's Challenge Blog. Ally Serrato is her name and Ninja Fighting is her game!

Fashionably Geek Challenge

Help us Lollipop Girls out so that we can gather 200 Sweethearts under the roof of the Sweetest Blog on the Block by:

• creating a posting on all of your blogs right now inviting your followers to become a Sweetheart of C.S.D.
  
• post about us on the forums that you frequent where it's okay to.
  
• Rock the C.S.D. Link Badge wherever you are able (make sure it links back to C.S.D.) and
  
• when you have done all of that come back here and leave a comment letting us know you have.

We'll give you cyber kisses on the cheek!

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Thank you Teri Hansen, Scrapaholic Sherry, Nance and Perfectly Precocious for becomming a Sweetheart of C.S.D. recently. We're so glad to have you here!

Thank you Jennifer Manis and Jocelyn Petcholan for Guest Designing.

Thank you Wendy Rago for Guest Designing and for being our Monthly Grand Prize Sponsor this month.

And thank you April and Jill for also Sponsoring us this month.

It means SO much to me that you all wanted to help make C.S.D. a more rewarding place. I feel lucky being on the receiving end of your kindness.

Sweethearts, please visit our Sponsors and see all they have to offer. You will be so glad you did!

Bad Girls Kits

Studio Calico

Memorable Seasons

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Before I announce this next exciting Challenge I have a few WINNERS to announce....the end of the month is here and 2 Challenges have also come to an end. The Lollipop Girls cast their votes and I have the WINNERS name of the Monthly Grand Blog Candy from Bad Girls Kits in my hand.....anxious to know who it is?......

Aren't you so, SO excited?.....

Yeah, I know! Me too!.....

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Oh, alright!....

For the SUPER Sweet 16 Blog Hop Challenge.....The WINNER is finnabair with her "The picture says it all" layout.

Congratulations finnabair! The Lollipop Girls absolutely loved your layout! They thought that it was SO unique and amazing. They loved your non-traditional flowers and the use of eyelets too!

For the Gesso Peso Challenge......The WINNER is Chris with her "Do you feel lucky?" layout.Congratulations Chris! The Lollipop Girls loved the story behind your design and they thought it was very cool and creative.

We have a couple of Honorable Mentions in this category too! The first one being finnabair again with her "Awe!" Inspiring Altered Canvas in gold. The Lollipop Girls said that it totally reminded them of money.

Our next Honorable Mention is Kimmy with her Fabulous Altered Canvas. Congratulations finnabair and Kimmy for a job well done and to all of you Sweethearts for participating. You each did such a wonderful job!

And last but definately not least is the WINNER for the Monthly Grand Blog Candy from Bad Girls Kits. She's one of our most loyal Sweethearts here on C.S.D. and I am SO happy to announce her as the WINNER of the Grand Blog Candy. Congratulations Jennifer Manis! You've WON!!!

Now on to the next Challenge..... Fashionably Geek Challenge
Due Date: Midnight (est) Monday, October 10, 2009

Oh! You didn't know that "Geek" was the new "Black?" Well, now you know! Let's rock this Challenge in the name of all geeks!

Rules are simple.....

-The base of your Paper Creation should be BLACK. It doesn't have to be all black or even plain black, but black. With that said, you don't have to create a layout. It can be any kind of Paper Creation (a layout, a card, a mini album, an altered item, etc.).
-The title/journaling on your Paper Creation (should you choose to add one) should be WHITE.
-You must include a PLAID, CHECKERED or ARGYLE PRINT and
-You must include an APPLE. It doesn't matter how many.

Already created a Paper Creation that fits into these rules? Awesome! Go ahead and enter it into the Challenge! They don't need to be new.

We are doing away with the POINT SYSTEM and instead strictly going by the voting from the Lollipop Girls from now on. So, do your best job and Good Luck! The Winner will be announced on 14 October.

Check out the Lollipop Girls take to this Challenge..... "My Pooh" by Lynnette Davis a.k.a. Cherry Lolita

"Always watch where you are going. Otherwise, you may step on a piece of the forest that was left out by mistake." ~ Winnie the Pooh

Patterned Papers: Making Memories, K&Co., Fancy Pants; Alphas: American Crafts; Stickers: Basic Grey; Ink: Staz On; Misc.: Buttons, Tag, apple punch out.

"Thirsty" by Jennifer French a.k.a. Orange Passion

I read the Twilight book out of curiosity. Before I knew it, I was thirsty for more!Red Cardstock-Hobby Lobby;Patterened Paper- Scenic Route (plaid) ,Chatterbox (black background);Pearls-Prima;Journal Spot-Jillibean Soup;Alphas-American Crafts;Bling-Kaiser;Pearlized Accent Ink-Smooch;Fluid Chalk-Colorbox;Flower-unknown.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" by Michelle Jacknicke a.k.a. TwistedSoda Pop

American crafts remarks alpha, Black Bazzill cardstock, MM Blacktie journalling tab, Chatterbox Green Plaid, Sugar n Spice ribbons, Ric Rac, Prima flowers and leaves, Prima Say it in Crystals, Dymo labeller and MM pink staples.

"Rockin' the Librarian" by Jennifer Priest a.k.a. Butterscotch Scrapper

Supplies: Paper-Bazzill, Imaginesce, Bella Blvd, Jillibean Soup, Prima; Diecuts-Polka Dot Whimsy, K & Co. Stickers-American Crafts, Creative Imaginations; Ribbon-Creative Impressions, jenniferpriest.etsy.com; Thread-Joann's; Ink-Colorbox Chalk

"Newly Weds" by Dr. Annika Prestwich a.k.a. Pink Coffee Bean

Cardstock: Bazzill smoothies; Patterened papers: October afternoon "Road trip" series; Flowers: Prima; Apple from October Afternoon; Buttons from the Box Without Bottom in my scrapbooking room; Pearls and Bling from Kaiser kraft; Mini alpha stickers from Making Memories; Thickers from American Crafts "Dolce" and my own handwriting.

Altered Composition Book "Notes" by Sandra Polette a.k.a. Rasberry Dazzle

Fashionable geeks, like myself, must carry around fashionable composition books!Composition Book and BiC Pen, Cardstock: Bazzill, Patterned Papers: October Afternoon, 3 Bugs in a Rug, Chipboard: Fancy Pants, Alphas: American Crafts, Felt Flower: Petaloo, White Pen: Zig Opaque Writer, Stick Pin and Paint: Making Memories, Ribbon: Offray, Misc: Apple Charm, Brads, Jewels, Buttons, Thread.

Sandy loved this Challenge so much and created two things because she said she's a geek! Here's her other Paper Creation....

"Rebellious" by Sandra Polette a.k.a. Rasberry Dazzle

"I am naughty and rebellious sometimes"
Growing up and all through high school I was a geek. I wore the glasses, played clarinet in the band, made straight A's, and never questioned authority. I was even considered a "goodie-goodie" by my wild and outgoing friend Amanda. Boy, I made my parent's proud though! :) Haha! Today (I'm still a geek)-- but I'm not as straight-laced as I seem. People presume I am. I may be cautious and play it safe in general but I have seasons when I'm downright rebellious! I've done stupid things that make me wonder, "What was I thinking?!" One of those things happens to be me taking these silly pictures---and then posting them on this layout! LOL

Cardstock: Bazzill, Patterned Papers: October Afternoon, Basic Grey, 3 Bugs in a Rug, Flower: Prima, Alphas: American Crafts, Tiny Stickers: American Crafts and My Little Shoebox, White Flocking on Title: Doodlebug Design, Paint: Making Memories, Polka Dot Mask: Heidi Swapp, Misc and Don't remember: Lacing brads and twine, Apple button and jewels.

"Preschool" by Jenny Brannies a.k.a. Candy Apple Red

This layout features pictures from my little boys' first day of Preschool a few weeks ago. I used a collage template for the first time and hid my journaling under one of the pictures. I absolutely LOVE that I was able to fit five photos on one page.
Background Paper: Fancy Pants, Patterned Paper: October Afternoon. Mix of Detours and Nightlight lines, Cardstock Stickers: October Afternoon, Felt Apple: Imaginisce, Hat Pin: Heidi Grace, Alphas: Thickers by American Crafts, Other: red paperclips.

"The apple of my eye" by Melissa Ferguson a.k.a. Cupcake
October Afternoon Cherry Hill Recipe Box PP, Making Memories mini alphas, glitter thickers, October Afternoon Cherry Hill Die-cut Shapes , October Afternoon Detours Fruit stand PP, Basic Grey Junebug Plaid pp.

"Log-in" by Elina Koutsouradi a.k.a. Sour Puss

School starts and you just have to let the geek out of you! I have scrapped my cute cat Gardouba sitting right on top of my keyboard, looking like he is waiting to get some internet classes, so I gave him an apple for his first day at computer class and a patterned paper with numbers for his equations, lots of distressing with scissors for my plaid paper and a tag writing his name in Greek.

Cardstock: bazzill, Patterned paper: collage press, Webster’s pages, Rub-on Alphas: Maya road, American crafts, Felt Apple: Sassafras and Journaling tag: Jenni Bowlin

Emily Nelson, Owner and Designer of E.A.D. Designs is our Fashionably Geek Challenge Sponsor. E.A.D. Designs is a family owned and operated business. Emily Nelson started E.A.D. Designs in 2002 and in a few short years it has grown into one of the largest retailers/wholesalers for Vinyl Lettering and Wall Art. With a passion for Crafts & Design, Emily was able to stay at the top of her game with the newest and hottest trends and this year she launched a Scrapbooking Vinyl Rub-On Line.

She has donated a sample of some of her Vinyl Rub-On Sets (Family Words, Time Well Spent, Vintage and What a Hoot) and they will go to 1 LUCKY Sweetheart of C.S.D. after the Challenge is over. The Vinyl is acid-free so they are perfect for your Scrapbooking Projects and the great thing about them is that they won't rub off!

Blog about our Challenge, Sponsor and Blog Candy for an even greater chance at winning if you decide to play along.

Leave a COMMENT with a link to your Paper Creation and also link up your Paper Creation with the Mister Linky Gadget so that the Lollipop Girls have an easier time voting. Thanks so much everyone! Can't wait to see what you all create!

Envelope Bookmarks Sweet Tooth Tutorial

Thank you rybarra77, Karen Dodson, Maria Ines, Ally Serrato, Kim Jaster, Lou Fu-Fu, Darien and Kary Sol for becomming a Sweetheart of C.S.D. recently. We're SO glad you decided to join us here on the Sweetest Blog on the Block!

