This week’s challenge is inspired by a woman named Roz Savage.  In 2003, she had the things that many of us think will make us happy: a great job, money, and a spouse.  However, these weren’t enough.  She knew, as many of us do, that there was something more in her heart, things that she needed to do.  According to a CNN article, she sat down and wrote two obituaries for herself.  One described the rest of her life as she was living it at the time.  No surprises, no changes, just a logical flow of a life from the present to the end.  In the second obituary, she wrote out her life as she wished it would be.  She answered the call of the things that were in her heart, and allowed herself the chance to do the things she wanted and needed to do.  Roz realized the possibility in her own life, and after deciding to pursue her dreams, she achieved her goal of rowing across the Atlantic.  Today, she’s continuing her passion and rowing across the Pacific.  The CNN article and links to Roz’s website can be found here:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/08/31/eco.roz.savage/index.html

So here’s the challenge:  Write two obituaries for yourself.  The first will describe the rest of your life as if you’ll never take another chance, as if it were to continue logically and without surprises from this day onward.  The second obituary will detail your life as you hope it will be.  What do you want to accomplish in this life?  Is there anything hidden in your heart struggling to be expressed?  This challenge might seem a bit morbid at first, but stick with it.  It’s ultimately life-affirming, because although death is a certainty, a fulfilling life isn’t.  I don’t think that any life is meaningless or accidental.  All of us have something that we are meant to achieve on this earth, and realizing the hidden desire in our hearts is the first step towards realizing our purpose.

I am pleased with the way the little pregnant dolly dress turned out. The shiny black and gold fabrics really looked great together. (Shiny fabrics always seem to photograph as extra-shiny for some reason.) I added a little jaunty matching hat, mainly because the doll’s giant head looked extra out-of-proportion with the huge belly. The black and gold collar turns into criss-cross straps in the back. The diagonal slash across the belly allowed me to adjust the black fabric to drape the black fabric in a manner that fit the belly well. A friend said that the slash of color across the belly was similar to the effect of what Ramon (on the show) was trying to go for, but less like a bowling bag. Someone else said it looked like an alien was slashing its way out of the belly. I guess you can’t please everyone. I wonder what the next challenge will be…

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Spoiler Alert! Don’t read if you don’t want to know what happened on Project Runway!

This week’s challenge will be a real doozy for me! In this episode, the designers have to design a look for a very pregnant celebrity! Now, I always design something that I can wear to the office. I am not very thrilled about either the prospect of pretending to be pregnant for a day or making something I know that I won’t wear more than this once. I considered calling up a friend who happens to be pregnant now, but decided that was way too weird. (“Hey, come on over and let me measure you for fashionable maternity clothes that you don’t even want!”)

It was a real quandry, until someone at the office had a bright idea: why not make a little pregnant doll and dress it up? So I took the crocheted Knit My Stash mascot dolly and crocheted a little pregnant belly onto him (her?). It’s very funny. I have started on the outfit, but am finding it a little difficult to work to such a small scale, and the form is so malleable and not-quite-human that I’m having to make a cartoonish outfit instead of something sleek and fitted. The best part of this design is that I didn’t have to go out and buy fabric — I could just use tiny scraps I already had. Furthermore, even though the hand-stitching is rather atrocious if you look closely, it was much quicker to put together a tiny look than a full-sized dress.

Congratulations Cindy, you ‘won’ Design Challenge #2!
I must say, I thought it was going to be so easy picking out a questionable, or undesirable, housewarming gift for this challenge. I imagined breezing into a TJ Maxx, Homegoods, etc and finding the perfect ‘pink elephant’. Not so my friend! I actually ended up taking half a dozen pictures on my phone, sending them back to the office to get a consensus.

I was literally overwhelmed with the infinite choices at my finger tips! For example, I considered a 4′ tall, gold plaster cast manatee (not just one, but 2 manatees- a mother cradling a her young) set in an elegant gold carved arching wave, or there was the majestic eagle with a 3 foot wing span clutching a fish of some short that caught my eye or the rooster that was painted in so many colors he could blend in to just about any color scheme. Wow. Now we know why unfortunate housewarming gifts happen so often!

Just thought I’d share my example for this fortnights challenge. Can’t wait to see what you all do

REMOVED FOR PUBLICATION

xx

CHALLENGE TWO:  Find a fact (and add a picture if you can) about China.  Everyone’s facts MUST be different.  The due date for this task is May 15th (@ 9am).

Day 2

The challenge: Paint a self portrait
Challenger: @riasharon

Two things you should know:
1. I painted a wicked bowl of fruit back in year 11.
2. In year 12 I owned an easel.

With this in mind, I was pretty confident. I was set to impress you all. Yay.

