2 challenges to join this month...get going!!

First challenge is from Zeus and Zoe Blog..Hosted by DT member, Dana and her sample project using Deco Art products, our sponsor this month.

The month of March brings longer days, warmer temperatures, the rebirth of flora and fauna and Spring! A talented set of new designers begin their term this month and to celebrate the commencement of the new design term and the upcoming Spring Equinox, the Zeus and Zoe Team challenges you to create a project inspired by the theme "New Beginnings." If you started a new job, moved to a new city, are taking a class, treated yourself to a makeover, repainted your house, celebrated the birth of a child, or are reorganizing your scrap space we want to see how this journey has inspired you! This theme is open for interpretation, so we are adding an additional requirement for this challenge to use a mask or stencil on your entry.

This beautiful calendar page came in my Zeus and Zoe Kit and I immediately fell in love with the image and gorgeous color palette. I always look forward to Spring when things begin to turn green and flowers begin to bloom and I created an inspirational piece to hang in my scrap room.

This quote sticker is part of the 7 Dots Studio Hopefully collection and fit perfectly with the New Beginning Theme for the challenge this month.

The Zeus and Zoe Etsy Shop has a fabulous selection of Manor House Creations flowers and vintage trinkets.

I used molding paste, a DecoArt Jacobean Floral Stencil and Glamour Dust Glitter Paint to add this flower design to my page. I love the glittery finish from the paint!

Our sponsor for March is DecoArt.

Since 1985, DecoArt has manufactured one of the broadest lines of acrylic paints and finishes for general arts and crafts use in the world. The line includes all-purpose acrylics for professional artists, crafters, and students. Located centrally in the United States, DecoArt manufactures numerous specialty paints that are designed specifically for surfaces like glass, ceramics, fabric, and metal, from its Stanford, Kentucky production facility.

Product Overview
DecoArt has one of the widest selections of paints and finishes for arts, crafts, and home decorating. DecoArt has a full product line which includes over 25 brands of paint and finishes. DecoArt products are sold in all major craft chain stores in the United States, as well as having a strong market presence internationally in over 75 countries abroad. 

Commitment to Quality 
DecoArt assures its loyal and new customers that they can use their products with confidence. All DecoArt products are non-toxic and user- and enviromently-friendly.

DecoArt makea safe products. Their paints and specialty products are made in the USA to federally-mandated and industry-wide safety and quality standards as established by the Art & Creative Materials Institute (ACMI). ACMI employs one of the nation's top independent toxicology groups at Duke University. All of the DecoArt formulas are reviewed and have been certified as non-toxic by this group. 

For a chance to win some DecoArt products link up your newly created project by the end of the month.

Prizes:

Random Prize:

Here are the rules: 
1. Projects must be linked up to our linky tool in the side bar, using the URL of the ACTUAL POST, not your entire blog. 
2. You may submit as many entries as you would like and combine your entry with up to 2 other challenges. 
3. Post this challenge to your blog and mention, in your post, that you are playing along at Zeus and Zoe TOGETHER with a link back to our Zeus and Zoe blog. 
4. All entries must be received by MIDNIGHT EST on the 31st of March. 
5. Entries to be submitted via the linky tool at the top of the sidebar ONLY, not by email and not by linking up in the comments section please. 

Information about our challenges: 
1. Zeus and Zoe Challenges are open to anyone, anywhere in the world. 
2. Our DT do their best to comment on all entries, you can make their job easier by turning off your word verification. 
3. Challenges are held monthly and each month TWO winners are chosen. One winner is chosen by our DT and the other is chosen by random draw. 
4. Challenge winners will always be announced within a week of the challenge closing and winners are then required to contact Marivic. 
5. Prizes not claimed within two weeks will be forfeited. 
6. The Merit winner will have an image of their project featured in the winners post, together with a link back to the homepage of their blog. 
7. Winners will be awarded a Winner's Badge to post on their blog...full bragging rights included! 


Second Challenge:

Berry71bleu March Challenge

DT member, Kay is hosting this challenge. Below is her sample project.

Welcome to the March Challenge! 

 Kay here hosting my very first challenge for Berry71Bleu. 

I decided to go with a bright & 'colorful' theme--therefore this month's theme is "You Color My World" & the challenge is to use paint in your project.

I'd like for you to base your project on someone that just brightens your life. That one person(s) that adds 'color' to your life--that gives your life meaning & makes it all worthwhile. It can even be a pet! Being an owner of one very lovable fur baby I know how much unconditional love & happiness a pet can bring into someone's life--so yes, even pets count & yes it can be more than one person! If that person(s) or pet puts a smile on your face--then create a project in their honor!  You do not necessarily have to make it a bright & colorful project--just use the photos as inspiration since they are all lively & joyful photos.

The challenge is to incorporate paint into your project.  You can use paint in many ways on your projects--to add texture to your backgrounds, to add random splatters of color, to color embellishments such as chipboard...let your creativity be your guide!