I still need to announce the WINNER for the Busy Fashionista Clipboard Tutorial. I appologize for not doing that yesterday but I had to go support my husband's winning football team. He's a Coach on his off-time.

The Lollipop Girls have voted and they LOVED Kimmy's take to the Challenge. They thought it was chic, elegant and innovative. She took a mat board and binder clip and made her own clipboard. How clever! Congrats girly! You are our Challenge Winner. Please Contact Us to claim your prize (get info. from top right tab). The Lollipop Girls also loved these gals takes to the Challenge and they are our Honorable Mentions:

Kate B Chris
Jenny A couple of the Lollipop Girls and I also created an Altered Clipboard. Take a look!

Lynnette Davis a.k.a. Cherry Lolita Sandy Polette a.k.a. Rasberry Dazzle Michelle Jacknicke a.k.a. Twisted Soda Pop
On to our our Newest Guest Designer.... her name is Sophie Sim. She's originally from Singapore but currently resides in Australia. Colorful layouts are her favorite, patterned paper make her go weak at the knees and she claims they have voices because they speak to her.
She's going to show us a way to use up something you might never thought of using before....and that is envelopes. We all get junk mail and are guilty of going straight to the garbage with it. Here's an idea that will change your outlook on those different colored envelopes coming in....

She's going to show us how to alter those envelopes you go straight to the garbage with into bookmarks. Yes folks! Bookmarks!

1. Gather your supplies:

-envelope(s)

-scissors

-embellishments (make yourself use up all those scraps you have).

2. Cut a corner off the envelope. 3. Embellish the corner as you wish. Have fun personalizing it for your friends and/or family. You can even match the theme or character(s) of the book you are going to read next.
There you go! A handmade bookmark that can be completed within minutes. Make a bunch today for all those books your reading. Remember, these bookmarks can be used over and over again or you can simply save them after each book as a visual reminder of what you have read. This project is simple enough for kids to attempt as well and it can be a great way for them to review what they have read.
I CHALLENGE you all to create your own bookmarks. They can be this same style if you choose or the traditional style. *EXTRA POINT goes to everyone creating them in this envelope style. Link them up here to Mister Linky and leave a comment by 8 October. Make sure you are a Sweetheart (Follower) of C.S.D. for your chance to WIN a DCWV Paper Bundle Pack from Memorable Seasons. The most gracious Jill donated 180 patterned papers and I'm giving it away to 1 Lucky Sweetheart according to the Lollipop Girls votes. So, create away, submit as many as you'd like for a better chance at winning and if you haven't yet read the ABOUT US section up top, please do so for more information. Thanks!

p.s. Memorable Seasons is having an online weekend crop and would love for you to join in. You'll have a chance at winning a prize pack from My Mind's Eye. Plus, there will be special sales and prizes throughout the weekend.

Make Your Own Patterned Paper Sweet Tooth Tutorial

Thank you Cris Cunningham, allYson, Sophia, Kate, Denise, Sweet Escape and Pink Heather for becomming a Sweetheart of C.S.D. recently. We're SO glad you decided to join us here on the Sweetest Blog on the Block!

Besides the fact that it's coming to you all a day late....It's time for a NEW Sweet Tooth Tutorial and this weeks Guest Designer is Valerie Gould. She is going to show you all how to create your very own Patterned Paper.

In today's economy this technique should be very beneficial.Valerie Gould has been crafting for as long as she can remember. She admits that her whole family is crafty in one way or another and she thinks it may be in her genes somehow. Crafting has helped her through many rough times and she doesn't know where she'd be without this form of art and self expression. I'm sure we can all fully agree with her regarding this matter.

Please check out Valerie's Sweet Tooth Tutorial and try it out yourself to do something NEW!

Supplies Needed:
-White Cardstock
-White Embossing Ink
-White Embossing Powder
-Embossing Heat Gun
-2 Paint Brushes
-Acrylic Paint
-Small cup of water
-Stamp of choice

STEP 1: Gather All Supplies.

STEP 2: Using your Stamp of choice and White Embossing Ink, stamp images on the White Cardstock in any way you so desire.

STEP 3: Apply White Embossing Powder to Stamped Images and dust off excess. Repeat this process until you feel you have reached the look you want.

STEP 4: Using the Embossing Heat Gun, emboss the images as normal until they become smooth and glossy.STEP 5: Allow to cool completely.

STEP 6: In a paint tray or a device of your choosing add the Acrylic Paint of your choice.STEP 7: Add a small amount of water to the Acrylic Paint until the paint drips off your paintbrush.

STEP 8: Using the first of your two paintbrushes begin to apply the paint to your White Cardstock Paper using a back and forth hand motion and cover the entire paper with paint.STEP 9: Before the paint dries quickly take your 2nd paintbrush and swipe over the stamped images to remove any paint. You want the images to appear white through the paint.STEP 10: Allow the paint to dry.And that's it. It's SO easy! .... Now for the Challenge .... even if you don't have these embossing supplies on hand it won't matter for the Challenge I'm about to give you. If you do go out and get some embossing supplies or have some on-hand to try this technique out, then more power to you! Try the technique with this Challenge I'm about to give and I'll give you an *EXTRA POINT to go towards winning the BAD GIRLS KIT. *PLEASE READ THE ABOUT US SECTION TO LEARN ABOUT THE POINT SYSTEM.

The Challenge is to create a Paper Creation using Patterned Paper. You can achieve this in any way you deam possible. However, you may not use any pre-made scrapbooking patterned paper....you must come up with a clever idea and use something else instead or make your own!

When you have done so be sure to link up your creation to this post. All Paper Creations are due by 6 October. Winner will be announced 7 October after the Lollipop Girls have voted. The Blog Candy (shown above) will go to 1 LUCKY Sweetheart of C.S.D. Good Luck!

SUPER Sweet 16 Blog Hop Challenge

Welcome to Candy Shoppe Designs SUPER Sweet 16 Blog Hop Challenge. We are Officially 16 days old today and we want to celebrate BIG by giving 1 Lucky Sweetheart some awesome Blog Candy. Yes! We want to reward one of YOU for simply being a Sweetheart of C.S.D.

September 16-28

And we have the help of April (Co-Owner of STUDIO CALICO).

STUDIO CALICO is committed to inspiring creativity and they offer products that are both fun and innovative. Each month, Studio Calico combines the latest scrapbooking products with unique finds from a variety of sources while staying true to the basics. You'll find kits filled with products from a variety of manufacturers, coordinated for ease-of-use by both the advanced and novice scrapbooker.

Monthly Kits Include:
neutral + colored cardstock
patterned papers from multiple manufacturers
at least one alphabet
journaling aid(s)
variety of embellishments which may include vintage items, stamps, ribbon, chipboard, and more!
Studio Calico also offers add-on kits to supplement the main kit, or to stand alone. Whether it's a main kit or add-on, Studio Calico is devoted to providing the resources to help members put innovative products to use.

JOIN THE CLUB. GET MONTHLY KITS AND DAILY INSPIRATION.

1 Lucky Sweetheart will WIN this bright and colorful Lollipop Guild Kit....

It's SO EASY to participate in this Blog Hop Challenge!

Below is a list of all the Lollipop Girls. Click on their names (in the order you see below) to be taken to their personal blogs. They each will be giving you SIMPLE STEPS on what to do for your layouts you are to turn in for the Challenge at the end of the Blog Hop. If you wanna WIN the Delicious Lollipop Guild Kit, simply follow the SIMPLE STEPS. And that's it! The Lollipop Girls will vote on their favorite layout and the WINNER will be announced on September 29th here at C.S.D.

Rules:
1. You must be a Sweetheart (Follower) of C.S.D. and you get extra kudos for displaying the C.S.D. Link Badge on your blog.

2. Please also include a link to STUDIO CALICO whenever you post about this Blog Hop on your blog. Let's give them the shot out they so deserve.

3. You must also complete the Blog Hop in the order listed below. Please do not skip over anyone. If you find that there is a dead end somewhere through the Hop please wait a little bit as we are all on seperate time zones and schedules.

4. After each Lollipop Girl's Blog you visit you will be directed back here to C.S.D. to check-in. CHECK-IN by leaving a COMMENT under this post letting us all know 1 thing you have learned about that particular Lollipop Girl you just visited that you never knew beforehand. Also, let us know how you are coming along with your layout and anything else you'd like to share.

5. You must follow the SIMPLE STEP that each Lollipop Girl gives you on their blog. In the end of it all you should have a completed layout with YOUR interpretation of the SIMPLE STEPS the Lollipop Girls gave you.

6.. You MUST enter the layout you completed during the Blog Hop into the Challenge for the Lollipop Guild Kit Blog Candy. You may create as many layouts as you'd like by doing the Blog Hop over again for extra chances at winning.

You'll be surprised to see that even though we each gave you all the same SIMPLE STEPS, you'll interpret them differently from each other. Look how differently the Lollipop Girls interpreted the rules....

1. Jennifer Matott a.k.a. Sweettart

2. Michelle Jacknicke a.k.a. TwistedSoda Pop

3. Elina Koutsouradi a.k.a. Sour Puss

4. Sandra Polette a.k.a. Rasberry Dazzle

5. Melissa Ferguson a.k.a. Cupcake
6. Jennifer French a.k.a. Orange Passion
7. Jenny Brannies a.k.a. Candy Apple Red
8. Lynnette Davis a.k.a. Cherry Lolita


9. Jennifer Priest a.k.a. Butterscotch Scrapper

10. Dr. Annika Prestwich a.k.a. Pink Coffee Bean

When you have completed all the SIMPLE STEPS and are ready to link up your interpretation to this Challenge please use this SUPER Sweet 16 Flyer to further Advertise the C.S.D. Blog Hop on your own blogs. Let's spread the news about C.S.D. and get 200 Sweethearts by October!!!

STRIPTEASE 101 WINNER

Thank you Kelsey, Claire, finnabair, RuRu, Deena Davis, redmom and Kate for becomming a Sweetheart of C.S.D. recently. We're so glad you decided to join us here at the Sweetest Blog on the Block!

WOW! A BIG thank you goes out to each and every one of you for stripping with us in our 1st Post-Challenge here at C.S.D. I'm amazed at all the Striptease Paper Creations that were turned in!

The Lollipop Girls have voted and they loved this particular designers take to the Challenge because they think she rocks. They enjoyed seeing how she brought the colors together for a "Dude" layout and how she incorporated all those different funky elements. Plus, they loved how she stripped................her paper. heeheehee

Our Lucky Winner of the Striptease 101 Blog Candy is.....Kate B with her "Dude" layout. Congratulations Kate B! The Lollipop Girls loved your work! Please contact me regarding your Blog Candy.