Sooo…

I sat in front of the mirror with my 150 gsm A3 sketch pad (natch), and then it occurred to me – portraits were never really my bag. Y’see if you’re painting fruit or rocks or grass you can afford to make mistakes… not so with a face – as I was about to discover.

I sketched a dodgy HB pencil outline and then reached for my paints. Oh no, apparently opened acrylic paint does have a best before date… crunch…

Not to worry…new strategy – old (pre) school – yeah, I whipped out the felt tips.
I sacked off the pencil too cos I didn’t have a rubber* in my house (does anyone?) Feeling brave, I went for a pen outline. Yikes, outline, not so hot… I was looking like an 80s boy that had been whacked in the jaw. The felt tips would save it though…

…or not, as I remembered – while colouring furiously and trying my best to stay within the lines – that felt tips have a habit of running out just when you’re on a roll…  oh well, at least I have beautiful ocean blue eyes (although, unfortunately, they do look like they might kill you).

Ok, I admit it, it’s shit – but wait till I get my paints back.

I enjoyed this one. I’d never try to draw myself on a regular Friday night.

One last thing, I don’t *think* I look like this in real life. Cos that would be bad. and unfortunate.

2 down.
363 to go…

See you all tomoz.

* eraser not condom.

This weeks challenge was influenced by the prize

 which has been kindly offered by our second brilliant sponsor

Daisy Chains Beads specialise in selling beads in smaller or rural communities that have less access to bead shops. We love to get out and about and meet beaders , experts and beginners alike. I  see so many beautiful beaded pieces, our customers are a real inspiration. i have a bit of a dream to invite them to come and display their work at an arts centre in Powys, maybe in 2009 or 2010. It will take a lot of organising and some grant aid, but perhaps it will happen one day.Our stock is very mixed, from Swarovski to plastic, Murano to delicas to ethnic wood. We also like to keep a good stock of threads and findings. Our main speciality is probably our clearance lines, I think most of customers are very pleased at our prices ! Recently we have had strands of 8mm glass crackle beads for just 95p each. I can’t promise there will be any of them left at future sales, but there will be other excellent buys. We open from 10.30 – 3.30 and admission is free. For more information see www.artsandcrafts.co.uk. You can find us over the summer at the following venues;
  

Sunday 22nd June 2008       10:30 - 3:30       Gresford Memorial Hall,  Gresford, Nr Wrexham	Sunday 29th June 2008       10:30 - 3:30       Bartestree Village Hall, Herefordshire
Sunday 20th July 2008       10:30 - 3:30       Uckington Village Hall,  Gloucestershire	Sunday 27th July 2008       10:30 - 3:30       Hatton Village Hall,  Warwickshire
Saturday 9th August 2008       10:30 - 3:30       St Isan Church Hall, LLanishen, Cardiff	Sunday 24th August 2008       10:30 - 3:30       Chalgrave Memorial Hall, Nr Luton
Bank Holiday Monday* 25th August 2008       10.30 - 3.30       Tackley Village Hall, Nr Oxford	Sunday 6th September 2008        10.30 - 3.30        Powick Village Hall,  Worcestershire
Sunday 28th September 2008      10.30 -3.30      Minerva Arts Centre, Llanidloes, Powys

Tracey here , if you get the chance you really should go, I went to a recent one and bought all the beads I used in my button shank braclet. The selection and prices were brilliant, oh and I bought a  few strand of the crackle glass beads for 95p

So thats our sponsor and what a stunning prize. I know i have been drooling over it since it arrived.  I now have all of them on my too buy list . The lucky winner will enjoy playing with these

So todays challenge is Beaded Beauties, you can use beads (and for definition we will allow gems in as flatback beads) You can use images of beaded ladies etc. You can use the title, if you make art beads you can enter those . If its beaded and you have made it it can be entered. You can use digital beads.  If you can relate it to the title then you can enter it, Good luck we can’t wait to see what amazing peices you come up with after last weeks entries. All the beads in the examples are available from Daisy Chains beads either on their site or at their fairs

Our Guest designer today is Marina talented crafter and designer and owner of Cherry Pie Art stamps . A few words from Marina about the challenge

When I accepted being a guest designer I didn’t know I was up for real challenge. I’m a stamper and painter before anything else so it was a surprise to hear I’d be working with beads! I love beads, but I can’t consider myself a beader. A collector of beads… yes!
Anyway, I decided to add to it another challenge by using another medium I never used before: aluminum (alluminium in British English?) sheets. And third challenge: do something I can hang on a wall and wear too!
I started with cutting a rectangular piece of aluminum sheet (the thin kind you can emboss and cut with your scissors).
Then I cut strips of it on the short side leaving them attached to the long side. I didn’t pay much attention to cut straight or cut them all the same size. Then I took silver wire, put some beads in and started weaving
through the cut strips. One strip up and one strip down. One bead or two on the upper side until I reached the end and then the same again each row but alternating beads and aluminum. (hard to explain……… ouch! Does it make any sense?)For the last row I folded the endings inside.
Next I attached my beaded “thing” to black cardstock, more alluminum background and a black frame.