At first I was going to scrap my newborn son--what can add more happiness & joy to someone's life than their first child right?  Then I thought...hmmm, can't leave Toby my fur baby out--he taught me the meaning of unconditional love!  Then after more thought I realized that I wouldn't have Toby or my son if it weren't for my husband.  So I based the page on him--the beginning of it all & the reason as to why I have the family that I'm part of today.

My husband is my better half & who started it all by asking 'Will you marry me?'  It was his idea to get Toby--it'll be our 'practice' child--that was how he was trying to sell the idea to me.  After much debate & much begging (from him) Toby came into our lives.  Five years later after my husband convinced me that yes, it was indeed time for me to become a mom & yes, I am capable of being a good mom--our son was born.  I take each step in life very carefully--however, my husband tends to be the one to give me that much needed final push to move forward.  So this project is dedicated to him, with much love!

I painted all of the chipboard cogs & gears with paints sponsored by DecoArt.  I had the pleasure of working with both their Ultra Frosted Fun paint & Twinkles Glistening Accents paint.  I first primed the chipboard with a bit of gesso.  Once dry I gave them all color with the blue frosted paint.  When that layer dried I applied both purple & blue twinkle paint to finish it up.  The twinkle paint was my favorite.  As you can see, this paint gave my cogs an amazing glittery texture!

I included these two paint brushes to be symbolic of having my husband 'color' my world.  These were actually the brushes I used to paint my chipboard cogs.  I just cleaned them a bit & adhered them to my page.

The light orange polka dots were made by using the Mod stencil also sponsored by DecoArts.  

You can find more details & closeups on my blog.  Ok, so now it's your turn!  Looking forward in seeing all those meaningful works of art from all of you...enjoy the rest of the week!

Following are the prizes & the rules...

March Sponsor

The prize:

The sponsor of our March Challenge is DecoArt.

"Since 1985, DecoArt has manufactured one of the broadest lines of
acrylic paints and finishes for general arts and crafts use in the
world. The line includes all-purpose acrylics for professional artists,
crafters, and students. Located centrally in the United States, DecoArt
manufactures numerous specialty paints that are designed specifically
for surfaces like glass, ceramics, fabric, and metal, from its Stanford,
Kentucky production facility"

Product Overview
DecoArt has one of the widest selection of paints and finishes for arts, crafts, and home decorating. DecoArt has a full product line which includes over 25 brands of paint and finishes.

Our products are sold in all major craft chain stores in the United States, as well as having a strong market presence internationally in over 75 countries abroad.

Our Commitment to Quality
DecoArt assures its loyal and new customers that they can use our products with confidence.
All DecoArt products are non-toxic and user and enviromently-friendly.
We make safe products.  Our paints and specialty products are made in the USA to federally-mandated and industry wide safety and quality standards as established by the Art & Creative Materials Institute (ACMI). ACMI employs one of the nation's top independent toxicology groups at Duke University.  All of our formulas are reviewed and have been certified as non-toxic by this group.

http://www.decoart.com

The winner of our March Challenge will win the following prize package from DecoArt:

The prize includes:  Three 8 pot paints; Americana Radiance, Dazzling Metallics Shimmer and Americana Pastel. Three stencils; Jacobean Floral, Flutterbies and Art Nouveau Medallions, along with a Medium assortment including Weathered Wood, Pearlizing, Fabric Painting, Thickening Medium, Drying Time Extended Medium and Staining Antiquing Medium.

There will also be a random winner who will win a this set of Craft Twinkles Writers:

Rules

1. You are allowed to make a an altered/off the page project as long as you follow the challenge specifications.

2. Projects must be linked up to our linky tool in the sidebar, using the URL of the ACTUAL POST not your entire blog.

3. You may submit as many entries as you want and combine your entry with up to 2 other challenges.

4. It is required that you mention in your blog post that you are playing along at Berry71Bleu TOGETHER with a link back to our blog.

5. All entries must be received by MIDNIGHT EST on the 31st day of the month the challenge was posted.

6. Entries to be submitted via the linky tool at the top of the sidebar ONLY, not by email and not by linking up in the comments section please.

Information About Our Challenges

1.  Berry71Bleu Challenges are open to anyone, anywhere in the world.

2.  Our Design Team do their best to comment on all entries, you can make their job easier by turning OFF your word verification.  Try it and if spam is a problem you can always enable comment moderation.

3.  Challenges are held monthly and each month TWO winners are chosen.  One winner is chosen by our design team, who all vote for the project they consider to be the best,while another winner is chosen by random draw.

4.  Challenge winners will always be announced within a week of the challenge closing and winners are then required to contact our Sponsor Co-ordinator, Agnieszka at starhorse@onet.eu

5.  Prizes not claimed within 2 weeks of the challenge closing will be forfeited.

6.  The Merit winner will have an image of their project featured in 

the winners post, together with a link back to the homepageof their blog.

7.  Merit winners will be awarded a Winner's Badge to poston their blog - full bragging rights included!

Happy Creating!