Chris came in 2nd with her Trollbead Lust layout. The Lollipop Girls loved her composition! They applaud her use of the pictures, colors, theme and embellishments and love how she also incorporated digi elements in a hybrid way. They adore the look and especially loved the splatters in the background. They also appreciate her handmade flower. They can tell that a lot of detail went into this. Thank you for your beautiful work Chris!

And we also have a couple of HONORABLE MENTIONS.

Calie created this cute and Crafty "Mummy" can. The Lollipop Girls thought it was just all around creative and the perfect way to showcase strips, especially for the up-coming holiday.

and Deanne K created this "Just Us" layout and the Lollipop Girls liked how she used the sketch, followed the color palette and used strips in a couple of different ways. They also liked the gold diecut strip and all the different techniques used.
You all did an amazing job, each and everyone of you! The Lollipop Girls and I applaud you all for taking the time to have fun with us and we would like to invite you all back for another chance to WIN another WAY awesome BLOG CANDY by participating in our Blog Hop Challenge being held from September 16-28.

Please join us and invite all your friends! Help us reach 200 Sweethearts by October.

LAST CALL for "Striptease 101" Participants

Don't be shy! I'm sure you got what it takes. Please read the Striptease 101 Challenge Rules HERE. You have until tomorrow (14 September) @ Midnight to show us your Striptease to WIN this BLOG CANDY! Please post all entries under the Striptease 101 Challenge Post. Thank you!

If you haven't already, please also read the ABOUT US section to learn about the Point System. You'd want to gain as many points possible this month to have a better chance at winning the "Postcards from Paris" Kit from Bad Girls Kits.

Gesso - Peso Altered Canvas Tutorial

Thank you Ann, Jenny, Michelle, Melissa, Anneliese, scrappin' kitty, Zoa, Ann-Katrin, Olga T, Sue, Crystal, Merrilee, Madame Butterflyy and Heather for becoming a Sweetheart of C.S.D. recently. We're SO glad you decided to join us here on the Sweetest Blog on the Block! This is our 2nd Sweet Tooth Tutorial this month and it's being given by a REAL Sweetie Pie! Her name is Jocelyn Petcholan and she has got to have one of the most contagious smiles I have ever seen. Look at her....Doesn't her smile just warm you up inside? Whenever I see her I just have to smile and feel happy because well, just look at her! :)

Jocelyn Petcholan has been Scrapbooking for about 7 years now and making Cards for 10 and she admits to spending waaay too much money on supplies. She's here to show us how to Gesso (pronounced "JEH-so." "JEH" like in Jerry. "So" as in so) on Canvas because you can't expect to create "art" on untreated cloth.

I'm throwing in a little twist to throw you all off your rockers PLUS I needed to find an interesting way to make this even more fun because the Gesso on Canvas is just too, too easy.

Peso rhymes with Gesso so with this Tutorial you will GAIN *1 EXTRA POINT for using "Pesos" as Inspiration for the work of Art on your Canvas that you Create. Along with the link to your Submission you must also state how you did so.

Other Rules:
-You can submit any Altered Canvas you have created in the past or present. Just make sure to leave a comment with a link to where it's located.
-You will get 1 POINT for each submission. You are not limited to just 1 submission.
-You will get that EXTRA POINT for using PESOS as Inspiration for your Altered Canvas.

*PLEASE READ THE "ABOUT US" SECTION OF THE BLOG TO LEARN ABOUT THE POINT SYSTEM.

Think outside the box....use the colors, use dollar signs if you want, use notes, graph paper, ruled paper, numbers, coin trimming, the word in your language, you name it! Here's a photo of some colorful peso's to get your mojo on fire....


They are so colorful and pretty. How could anyone NOT be inspired?

To get started you will need:
-Gesso
-Water
-Plastic Bowl/Sink
-Drop Cloth/Surface you don't mind getting dirty
-Sandpaper
-Paintbrush/Spongebrush
-Canvas
Optional:
-Squeegee

STEP 1 - Combine Gesso and Water according to the instructions on the Gesso container.

STEP 2 - Mix the substance thoroughly and smoothly.

STEP 3 - Spread Drop Cloth down on your work area.

STEP 4 - Lay Canvas on Cloth.

STEP 5 - Gently sand down the canvas surface to create a consistant and even surface to work on.

STEP 6 - Wet your Paintbrush with water and squeeze it dry so it doesn't soak up excess Gesso.

STEP 7 - Plop a dollop of Gesso on Canvas and begin working back and forth in parallel strokes with the paintbrush. The Gesso should be as evenly and thinly distributed as possible. *Some painters prefer to use a Squeegee for this instead of a brush.

STEP 8 - Coat Edges.

STEP 9 - Wash Paintbrush thoroughly.

STEP 10 - Leave the canvas flat and allow to it to dry for at least an hour.

STEP 11 - Once dry, gently sand it to even out the surface and then dust it off.

STEP 12 - Repeat steps 6-8 with perpendicular strokes.

STEP 13 - Allow to dry overnight.

You may just as well skip over some steps if it suits you, like if you'd rather work on an uneven surface, etc. After the Gesso is completely dry on your Canvas you are ready to Alter the Canvas any way you wish. Here's what Jocelyn did....

First she painted it with pink paint, then sprayed Glimmer Mist over top of that. Then, using her fingers she took some yellow and green paint and a little bit of Gesso and painted flowers. She then took some watercolour pencils and did the centers of the flowers. She added other embellishments to it and ta-da! She ended up feeling like Piccasa when she was finished. Trust me, you will too!

Get started on your Gesso - Peso Altered Canvas TODAY!

Due: Tuesday, September 29th

You could WIN this!!!

Start Spreading the NEWS!!!!

Dear Sweethearts of C.S.D.,

As you may all know by now C.S.D.'s Official Launch took place on September 1st. That means that on September 16th Candy Shoppe Designs will be 16 days old. All the reason to celebrate BIG!!!

Candy Shoppe Designs will be hosting a SUPER Sweet 16 Blog Hop Challenge and you're all invited. Heck, bring your friends too! You'll all be in for a treat!

Start spreading the news by using this Special Announcement and make it link up to Candy Shoppe Designs.

The Blog Candy for the SUPER Sweet 16 Blog Hop Challenge will be SUPER Sweet! Here's a sneek peek of it......

"Busy Fashionista" Sweet Tooth Tutorial

Thank you scraptasticrockstar, Paula, Mel, ScrapHappyinKY, Megan, Stephanie *SP DIVA*, Ednoraia Benevides and Alaina for becoming a Sweetheart of C.S.D. recently. We're SO glad you decided to join us!

By: Jennifer Manis

Now, onto the First "Sweet Tooth" Tutorial of C.S.D. ..... It's being given by Guest Designer Jennifer Manis. She's an Ohio Native and a morning Crafter who started out creating "Soap Opera" Scrapbooks when she was a teenager. She's here to show us how to Alter a Clipboard with her "Busy Fashionista" Altered Clipboard Tutorial.

You can find Clipboards in an Office Supply Store and maybe even your $1 Store. You may even find a plain one handy in your own office to spruce up for this. I found mine at Walmart for around $2 and there were big ones, small ones, acrylic ones, you name it! I just got the cheapest one though. LOL Hey! Times are hard!

Altering a plain ol' Clipboard is a fun way to bring originality to something so simple and it gives you reason to dress something up. Also, by Altering Clipboards you get to personalize it to your very own taste.

Like....
-For those of you who travel a lot or don't yet have a GPS you can always Alter a Clipboard in a Travel theme and use it to hold your Tickets, ID's, Itineraries, Road Maps, etc.
-You can Alter a Clipboard in any given theme to keep track of your "lists." Whether it be a Grocery List, Chore List, School Supply List or To-Do List.
-You can Alter Clipboard's to coordinate with different rooms of your house that could use a calender and go to http://www.samplewords.com/ and print off free calender sheets.
And for all us "Busy Fashionista's" an Altered Clipboard would be a wonderful thing to have to keep "order" in everyday things. Plus, you can take it with you when you're on the go.

The supplies needed are:
-A Clipboard (of course) in a size of your choosing.
-Adhesive (whatever kind works for you).
-Scissors (the tool needed for just about every craft your working on) and if you like things to be perfect a measuring tool would be handy too.
-Scrapbooking Papers, Fabric -or- anything else you'd like to use to cover the Clipboard. If you'll be using Scrapbooking Papers try using some from your stash to start diminishing it.
-and last but not least....Embellishments (anything you'd like to add such as flowers, ribbons, buttons and even photo's if you'd like).

Now onto the "Sweet Tooth Tutorial" by Jennifer Manis
----------------------------------------------------
Don't worry! Altering a Clipboard is SUPER EASY and so much fun! You've already done the hardest part of it all and that was "gathering the supplies".....it wasn't that hard was it?
Now, if you haven't already done so go ahead and think of a theme you would like to work with and go with it.
Start the Altering process by adhering down the Scrapbooking Paper or Fabric -or- whatever else you chose to cover the Clipboard with. You can cover it's entirety or half and half or however you'd like.
After your Clipboard is covered you can go ahead and do the fun part which is adding your embellishments to decorate the Clipboard.
There are endless possibilities here....you can tie some pretty ribbons to the clip, tape some funny pictures down, attach flowers, you can even decorate the back of it if you'd like. I'm not going to tell you where to put what. This is where your creativity comes in.
In the end you'll have a stylish new Clipboard to help you keep track of things!"
------------------------------------------------------
You gotta have Rules:

*PLEASE READ THE "ABOUT US" PAGE LOCATED UP TOP TO UNDERSTAND THE POINT SYSTEM.

-You can submit any Altered Clipboard YOU created (in the past or present) to be eligible for the "Busy Fashionista" Blog Candy. Just make sure to leave a comment with a link to where it's located.
-You will get 1 POINT for each submission. You are NOT limited to just 1 Submission.
-You will get an EXTRA POINT for using the color RED on your Altered Clipboard.

Here's an Altered Clipboard I made for my daughter's teacher last year. I actually found the marked up Clipboard in my daughter's room. I don't remember how she got it but it looked years old. I knew it just needed some re-vamping instead of just being thrown away. So, I went to work on it.

I always get sucked into making her teachers Handmade Gifts, especially for the 1st Day of School. And remember I said that somehow when I start working on something things just come together? Well, I was looking around my kitchen for something one day and came across the apple you see dangling from the clip. I couldn't believe it, it was the perfect touch to add to the project and it was already on string. I have no idea where that came from either.