This same piece is flexible and it can be shaped like an armband. (see photo)

Tracey here again , I should also point out that Fiona and Susie both took a deep breath when they found out what the challenge was and have been beading outside their box this week, as neither have used many beads before, and Susie has made her 1st  jewellery a lovely set of earings well done, I’ve only been beading myself for 2 months and I made my 1st earings too,  and with no more addue (if thats how you spell it). Here are the design teams examples

!!! 

All the design team went Wow when we saw Marina’s art peice, I think she rose to the challenge really well you can see more of marina’s work at http://zneiscrafty.ning.com/profile/marilenz and http://www.ebsqart.com/Artists/cmd_6212_profile.htm

Don’t forget that you can find us in the Chatroom this evening between 8pm and 9pm gaurenteed and later if we really get chatting .

I  was going to do a photo tutorial on my bolt of fabric bead, however , my 1st attempt at a photo tutorial did not go well, so I will be linking to a tutorial and just giving a few tips on how to acheive the bolt of fabric bead   , and there is a great collection of blingy paper downloads as seen on  JAKE The our little diamond digi lo,  on our freebee page.

Good luck to all who enter here Lol

In this challenge, the robot has to collect the Lego from the back of the furniture store (you have to complete Challenge 1 first), then deliver them to the house. Then it has to play a tune to tell the family that the furniture has arrived. If the furniture is delivered successfully, the team will earn 25 points.

This challenge is for the “Furniture Phobia” competition.

Challenge 2 voor de challenge die Yvonne heeft gestart is klaar!

Dit keer was de challenge: Huge letter. 1 grote letter op je layout.
Mijn layout gaat over mijn zusje Soraya.
Ze is biologisch gezien eigenlijk niks van mij!
Maar ik ken haar sinds haar geboorte omdat ze bij mijn (stief)vader woont,
en sinds haar geboorte is ze voor mij, mijn echte zusje!

Het is de laatst dag van het duo Yvonne en haar Crossfire.

Afscheid nemen van deze benzine slurper. Wel een hele mooie.

De laatste rit. Naar Veldhoven of all places! Daar zal de uitslag zijn van de My Lease Car Challenge. Iedereen heeft heel erg uiteenlopende acties ondernomen. Ik kan niet voorspellen wie er nu heeft gewonnen. We zullen zien.

Ik heb naast het gastredacteurschap, de mobile gallery en de AAF, erg mijn best gedaan op het filmpje van de uitelkaar klappende Business Challenger (hoe toepasselijk). Maar hoeje al deze acties kan meten in effectiviteit en creativiteit met de grote C moet je mij maar niet vragen.

In het hoofdkantoor van FedEx hing dan ook een vreemde spanning naar aanleiding van het laatste mailtje van het bestuur. Daar was natuurlijk lang niet iedereen het mee eens! Om de lieve vrede te bewaren werd daar dan ook vooral niet over gesproken.

Het barste er van de struisvogels. Groeien die in Veldhoven?

De uitslag: Marloes 1e, Rob 2e, en 3 derde plaatsen. En Peter niets!

Marloes Collins van Allergiesupermarkt.nl wint de tweede Challenge. Ze had ook een super leuk idee. Een dikke plus van de jury kreeg zij voor haar Myleasecar voor Powervrouwen, waarin de nadruk lag op het leaseautogebruik van vrouwen. Yvonne, Joost en Jan scoorden ieder een derde plaats en Rob pakte een tweede plek.

Wie snapt het nog?

Ik snap het niet maar begrijp het wel …

In this challenge, the robot needs to carry the christmas lights to the house, and either lower them onto the generator for 40 points or get a team member to put them onto the generator for 20 points.

This challenge is part of the “Christmas Celebrations” competition.

Unfortunately, Challenge 2 is being withdrawn due to the hardness of it. There is absolutely no way that the robot can lift the lights onto the house. If you had already registered and had received the mat, we will send you a new one free of charge. A replacement will be made later in October.

Sorry for any inconvenience. 

The robot must drive to the house, then (somehow) raise the christmas lights up onto the hook on the wall of the house. If the robot successfully does this, the team will recieve 50 points.

This challenge is part of the “Christmas Celebrations” Competition.