I added an A+ with some Creative Memories Stickers that I've had for years in hopes that her teacher will give me some bribery points. LOL And I thought the quote "Teachers can't live on apples alone!" was a cute touch since a lot of kids still do bring their teachers an apple on the 1st day of school. :)

I couldn't find my exacto knife at the time (I still can't seem to find it and it's been about a year now) so....I used buttons to cover the Clipboard portion at the top. I think it worked in my favor....that row of buttons made it all come together somehow.

By: Lynnette Davis a.k.a. Cherry Lolita

DUE DATE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2009

Here's the "Busy Fashionista" Blog Candy that 1 LUCKY Sweetheart will win in about 3 weeks time.

Good Luck to everyone!

"Striptease 101" Challenge

First off, thank you to the NEW Sweethearts for joining us rodoula, Lisa H., LISA, Cheryl Kosakura, Michelle, Debbie, Squelly, Jeannine and April.

Yes....We did! LOL

Welcome to Candy Shoppe Designs very 1st Post-Challenge.

"Striptease 101"

Due Date: Monday, September 14, 2009

What's with this Challenge idea you say? Well, believe it or not C.S.D. was thought up with the love I have for Burlesque and Vintage Inspired looks.

Before you get scared away, understand that the history of Burlesque was intended to not only be a little playful and naughty, but also a social commentary and provocative food for thought.

So, when my Lollipop Girl Jennifer Priest presented the idea of having a Challenge where you "strip"....I'll quote her on this...."Paper strips, not that other kind of stripping!"....I thought...."Wait a second!" heeheehee

Needless to say, the idea of this Striptease Challenge went underway soon after that moment. LOL My mind works in mysterious ways sometimes.

Let's face it. We're all "sweet" but may I remind you....we can also be a little "spicy" too! And it says so right under the title! heehee

Lucky you for being here to see the Lollipop Girls of C.S.D. "Strip" in their latest Paper Creations.

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I'll start this off with showing you all how I recycled my Fashion Magazine recently.

I'm a BIG Fan of Juicy Couture so when I seen the pretty Perfume Ad in my latest Fashion Magazine I was SO excited! Plus, it worked in my favor because the ad included the colors I was to use for this Challenge.

I tore it out and started cutting the strips when I noticed that it said "SMELL ME." Being that it was a Perfume Ad I knew I was in for a treat!

I made sure to cut around the letters and have them show up on my Paper Creation. If you look closely at the photo will be able to see where it says "SMELL ME."

I decided to form the strips into a flower shape. Juicy Couture Perfume Ad....with the words "SMELL ME"....in the colors I needed....formed into a flower shape....people smell flowers....it was all just working in my favor so of course I was really stoked. LOL

I then decided to go off the beaten path and create an Altered Item since I knew that Scrapbooking Layouts always seem to have priority and I created what I like to call....the Juicy Couture "Smell Me" Keepsake Box. And what an inexpensive item this is to make. The box came from Walmart for less than $2 I believe. Then, I painted the edges the paper couldn't cover with Making Memories Paint. Only 2 Scrapbooking Papers, 2 Flowers, 2 Trims and 2 Golden-Tone Buttons were used in the making of this....

By: Lynnette Davis a.k.a. Cherry Lolita

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Coincidence? I'm thinking "great minds think alike" because this is 1 out of 2 Lollipop Girls who used this Making Memories Patterned Paper for this Challenge.

Don't you just love how bright and "perfect" it is? Can you guess who made it with that little tidbit I threw in there? LOL

Yes! It's one of Rasberry Dazzle's Creations. Prepare yourself, she's going to Dazzle you until you think you can't be dazzled anymore!

I like how she rotated the paper. I have this same paper and I see the design is actually supposed to be going down the page. I love how she positioned it though. It worked out pretty nicely with her design.

I'm also loving the basket weave effect and how she left the golden tone very subtle. You can see it in the brads acting as flower centers.

This layout is of her brothers girlfriend and how perfect is the title "Be You"? She claimed his girlfriend fit right in with their family and she made this layout for her to remind her to always be herself. How sweet of you Rasberry Dazzle!

By: Sandy Polette a.k.a. Rasberry Dazzle
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And this would be 2 of the 2. LOL Candy Apple Red shown here with her bff of 22 years decided to use the same Making Memories Patterned Paper as Rasberry Dazzle, unknowingly of course.

As you can see here she decided to cut the edges off hers and use it right side up and tear into it and distress it and layer it. Wow! You did a lot with that paper! LOL

I love her little lace up detail and the way she added a little touch of lace behind that tear she made. And I'm a girl so of course I love all that bling in the flower centers and that butterfly!

"Forever Friends"....I love this layout! And to think, she almost had a hissy fit with the color scheme. It just wasn't what she was used to using on her layouts. Now, it looks to me like she totally rocked it! What do you think?

By: Jenny Brannies a.k.a. Candy Apple Red

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It's funny how people are inspired by something and then suddenly it all just comes together....like my "SMELL ME" Box. Twisted Soda Pop was inspired by her Glasses. She didn't have to wear them before but this year she just couldn't see far anymore. So, after she was finished taking self portraits of herself she looked at the photos and noticed that the "Focus" was on them. Then, Voila....The title was born! "FOCUS on what is important in life."

By: Michelle Jacknicke a.k.a. Twisted Soda Pop
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Did I not tell you that Sour Puss LOVES cats? I have a feeling you will be getting to see a lot more of her cat because apparently "Cats Rule!"
Sour Puss, Sour Puss, Sour Puss....What am I going to do with her? She tells me....The minute she received the "Striptease" Challenge email and read just the title of it she was like "YEEHAW!" heehee
But then she read a little more and realized it wasn't what she thought. She said...."But okay, that's fun too!" LOL
I just love her!
Here's her take to the Challenge. Instead of using just paper strips she used ribbon strips, bling strips, rub-on strips and pearl strips too! And is that a strip off a tape measurer? Talk about a show off! LOL
By: Elina Koutsouradi a.k.a. Sour Puss
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I'm loving the horizontal strips here and what a sweet 3 Generations beach layout! You were LUCKY to get this picture of all 3 of them in quite the same position looking out at the water!
This is Sweettart's son, husband and father-in-law.
By: Jennifer Matott a.k.a. Sweettart
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Now after looking at this layout you could only guess how much of a sweet tooth Pink Coffee Bean must have. She actually used her "Box of Chocolates" and the inside lining in the box to create this layout!
Now, I knew women had "a thing" for chocolate....but this woman....watch out for her! She's this passionate about it obviously. LOL
By: Dr. Annika Prestwich a.k.a. Pink Coffee Bean
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Cupcake pulled this layout off by using a picture her mother was also in. Otherwise she risked a too-girly looking layout of her son in Disneyland this summer. Check out all those layered strips! She's got polka dots, stripes, scalloped, etc.! And I love the way you included the date Cupcake!

By: Melissa Ferguson a.k.a. Cupcake
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Now, if you aren't too keen on stripping or still aren't sure on how it's done then Butterscotch Scrapper could surely direct you. She does the deed in every which way! LOL
I know, I know! That sounds SO wrong! hehehe But you can't blame me! This was my perfect opportunity to bust on someone! Love you Butterscotch Scrapper! Don't take it the wrong way! No pun intended.
By: Jennifer Priest a.k.a. Butterscotch Scrapper
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Yay! Someone besides myself road off from the beaten path. Are you stalking me? hehehe
Orange Passion created a card with uniformed strips going down the side. Good job girl!
By: Jennifer French a.k.a. Orange Passion
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Now, we all know this girl can be bad. Very, very bad............................
............................because she's the Owner of Bad Girls Kits. Duh! LOL

For that reason alone, you KNOW she knows what's she's doing. hehehe
Someone stop me! LOL

Wendy Rago rocked this Challenge and we are all just having SO much fun!!! By: Guest Designer-Wendy Rago OWNER of Bad Girls Kits
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Now, do you want to have some fun along with us? Come on! We don't want you to feel left out. Show us how you strip! We showed you ours, now you show us yours!

Okay, I'm having WAAAY too much fun with this! LOL

The concept of this Challenge is easy! Simply use "strips" of something on your Paper Creations. There's NO LIMIT to what you can use. There are rules though.

For one, you have to include something "gold" in your creation and you will also have to include these colors on the palette somewhere on your

Paper Creation(s) and the "cream" color must be the dominant color.

Notice how I said "Paper Creations"....You do not have to create simply Scrapbooking Layouts. Create any Paper Creation you'd like and as many as you'd like. You should all know the point system (and if you don't then you'll have to check out the ABOUT US page up top). You'll gain 1 point for each submission to this Challenge. It's only fair to you. Be inspired and go for it!

Oh wait! I forgot to tell you what you can gain an extra point for....In case you decide to create a Scrapbooking Layout, here's a sketch you may use for inspiration....

Use this sketch for this Challenge and you can gain an extra point for yourself!

Wondering what the Blog Candy will be for the Winner? Well, just in case you're wondering....
Here's the Blog Candy I'm going to reward to 1 Lucky Sweetheart of this specific Challenge.

So, show us what you got and start stripping ladies! Wait a minute! Hold up! Put your shirts back down! You know what I mean! :wink:


TO SUBMIT YOUR PAPER CREATION(S) FOR THIS CHALLENGE PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT WITH A LINK TO WHERE I CAN FIND IT. THANK YOU FOR PLAYING!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1....and we're Launched!!!

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

...and we're Launched!!!

Welcome to Candy Shoppe Designs everyone!!! I'm Lynnette Davis and I am beyond excited that Candy Shoppe Designs has finally officially Launched. Woohoo! I know a bunch of you are excited too as I have become familiar with your faces over the past couple of months in our Pre-Launch faze.

I know you all have to be excited to see who the chosen Design Team is so without any further ado please allow me to introduce the Lollipop Girls of C.S.D. The "Sugar and Spice" of the mix if you will.

It was a very hard choice choosing the 1st Lollipop Girl Design Team for C.S.D. Too hard to pick out of the numerous applications I received, but in the end these girls really stood out..... Can I get a whoot-whoot?

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First off is Michelle Jacknicke a.k.a. Twisted Soda Pop and her funky rockin' hotel room looking layout. It includes things she loves....swirls, the zebra print, the torn pages look and of course her dymo labeler. Notice the self-descriptive words on the side of her page to see how she describes herself and take notice of the way she uses the same photo twice. One in color and one in b/w. That's always a good idea when you have extra space on your page and you don't want to use anymore embellishments to kill the concept. And I just love the way she included a Lollipop on her page to signify that she is now a Lollipop Girl for C.S.D. More power to you!

SPECIAL INGREDIENTS-Paper: Creative Imaginations-Narratives, Zebra Print and KI Memories. Journaling Spot: Making Memories. Alphas: Chatterbox. Other: Dymo Labeler, Large Pink Button, Ribbon and Lollipop Stick.

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Next is Sandra Polette a.k.a. Rasberry Dazzle and her perfectly manicured ABOUT ME layout! Not only do black, white and one or two other colors bring out a page but it also keeps things very easy on the eyes. Here, Rasberry Dazzle played off her Lollipop Girl nickname by including flashy looking flowers, the color rasberry and bling touches here and there. Not too much of course....this is Rasberry Dazzle we're talking about....she included just enough to make her point come across but not too little that you might not take notice. Popping certain embellishments off your page really brings a totally different effect to it and paying close attention to every little detail really pays off in the end too. Notice her stitched border, fabric piece, touch of softness in the tulle and her scalloped punched edges? Not everyone may have the neatest of handwriting as she, however it's always a good idea to include your own handwriting on pages so that future generations will recognize that part of you too. For instance, have you ever checked the mail and stopped at a personal written envelope with familiar writing on it and knew right off the bat who it was sent from before even glancing at the upper left corner of the envelope? That's what I'm talking about! Those little details sometimes make all the difference!

SPECIAL INGREDIENTS- Cardstock: Bazzill. Patterned Papers: K & Company and Scenic Route. Fabric Patterned Paper: KI Memories. Lace Polka Dot Paper: Creative Imaginations. Border Punch: Fiskars. Flowers: Prima. Chipboard Letters: Zsiage and American Crafts. Glitter: Stickles. Brads: Making Memories. Pen: Zig. Misc: Tulle, Thread, and Swarovski Crystals.

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Dr. Annika Prestwich a.k.a. Pink Coffee Bean is not only a Scrap-A-Holic but she's also a Real-Life Doctor. Yup, that's right! Check out her ABOUT ME layout representing her Lollipop Girl nickname! Take notice of the muted pink and brown tones in her layout against the bright white paper and how lovely the b/w photo represents itself against the color tones. I love how she kept note of the date, don't you? That's another very important fact when scrapbooking. You always want to include the date somewhere on your layouts (heck, mark the back of your layouts if you don't have a nice place to put it on the front) and if you've already forgotten the exact date get as close to it as you can. This way you can look back and see how much things have changed.SPECIAL INGREDIENTS-Cardstock: Bazzill. Patterned Papers: Sassafras Lass. Alphas: Thickers (Lullaby and Chit Chat). Flowers: Prima and Hobby Craft. Leaves: Making Memories. Distressed Edge Scraper: Making Memories. Chalk: Chestnut Roan Fluid Chalk. Other: Transparent Date board (Unknown), Pink Pearlmaker.

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Then, there's Elina Koutsouradi a.k.a. Sour Puss. Check out her ABOUT ME layout with a few random facts about her and please take notice of how she uses her leftover scraps of patterned paper and bits and pieces here and there to create a random work of beautiful art. It will make you think twice about throwing away those little leftover pieces from projects.

SPECIAL INGREDIENTS-Cardstock: Bazzill Basics. Patterned Paper: Creative Imaginations. Alphas: American Crafts, Memory Makers, Adornit, Heidi Swapp. Bling: Prima Marketing Inc. Brads: Creative Imaginations. Flower Die Cut and Felt Cupcake: Sassafras Lass. Chipboard: American Crafts and K&Co.

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Next we have Melissa Ferguson a.k.a. Cupcake. Check out her ABOUT ME page and the humongo cupcake she included on her layout and take notice of all the different polka dot patterned papers she's used. Sometimes and in this case things will come together rather perfectly when you wouldn't have expected it to. I just love how it somehow just all came together and how perfect is that picture of her?!

SPECIAL INGREDIENTS- Patterned Paper: Sassafras Lass (Whale of a Tale) and October Afternoon (Cherry Hill). Chipboard Alphas: K&Co. (Carolyn Gavin) Icing: Ranger Liquid Pearl (White Opal). Bling (Sprinkles): Basic Grey & BLING IT Gems. Chipboard Cupcake: Maya Road. Font (Journaling): Pea Carol

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"The frosting on the cake" happens to be these next 4 girls I'm about to introduce you to. They all are named "Jennifer". How whipped up is that?

You Sweethearts should be familiar with this first Jennifer.....Jennifer French that is. Also Known As.....Orange Passion here at C.S.D. since her favorite color is Orange and she is just so passionate about this craft. Check out her ABOUT ME layout and notice how she also used the same photo of herself multiple times. The only difference is she used really small photos and lined them up all in a row for balance. You can just tell by looking at it that it gives off a better effect than a single larger photo would have. She used the color orange in her layout as one of her main colors to signify her Lollipop Girl nickname. The other main color is the opposite color of orange on the color wheel (the teal looking color). And notice how she made a clever use of the pins by completing the butterfly shape? Also take notice of how she made a clever use out of the bingo card. The title on the bingo card is HOME but it wouldn't have worked on this particular layout about herself so she made sure to circle the ME at the ending of the word HOME and titled her layout "ME, Myself & I". Now how clever is that? SPECIAL INGREDIENTS- Cardstock:Bazzill. Patterned Papers: Sassafras Lass and Jillibean Soup. Cloud sticker: Sassafras Lass and Jillibean Soup Sprouts. Alphas: American Crafts. Bingo card: Jenni Bowlin. Fluid Chalk: Colorbox.

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The next Jennifer is Jennifer Priest a.k.a. Butterscotch Scrapper. Please check out her ABOUT ME layout.....This girl knows what to include on a layout and some clever ways to do it! Using subtle colors she was able to make her photo the focal point. She included more random facts about herself. She included a Lollipop to signify her position as a Lollipop Girl AND it's in the Butterscotch color. Plus, notice how she circled the month the photo was taken? Clever!

SPECIAL INGREDIENTS-Paper - Stampin' Up, Sassafras, Bo Bunny, SEICardstock - Bazzill, ColormatesDiecuts - QuickutzFonts - Creampuff, Berlin Sans, TeenInk - Colorbox ChalkRibbon - Offray, Bo BunnyBrads - Stampin' Up!Punches - Martha StewartPhoto - Gypsy Isle Photography

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Our next Jennifer is Jennifer Matott a.k.a. Sweettart. Check out her ABOUT ME layout featuring her new favorite love....cardboard. I'm just LOVING this look and style and I may just have to adopt it myself. Her tutorials make it look SO easy to do yourself. Here she used the cardboard as her base, the photos are printed onto transparency paper, she used old telephone book pages as her patterned paper and rub-on frames to enclose the little tidbits about herself. The title of her layout "Artsy Fartsy" happens to be what a co-worker called her one day and instead of taking offense to it she totally embraced it. Good for you Sweettart!SPECIAL INGREDIENTS:CardboardTelephone book pageRub ons: 7 Gypsies, Moxie, & American CraftsGlimmer Mist (Slate and Frost)Transparency: 3MStaplesOverlay (circles) : Hambly StudiosChipboard & Play Card: Melissa FrancesTitle Letters: Sassafras Lass & American CraftsThickersWhite pen: Sharpie Paint

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Jennifer #4 doesn't like to be called Jennifer so she goes by Jenny instead. Jenny Brannies' Lollipop Girl nickname is Candy Apple Red because that happens to be her favorite color. Check out her ABOUT ME layout featuring apples galore. It's funny because when she was trying to think up a Lollipop Girl nickname her husband suggested "Sour Grapes"....not sure what he was trying to say there but I'm so glad she decided to go with Candy Apple Red. I think red looks good on her! Everything about this layout makes me think of an apple orchard and I love the way she wrapped her photo up in twine. It just goes so well with the apple theme.

SPECIAL INGREDIENTS:Kraft Paper: Hobby LobbyGreen Cardstock: DCWVPatterned Paper: October AfternoonBling: PrimaAlpha Diecuts: Cricut/SCALAlpha Stickers: Jillibean SoupJournaling Sheet: Making MemoriesOther: Twine, Cardboard, Layered Diecut Apple (unknown)

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Last but definately not least is ME.... "The Cherry on top!" I'm Lynnette Davis a.k.a. Cherry Lolita. I'm the Founder who created this sweet Challenge Blog and will bring you excitement after yummy excitement. Just be sure to become a Sweetheart by following us and stay tuned to all of our up-coming Challenges. And also, if you haven't already, PLEASE DO check out the ABOUT US page and the DESIGN TEAM page located in the Menu Bar at the top of the blog.

Here's my ABOUT ME layout.....Every new venture in my life has me wanting more. I'm such a go-getter and I go to infinity and beyond when I REALLY want something. And when I want something....I don't just want "it".....I want "it ALL" and I want it smothered in chocolate and whipped cream with a cherry on top! With this layout I chose to use PRIMARY Colors (Red, Yellow and Blue) simply for the definition of the word Primary as it goes hand in hand with my role here on C.S.D. as the head of the DT. And of course I had to wear my cherry (or heart-shaped) sunglasses and include cherries on the layout as well, to play off my made-up lollipop flavored nickname Cherry Lolita. You'll learn a lot about me and the rest of the Lollipop Girls as you create with us here on C.S.D. and I hope that you'll be able to relate to at least 1 of us and be inspired by us all.

SPECIAL INGREDIENTS:Patterned Papers: Pink Paislee, Jenni Bowlin and Graphic45.Paint and Brads: Making Memories.Ribbon: Basic Grey.Ink Pad: Staz On.Flower (in hair): Prima Marketing Inc.Bazzill Basics: Cardstock.Other: Dictionary.

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Onto our Special Guest Designer who just so happens to also be our Grand Prize Sponsor this month. She is none other than Wendy Rago from Bad Girls Kits. Yup! We've got Wendy in the house. What's up Wendy!

Wendy will be sending this "Postcards from Paris" Kit to 1 Lucky Sweetheart and since she's so sweet I'm going to let her lick the wrapper!!!

The Lucky Winner will be announced on the very last day of September (Wednesday, September 30th).

Check out all that goodness! If you want a chance to win it you'll need to read about the point system in the ABOUT US section of the Menu Bar. Gain an extra point by doing the following:

• Rave about this Blog Candy from Bad Girls Kits on your blog and include a link leading back to Bad Girls Kits.

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Here's a Special Message from Wendy Rago:

Hi Everyone! My name is Wendy Rago, and I am a self proclaimed mixed media artist who will guiltily alter anything that is not nailed down. I adore repurposing and adding cutesy tootsy antiques to my art while trying to do my part for the betterment of the environment. I love teaching a rhealm of different techniques to my students at Bad Girls Kits….we all love the excitement of trying new and different mediums in a warm and relaxing environment. When not creating art I betcha anything, you can find me at the Juicy Boutique shopping, Hockey practice for my son, Cheer practice for my daughter….or antiquing anywhere in Southern California where I have enjoyed living all my life. I hope to see you soon at Bad Girls…we love new friends!

XoXo

Wendy ----------------------------------------------------------

Then, there is Anam Stubbington. She's our Lead Sketch Artist here at C.S.D. Some of you may already know her as she is Prima's very own Sketch Artist and she is also the Owner of Scrapbook Calls and the Founder of Twisted Sketches Challenge Blog amongst other things. I am SO pleased to have her talent here at C.S.D. and I hope you all will be inspired to create with the sketches she provides for you.

Candy Shoppe Designs will release it's very first Blog Challenge tomorrow and the Lollipop Girls are going to show you what they've got with a little "Striptease".... You won't want to miss this! Come by C.S.D. tomorrow to see all the action!

"Perfect Harmony"

This next Winner will be given this "Perfect Harmony" Kit for being a dedicated Sweetheart here on C.S.D. Our 8th and last Winner for the month of August is a big time bird lover.

She owns 4 Parrots, she eats chocolate everyday and she loves to plan & organize. Her name is Jennifer Manis and she's from Ohio State! Congrats Girl! Here's the "Perfect Harmony" Kit you've Won...
This "Perfect Harmony" Kit includes: Papers from Daisy Bucket Designs, Alphas from K&Co., Buttons from La-Petite, Trims and Flowers. Enjoy!

"Hawaiian Gift Basket"

I still have 2 Blog Candies to Giveaway this month and since today happens to be the very last day of August I will be Announcing both Winners tonight. Stay tuned after this Announcement because the very last Blog Candy for August may be going to YOU!

This posting will be for the First Place Winner of the Final Hawaiian Blog Candy Giveaway Package.

This here "Hawaiian Gift Basket" will go to none other than the woman who helped me out while I was actually on Vacation in Hawaii this summer....her name is Jennifer French and she SO deserves it!

Thank you again Jennifer for helping me out while I was away. This is for you....

The Gift Basket includes a various amount of bright colored Scrapbooking Patterned Paper by DCWV, a Delicate Handmade Hawaiian Album, a Hibiscus Wall Plaque, Jolee's Embellishments, a Plumeria Foam Flower, A Plumeria Shaped SeaShell Pendant, Summer-ish Dress It Up Buttons, 100 Flowers, Hawaiian Coffee, Hawaiian Host Macademia Nut Chocolates, Hawaiian Macademia Nut ShortBread Cookies, Trimmings, a Vintage Hawaiian Postcard and more!!!

Remember to stay tuned for our last Blog Candy Winner Announcement for the month of August!!!

She will be Announced in just a little bit.

"Coffee Break"

Time to announce who the 2nd Place Hawaiian Blog Candy Winner is. Who will receive this "Coffee Break" Kit? Hmm......

Well, she's really quite interesting. She loves cats but is allergic to them. Go figure! She married the man she had an office affair with (woohoo!) and when she got stuck at an airport in Italy she got to meet the band Duran Duran. Talk about Lucky! Who wouldn't want to be "stuck" in Italy and on top of that meet a famous rock band?

Yatie is her name and she's from Malaysia. Congratulations girly! Please contact me to claim your prize.

Special Ingredients:

Patterned Papers:

Creative Imaginations and Scenic Route

Embellishments:

Stickers by Stamping Station

Rub-Ons by My Mind's Eye

Brads by Creative Imaginations

Blooms, Buttons, Trims by Prima Marketing Inc., etc.

Other:

Designer Wall Plaque, Wood Carved Photo Album, Hawaiian Coffee Packet, a handmade Lauhala Basket, Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Chocolates and Kona Coffee Macadamia Cookies.

"A Shore Thing"

Yeah, um....It must be 'A Shore Thing!'

I have the 3rd Place Hawaiian Giveaway Blog Candy Winner picked out and I won't beat around the bush....I'll get right to it because I know you all are anxious to see who the Winner is.....

Mica, are you still around Sweetheart? You've won C.S.D.'s 3rd Place Blog Candy for the Hawaiian Giveaway Contest! Check out all the goodies below and then contact me. Thanks so much for getting the word out there about C.S.D. on your blog and for participating in the activities here and for your comments....dadadadada....you know your one dedicated Sweetheart and I appreciate your presence! Congratulations girl!

"A Shore Thing" consists of:

Papers: Imaginisce

Embellishments:

Ribbon - Imaginisce

Clear Stamp - Imaginisce

Adhesive Chipboard - K&Company

Blooms - Heidi Swapp and Prima Marketing Inc.

Alphabet Rub-Ons - My Mind's Eye

+ a Tag, Trims and Buttons

Other: A Beautiful Wood Carved Album, a Postcard, a Foam Flower (for you to wear in your hair above your ear), a Wood Carved Whale Tail Necklace (hiding in the photo), a little handmade Lauhala Box, a Scrumptious Box of Coconut Krispies Cookies and a Box of Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Chocolates.

FYI

Those of you who I have contacted about a GDT Spot here on C.S.D.......the positions are getting filled fast. I only have a total of 18 spots from the time we Launch till the end of the 2009 year. So, even though I have you Booked as a GDTM (Guest Design Team Member) I am going on a first come, first scheduled basis. That means...the sooner you get your stuff into me, the sooner I can get you Scheduled. Otherwise, you are welcomed to GD in the year 2010.

So, to those of you who have yet to get your submissions into me, please contact me (via email) to let me know your status. Thank you!

"Rainbowlicious"

It's time for another Blog Candy Giveaway. This next Blog Candy is the 4th Place Blog Candy for the Hawaiian Giveaway and it is scrumptiously called the "Rainbowlicious" Kit and here's why......Check out all this colorful goodness......There's solid and patterned papers, clear stamps, and buttons galore.....and more! Plus, a little Hawaiian Treat that will surely satisfy any sweet tooth.

I can't hold off any longer to tell you who the Lucky Winner of this kit is......So, without any further ado.......Our New Lucky Winner this month is VALECHULA. She's a C.S.D. Sweetheart who rocks the C.S.D. Link Badge on her blog and has also spread the word about C.S.D. on a Scrapbooking site she frequents.

So, Congrats girly! This WIN is yours! Please contact me to claim your Blog Candy.

Can we reach 125 Sweethearts before September 1st??? Get the word out there about C.S.D. at all the scrapbooking related sites you frequent girls!!

"Uptown Girls"

So how did you all like this "Warm It Up" Pre-Challenge? Was it right up your alley or was it a complete and utterly Challenge for you all to use warm colors? I'm more of a bright colored girl myself so it was a bit of a Challenge for me.

Yup! I played along with you all this round. No excuses....I'm not on Vacation in Hawaii anymore. LOL

I was surprised at how many turned in Submissions this time around. There were a bunch of you and you've ALL got talent! That made it SO much harder on choosing a Winner this round. But, it's all in fun anyway right? I'll announce who the Winner is in a bit but first check out all this Eye Candy!

"Butterfly Kisses" by ME Lynnette Davis

Special Ingredients: Patterned Papers-Making Memories, Creative Imaginations, Melissa Frances, Basic Grey, Anna Griffin and Bazzill Basics. Embellishments-Jenni Bowlin, Prima Marketing Ins., Bazzill Basics, and Other. Pen-Signo.

This layout is of my two daughters a couple of years ago at a Family Reunion. I love designing things period.....Whether it's scrapbooking layouts, the decor in my home, the decor in other peoples homes and also in clothing. So every once in awhile (especially on special occasions) such as this, you will find my girls dressed exactly alike. Here they are in an ensemble that I designed myself.

"Outtakes" by Yvonne

"Boot Rockin' Diva's" by Myia

"Fall Mini Book" by Sandy

"Grow" by Carla

"Beautiful Baby" by Karyn

"Earth Day" by Bree

"You are my Sunshine" by Michelle

"Paradise" by Mica

"I am not playing!" by tinkersdamn

"For the love of Fall" by Diana

"Remember This" by Jen

"Brad & Chris' Wedding Day" by Blondeone

"King of Fruits" by Mazlina

"Dream" by Amber

Now was that not a sight to see?

On to the Winner of this "Warm It Up" Pre-Challenge.....

The Winner is.....Sandy with her "Fall Mini Book." She must have spent countless hours working on her "Warm It Up" Submission and I applaud her for her time and dedication to C.S.D. Please click on her name under her Submission photo to view the rest of her "Fall Mini Book." You'll be glad you did. It truly is a sight to see. *Sandy please contact me regarding your Winnings.

And thank you to all of you who participated in this "Warm It Up" Pre-Challenge. It was so much fun going through all the wonderful Submissions. Keep them coming and continue to play along in future events here for your chance at winning some awesome prizes!

The Warm It Up Pre-Challenge Prize Kit

"Uptown Girls"

"Warm It Up" PRE-Challenge

This photo doesn't have anything to do with this Pre-Challenge....Well....it does happen to have warm colors in it....but I just wanted to share it with you all because I thought it was funny. Check out all those funny tourists! LOL

"Warm It Up" Pre-Challenge

Due: August 12, 2009

With this Pre-Challenge comes a 9th Blog Candy Giveaway for the month of August. What a way to celebrate BIG before our Official Launch in September ha?

Well, I have many reasons to celebrate and I love giving things away. If I could, I would seriously give you all Blog Candy...just for being Sweethearts!

Now....I'm hosting this PRE-Challenge with the Launch of C.S.D. in mind. It's only a month away and SERIOUSLY....you have NO IDEA what you're in for! The Lollipop Girls of C.S.D. and I plan to take Paper Crafting Challenges to a Whole NEW Level and you are going to be EX-CI-TED!!!! Even more than you are now. I tell ya!

So, with that said....I thought you would need a little warm up before the BIG Debut.

For this Pre-Challenge "Warm It Up" you may create any Paper Creation that your heart desires. However, you are to use ONLY warm colors on your creations alright?

IF you choose to create a Scrapbooking Layout you must use the sketch provided as inspiration. MAKE IT YOURS! Much thanks to Anam from Twisted Sketches for providing this sketch for us to use!

Instead of using White, try Beige. Instead of Pink, try Red. Instead of Black, try Brown. No Bright colors, no Pastel colors....just Warm....to go with the spirit of this Pre-Challenge.

You must also:

- include your Special Ingredients and a Short Description/Journaling about what you made.

We have done away with the Mister Linky Widget because we were having too many problems with it. So, simply include a link to your Paper Creation for this challenge when posting your comments.

I'm looking forward to seeing your "Warm It Up" Creations! Make me happy girls!

With Love,

Lynnette Davis

Oh and P.S. The Winner of this Pre-Challenge will win this Sweet Uptown Girls Kit!!! Good Luck!!!

Winner will be announced on August 13th.

Pattern Paper - Prima; Embellishments - 7gypsies rubbings and Journaling Spot Receipt, Imaginisce Bazzill Crocheted Blossoms, DCWV Vellum Quotes, Sticko Mini Brush Letters, Making Memories Velvet Brads, Ribbon, Fiber, Transparency Sticker Quotes and Buttons.

"Black Sheep"

It's about time I announce our 3rd Lucky Winner of the month....

....Who will this "Black Sheep" Kit go to?....

....Well, she's a Certified Scuba Diver/Cake Decorator and she married a man she met on one of her scuba dives and ended up making her very own wedding cake....

....Her name is Jona Panesa and she's from the Phillipines. She's another dedicated Sweetheart of C.S.D. and I only hope to see more of her and her fabulous work around here.

Congratulations Jona! I hope you'll be able to capture many more family moments with this kit. Please contact me regarding your prize.

Special Kit Ingredients: Coordinating papers from Bazzill Basics, Basic Grey, Scenic Route, and more; Alphabet Stickers from Scenic Route; Rhinestones from Kaiser Crafts; Chipboard from K&Company and more; Soft Spoken Embellies from Me & My Big Ideas and much, much more.....Enjoy!

"Little Girls"

Aren't Little Girls just the cutest? "Little Girls" happens to be the name of our next Blog Candy Giveaway. This next Winner happens to have 3 Little Girls of her own and 2 of them are twins. Now, that's cute! She's a Las Vegas, Nevada Native and she's also addicted to bling.....so this Blog Candy Kit should surely win her over.

The 2nd Blog Candy Winner is Myia Shantrice. Myia is another Sweetheart who's been with us from the very beginning, leaving comment after comment....even on other participants blogs. As far as I know she's referred at least 1 other Sweetheart to C.S.D. She has also participated in just about every activity we've hosted and she's been rockin' the C.S.D. Link Badge on her Blog. Now that my Sweethearts is dedication! She's SO dedicated that this happens to be her 2nd Blog Candy she's won here on C.S.D. and we haven't even been around but a little over a month. Lucky gal!

Special Kit Ingredients: Various coordinating papers by DCWV, Bazzill Basics, and Imagination Project. Embellishments: Prima Marketing Inc. flowers, My Mind's Eye Rub-on and tag, Pebbles Inc i kan dee Eyelet Brads, Making Memories Vellum Tag, Fancy Pants Transparency, and much, much more!!!

It's been such a pleasure having you as a Sweetheart Myia! Thank you for your dedication!

"Tough Dude"

"Tough Dude!" That's the name of the Kit I'm giving away to our Very 1st Winner in August. It also describes Cupid's Accident in this picture explaining why LOVE is sometimes delayed. What a good way to think of it!

Let's see....Our Very 1st August Winner tries to blog every single day and it's almost always scrap-related....She has waaay too much stuff in her scrapbooking stash....Sound familiar??? Yeah, I'm sure we all can relate to that....BUT if you aren't living in the UK then it's not you. Sorry!

Our Very 1st August Winner lives in the UK and is originally from Australia. Good day Karyn! You are C.S.D.'s Very 1st August Winner. Congratulations! You will receive this "Tough Dude!" Kit to add to your stash. Hopefully you'll get to put it to use before it gets lost in it. LOL Karyn happens to be one of C.S.D.'s Very 1st Sweethearts and a very dedicated one too, I might add. She leaves comments all the time here, rocks the C.S.D. Badge on her own blog and posts about C.S.D. very often. She also participates in Pre-Challenges and Tutorials and boasts about C.S.D. on other scrap-related forums. She really helps get the word out about C.S.D. and that is why I am so happy to be able to show her my thanks.

This just goes to show that your dedication as a Sweetheart of C.S.D. will never go un-noticed!

Special Kit Ingredients: Various coordinating papers by Basic Grey, Scenic Route, Bazzill Basics, and others; Embellishments: Prima Marketing Inc. Epoxy Stickers, Kaiser Craft Rhinestone Curved Arrow, I kan dee Eyelet Brads, Basic Grey Buttons and various coordinating ribbons and fibers.

Hawaiian Giveaways

Today is the very last day to enter your chance at winning 1 of the 4 Hawaiian Prize Pack Giveaways. Please see the "4 Hawaiian Giveaways" posting for details.

Interested in being one of our talented Lollipop Girl Design Team Members? Tomorrow is your last day to get your applications in to me. The DT Call is posted at the top of the blog.

It is now Official. An 8th Blog Candy will be added into the pot to be given away in the month of August.

Thank you one and all for such dedication to C.S.D. and for getting the word out there. I appreciate everyone of you!

Check back tomorrow for another Pre-Challenge here at Candy Shoppe Designs.

Let's Celebrate to 100 Sweethearts!

Candy Shoppe Designs is getting more and more popular. We're closing in on 100 Sweethearts (Followers) and......

1) C.S.D. has only just begun a little over a month ago and

2) C.S.D. hasn't even really Launched yet!

All the more reason to add an 8th Blog Candy to the Giveaways in August. Yay to reasons!

100 Sweethearts = the 8th Blog Candy in August

So, go tell ALL your friends/followers about Candy Shoppe Designs because when we reach 100 Sweethearts that just means 1 thing for you....a better chance at winning one of the 8 Blog Candies.

If you haven't yet become a Sweetheart of C.S.D. yourself then NOW is the time to do it. YOU could be the next Lucky Winner to receive Sweet Blog Candy from C.S.D.

Check out the very first blog posting here (in June) and the Hawaiian Giveaway blog posting to see how you could have your chance at winning one of these awesome Blog Candies.

Good Luck to you all and thank you for all your support!

Aloha!

There's just 2 more days left for you to enter for your chance at winning 1 of 4 Hawaiian Prize Packages being given away in August.

And......Did you forget to read the first post here at C.S.D.? It's our Introduction and it will explain more about another giveaway that I think people are passing by too easily.

There will be a total of 7 different Prize Packages to be given away here on C.S.D. shortly in the month of August.

Remember, you can't win if you don't enter!

Also, the search is still on for the Lollipop Girls of C.S.D. Design Team. Do you think you have what it takes to be a Lollipop Girl? Submit your application and you'll soon see. All Lollipop Girls chosen to be on the DT will be notified by August 1st.

4 Hawaiian Giveaways

Hey Sweethearts!

I'm sorry for the delay with this posting but I have been having technical difficulties with more than just my computer. My cameras memory card keeps saying that it's full. I'm guessing I'll need to delete some images off of it for it to work again.

The Hawaiian Prize Pack Giveaway is still on however and I will post the prize pictures when announcing who the 4 Lucky Winners are. Yup! That's right! There will be 4 Winners this round.

A 1st Place Winner, a 2nd Place Winner, a 3rd Place Winner and a 4th Place Winner.

I'm going to share the Aloha of my Hawaiian Vacation with you four + I'm going to give some crafting goodness along with it.

All you have to do is the following:

- Be sure you are a Sweetheart (Follower) of C.S.D.

- Rock the C.S.D. Link Badge on your blog.

- Create a posting talking all about C.S.D. and it's current giveaway and make sure to include a working link leading back to C.S.D.

- Then, leave a nice comment after you've completed all of the above.

*Get extra entries for each additional place you post about C.S.D. (all you have to do is include the links to these other postings in your comment).

Deadline for entries will be next Thursday, July 30th. The 4 Lucky Winners will be announced throughout the month of August.

Good Luck & Mahalo!

Can't you just taste the Rainbow?

I'm sure it will be easy to after seeing all this yummy Eye Candy turned in for the 2nd Pre-Challenge - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

What beautiful creations you all did....and colorful. It somehow makes me crave a shaved ice cone from Hawaii. I wish I was back there right now. I'm suffering some serious jet lag with the 6 hour difference. What a wonderful 3 weeks Vacation it was though.

So here were all the entries turned in....





































Without any further ado the Lucky Winner is....Michelle Jacknicke a.k.a. TwistedSoda from Canada with her "Crazy About You" Layout. Congratulations Michelle! Please contact me regarding your prize and thanks so much for playing along.

I hope everyone checks back here tomorrow as I have some yummy goodies to give away from my Hawaiian Vacation. Mmm!!!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow PRE-Challenge

I hope all you Sweethearts are ready for another Pre-Challenge because Jennifer French has another that she wants to share to inspire you all. I'm absolutely loving all this help I'm getting from her while I'm on vacation in Hawaii till next week. Thank you again Jennifer!

This Pre-Challenge is called "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." SO fitting being that I am in Hawaii right now and Bruddah Iz (Famous Singer in Hawaii) sang this popular song.

There are just 2 simple rules to this Pre-Challenge. These rules were prepared with love and are as follows:

1. You are to use every color of the Rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple) in your creation

2. You must also share your Special Ingredients of your sweet creation AND a short description. Here's just an Example of how this can be done:

Special Ingredients-

Cardstock Paper: Bazzill Basics

Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket, Jenni Bowlin

Embellishments: Flowers-Prima Marketing, Chipboard-Tim Holtz, Brads-Making Memories

Pen: Signo Uni-ball

Other: Unknown

Short Description-Our day at Hanauma Bay was everything we expected and more. The sun was bright, the water was cool, the fish were swimming and at the end of the day a beautiful rainbow in the sky became a backdrop for all our pictures.

*You are allowed to make ANY paper creation of your choosing whether it be a scrapbook layout, card, altered item, etc. The choice is yours!

**When posting your layout on your blog/gallery you should include a working link to C.S.D.

Here's some Eye Candy for you...Jennifer created this scrapbook layout based on the rules for this Pre-Challenge and this is what she came up with (less the Special Ingredients and Short Description).

What's in it for you if you play along? Well, of course we're not going to have you creating something for nothing. Silly you! Check out this prize pack Jennifer will be sending to a Random WINNER of this Pre-Challenge! It includes a 6x6 American Crafts Mini Album and 19 sheets of coordinating 6x6 paper.

Don't forget to enter a link to your layout below and to become a C.S.D. Sweetheart (Follower). You need to be one in order to win. Due Date to enter for this Pre-Challenge (for the prize) will be July 18th. WINNER will be announced on July 19th.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow Pre-Challenge Participants

1. twistedsoda 2. Jen

3. Jen 4. Jen

5. Karyn (UK) 6. Myia Shantrice

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

It's getting hot in here!

Hey Sweethearts!

It's that time to pick a WINNER from the "Fan Flowers" projects you made.

First off, here are all the yummy entries that were submitted.

Thank you so much for participating in this wonderful tutorial Jennifer French shared!

Yummy Right? Well, as you all know there can only be 1 WINNER, so Jennifer French did a random draw and the Lucky Winner is....Calie with her Fan Flowers Summer Banner Creation. Congratulations Sweetheart and we hope you enjoy the 2 delicious Fan Flowers coming your way from the talented Jennifer French. (Please contact me with your mailing info. so I can pass it on to Jennifer).

Fan Flowers Tutorial

I must say that I am in love with making these Fan Flowers. I love the depth they give to all of the paper crafts I create. They are super easy to make and they are a great way to use up your leftover paper scraps from your stash.

Follow these simple and easy instructions on how to make your very own Fan Flowers.

"How-To" Instructions Courtesy of Jennifer French.

Start with cutting a strip of paper from your scraps. You can use a straight edge scissors or decorative edge scissors. Keep in mind that the Fan Flower will be twice the width you choose when it is finished. Here I cut a 3/4" strip, so my finished Fan Flower will be about 1 1/2". Try to keep the length of the strip about 8-12" long.

Next you are going to begin the process of folding back and forth to create the fan fold. Keep the folds small (about 1/8"-1/4"). Here I folded every 1/4".

Make sure the peaks/valleys of your folds line up with each other.

When your finished with the fan folding technique your strip of paper should look something like this. Make sure that on both of the ends the paper is facing upwards. (See close-up picture).
(Close-up picture)

Now take those two ends and attach them together. You can staple them together like I have done or you can use tape or glue, whatever works. If you used a one-sided patterned paper notice that the patterned side is on the inside of the circle form.

TIP: If you used a double-sided patterned paper keep the patterned side that you like on the inside of the circle form. When your done attaching the two ends, flip it inside out.

For this next step you will need quick drying glue. Freehand Cut a 1" circle from cardstock paper and apply the glue to one side of it. I used Mod Podge but I'm sure there are other faster drying glues.

Then take the fan folded circle and glue it down to the 1" circle to keep the shape stablized. You are going to gently push the circle inward until it lays flat so the patterned paper is all you see.

Be sure you form the shape that you want quickly. It may be best to use two hands for this part of the technique.

You will have to hold the two pieces together for about a minute until the glue dries completely. Here I just applied pressure to it by using a heavy bottle.

Once dry you can decorate the center however you wish. I stitched a button to the center but you can use brads, beads or even a flower. You can even ink, paint or stickle the edges of the fan flower if you wish.

In the end you will have a beautiful and inexpensive fan flower that you can use to decorate your paper creations.

Don't forget to enter a link to your fan flower creations below and to become a C.S.D. Sweetheart (Follower). One Lucky Winner will receive 2 beautiful Fan Flower creations from the talented Jennifer French. Due date to link up your fan flower creations for the prize is July 8th. Winner will be announced on July 9th. Feel free to link up your creations after the due date. We love to see all your Eye Candy!

It's All About Me!

Hey Sweethearts! It's that time to pick our Lucky Winner from our very 1st Pre-Challenge here at C.S.D. I had such a great time looking at all the submissions and everyone's different takes on the challenge. Thank you for participating! You all did such a great job! Check out all this Eye Candy!














Yummy right? Well, as you all know there can only be 1 WINNER. Jennifer French did a random draw and the Lucky Winner is........Myia with her "It's all about me!" layout. Congratulations Sweetheart and we hope you enjoy your Delicious Blog Candy! Please contact me with your mailing info. so I can pass it on to Jennifer. I hope everyone joins us tomorrow for our very first "How-to" Demonstration from Jennifer. Plus, there will be another Blog Candy to giveaway!

"From This Day Forward" Pre-Challenge

How's about a Pre-Challenge for all of you out there who wants to get the ball rolling already? I know I can't wait for the BIG Debut on September 1st and it just seems SO far away!!

So luckily, I had a challenge idea come in from the talented and clever, Jennifer French. We're calling it...."From This Day Forward." Sounds fitting doesn't it? Well, we thought since June was the month known for Weddings, ya know!?

Although this Challenge is based off of a "Wedding Theme" you DO NOT have to create a Wedding creation per se. It can be any theme of your choosing.

There are just 3 simple rules for this Pre-Challenge. These rules were prepared with love and are as follows:

1. You are to take this sketch provided by Jennifer and base your creation from it. You may take away from it, add to it, flip it, the choice is yours. Just as long as it's obvious that you got your inspiration from it. You are allowed to make ANY paper creation of your choosing whether it be a scrapbook layout, card, altered item, etc. The choice is yours!

2. You must include an item that is "something old" (6 months or older), "something new", "something borrowed" (the sketch, which is provided), and "something blue."

3. You must share the ingredients of your sweet layout AND a short description. Here's JUST an example of how this can be done:
Special Ingredients:
Cardstock Paper: Bazzill Basics
Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket, Jenni Bowlin
Embellishments: Flowers-Prima Marketing, Chipboard-Tim Holtz, Brads-Making Memories
Pen: Signo Uni-ball
Other: Unknown
Short Description-My son, Isaiah, is always the center of attention. We can go to a playground and all the parents have their eyes on him. He keeps me on my toes with all the dangerous and daring stunts he does or "tricks" as he calls them.

*When posting your layout on your blog/gallery you should include a working link to C.S.D.
Here's some Eye Candy for you....Jennifer created this scrapbook layout based on the rules for this Challenge and this is what she came up with. (Less the Ingredients and short Description).

What's in it for you if you play along? Well, of course we're not going to have you creating something for nothing. Silly you! Check out this prize pack Jennifer is willing to send to a random winner of this Pre-Challenge! It includes a 6x6 Basic Grey Sultry Paper Pad, Basic Grey Aura Stamps, Basic Grey Lotus Stamps, Creative Tags and American Crafts Ricky Mini Marks. PLUS a couple extra goodies too....2 handmade fan flowers especially made for you by Jennifer. *Your handmade items will be made with a different patterned paper than pictured.
**Check back on July 2nd when she gives a simple "how-to" demonstration on how to make these beautiful flowers.

Don't forget to enter a link to your layout below and to become a C.S.D. Sweetheart (Follower). You need to be one in order to win. Due date to enter for this Pre-Challenge (for the prize) will be June 30th. Winner will be announced on July 1st.

Lollipop Girl Design Team Call

Do you think you have what it takes to be a Lollipop Girl for C.S.D.???

Candy Shoppe Designs is holding a Design Team Call for the September-December 2009 Term. C.S.D. is looking for unique individuals to help keep the blog a fun place for people to keep coming back to. This call is for individuals who want to share their awesome talent, give people something to talk about and inspire others.

Lollipop Girls are expected to:
-show dedication to their position as a DT member for C.S.D., as they will be held responsible for 9 or more different layouts/projects during their 4 month term (from September-December 2009).
-be punctual!
-become a "Sweetheart" (Follower) of the C.S.D. Blog and show their presence by leaving comments. What's a "team" without Team Spirit?
-promote C.S.D. wherever possible.
-show off the C.S.D. Link Badge and Lollipop Girl Blinkie in Blogs/Forums where it's OK to.

As a DT member you will be allowed bragging rights of being a "Lollipop Girl for C.S.D." You will have your picture and fun facts about you on the C.S.D. Blog along with a link leading back to your own personal blog (if you have one). You will have your bi-weekly creations featured on C.S.D. to give our Sweethearts some inspiration. You'll have the first opportunity to contribute ideas about topics we should cover and/or challenges we should host. You can include the DT position on your scrapbooking resume and at the end of your successful 4-month term you will be sent a "Goodie Box" filled with products from C.S.D. and it's Sponsors as a big thank you for your time and commitment with C.S.D.

***Applicants should take all Lollipop Girl Requirements listed above into consideration before applying for the position.***

To Apply Please Submit:
-Your full name, nickname, address, telephone number, email, blog link (if you have one), as well as links to other online forums you take part in regularly (incl. your user names for each).
-Info. of any DT's that you are currently on or have been a part of in the past. Experience is not a requirement for this position.
-Info. of any published work. Again, not a requirement.
-A total of 7 of your favorite layouts that best represents your scrapbooking style.
-3 other projects that you are proud of. It can be cards, altered items, mini books, and even additional layouts, etc.

-21 Random Fun Facts About You.
-A headshot.
and
-A short & sweet BUT detailed essay as to why you feel you would be an asset to the C.S.D. DT. (Do you design sketches? Do you have a knack for certain areas? Do you know of any possible sponsors? Let me know!)
-Be sure to also include a detailed idea for a challenge to possibly host on the blog. Be sure to include pictures (if any). I want to see how unique you can get!

Send All Information To:
Lynnette Davis at candyshoppedesigns@hotmail.com with "I wanna be a Lollipop Girl for C.S.D." in the subject line. Due date for entries will be July 31, 2009. Designers chosen to be the Lollipop Girls for C.S.D. will be informed by August 1st via email. The DT will then be announced on September 1, 2009 during the debut of C.S.D.

Welcome to the Sweetest Blog on the Block!

Candy Shoppe Designs is a Foxy New Paper Crafting Challenge Blog that is Scheduled to Launch on September 1, 2009!!!

Paper Crafters of all skills and levels are invited to come here....Not only to participate in Creative Bi-Weekly Challenges....but to share their own "Eye Candy." In this case, that would be all your pretty little creations that you're so proud of making....which include, but are not limited to - Scrapbooking Layouts, Cards, ATC's, and Altered Items.

Along with every Submission and/or Comment you make (no matter how old the blog posting is) you have a chance at winning some Sweet Blog Candy!

Become a "Sweetheart" (Follower) and leave a comment sharing 3 Random Fun Facts About You so that we can all get to know each other a little better. Also, share how you found C.S.D.

By doing so you will be entered to win 1 of 3 Sweet Blog Candies.

Leave separate comments for each additional one of these tasks you do to get extra entries for the giveaway.
-Promote C.S.D. on your own blog by rockin' out this here Link Badge....

-Refer a friend. If another "Sweetheart" leaves a comment saying they found C.S.D. through you, you will get an extra entry for each person you will have referred to C.S.D. So go spread the news!!!

The 3 Lucky Blog Candy Winners will be picked and announced during the month of August.

The reveal of the Blog Candy will be posted along with the Winners Name(s), Random Fun Facts and their Blog Links. Blog Candies will be a Sweet Surprise!