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[killarney_rose]

The past three months I've tried to scrap the photo of Stephen F Austin Statue. It wasn't until Retiree3 posted her die-cut challenge last month using dies that represented patriotism to our individual self did the inspiration come for the photo. When I found my Bo Bunny Liberty papers and the sheet of chipboard stickers did I once again come across a stumbling block. I love love having plenty of papers and embellies to choose from....whoops!!!! I purposely only purchased the chipboard to cut a few costs. Then it hit me.....use the 4x4 challenge you did last year to do the layout. Trust me.....this kind of challenge when never doing one will send you on a path to using it when having minimal choices in the future. This challenge totally made me rethink how to scrap and this time with the Stephen F Austin layout I still was challenged to think about my choices.

This is a very specific challenge. Please follow.



So what's a 4x4 challenge? You get to use four papers and four embellishments. Ink, mist, paint and alphas are free items.

Now for the twist! This month and next month allows you to have some real choices and you get to choose one. In October you will only have choice #3. I'm easing you into the challenge for two months!


1) Four papers: single sided or if double sided you can use only one side
2) Three papers: One paper double sided and two single sided papers or if double sided you can only use one side of the paper


and if you really want to test your skills then choose the #3!


3) Two papers: both are double sided (In the layouts below I used this one)



Embellishments: You must only use 4 embellishments. No more and no less!


For those making cards!!! Your papers have to be 6x6 papers and the cardstock counts as a paper.

When you post your layout to this thread you must list the choice of above on papers (1,2 or 3), list your embellishments and what papers and the manufacturer(s) or kit if digi.

So lets define an embellishment by looking at the two layouts below. In the 'Study of Amaryllis' it's easy to count the embellishments: 1) The flower sticker at the top of the page, 2) the journaling spot, 3) the bird sticker and 4) the twine. But wait a minute....there's a bread tab! The bread tab with heart sticker are hanging from the twine thus part of one embellishment. This embellishment was expanded and handmade so to speak!

Now it's harder to see the four embellishments in the Stephen F Austin Layout. I didn't want a journaling spot so there isn't one and if I journal later remember ink is a free item! The flourish is actually two chipboard stickers and is hidden by my die cut embellishment. That equals two embellishments with the flourishes. I put a sticker on the subtitle making it an embellishment. And my fourth embellishment is the chipboard banner. But wait....what about the die cut embellishment, does that make five embellishments? The answer! I made it from the papers I used for this layout so not included in the definition of embellishment. Get it, it's an embellishment but not. I cut a portion of the paper out from behind the photo to get the white paper from the back side to cut out with my star tag die and then cut the tag portion off and glued to the blue paper I used with my State of Texas die. I also fussy cut a red star to glue to the Texas.

I hope you understand you can alter an embellishment so it appears there is more than four embellishments or make you own embellishments from the papers you choose which don't count as embellishments.

Now lets look at the Papers. You have four papers. If you choose #3 there are some really easy ideas to get so many patterns or designs with just two papers. In both layouts I chose to use only two papers which are double sided. On the back of one of the papers used in the Amaryllis layout was four mini papers (6x6) thus in actuality it gave me seven different papers! On the Austin layout one paper was titled as "cut outs"! I had the six inch mini paper on one side, and then tags, cute little squares, borders, etc. all on one double side sheet of paper. I did a huge amount of fussy cutting, too....to get this layout done!

If it helps I have linked both layouts so you can see what I used to make both layouts!

Now your free items. Alphas are free....so have fun with them. Ink, mist and paint are used to alter paper and embellishments there are so many different techniques to achieve the look you want. So have some fun with them!

Any questions please PM me and if needed I may post them to thread so check back to see if I've update this post.

Remember I'm playing along, too, for next month's example of the 4x4challenge!





[highlight=#e1ebf2][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN]Paper, digi, and hybrid always accepted! Cards, too![/highlight][/highlight]

[highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN]Layouts must be posted here in this thread as there is no gallery for them, by midnight August 31st ACOT time![/highlight][/highlight]

Winner chosen by random number generator for a $5 ACOT GC.[/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight]
[highlight=#e1ebf2][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN]
May be combined with one other challenge if allowed by the other challenge.

Wonderful Cherries Participating in the 4x4 Challenge!

1) blbabe1234[/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight]
[highlight=#e1ebf2][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN]2) retiree3[/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight]
3) HCayH[highlight=#e1ebf2][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN][highlight=#NaNNaNNaN]
[/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight][/highlight]
4) aceason
5) sadie_mae
6) oceanbreezes423
7) sandi0805



Wow I am humbled there were seven of you who took the plunge!!! I hope you will come back for September!!! I think all of you had such wonderful layouts! I apologize for not getting the winner sooner.....107 and 105 respectfully left my scrap building cooled by a water cooler hot hot and dear hubby Larry wanted his wife with him while fishing!

The winner is by random number generator:

sadie_mae

Congrats!!!!

sadie_mae I'll be purchasing your GC Wednesday or Thursday as I'm traveling tomorrow and we don't use our debt cards unless absolutely necessary on weekends or holidays and we have no credit cards.

[letumom]

Oooh.....this one is really interesting. Will have to think seriously about trying it!

[1grandma]

OK, KIM. Game on!

[blbabe1234]

Wow....I'm gonna have to think about this one. BUT FOR SURE, it'll BE FUN! Thanks for the challenge!

[beachlover]

I definitely want to try this, you have beautiful LO's there Kim!

[scrappininAK]

wonderful paqes - I'll get my brain around this and play along too

[Ayla]

Sounds fun....will have to see if I can get some time to work on this one!

[pawprints]

Fun challenge Kim!

[blbabe1234]

I hope I did this right. I chose the 1st option - 4 sheets of paper. All of mine are single sided. My four embellishments are: "woof!" sticker, tag sticker, little doggie sticker, and the 3D paw print, which happens to be made out of one of the sheets of papers.

[killarney_rose]

I hope I did this right. I chose the 1st option - 4 sheets of paper. All of mine are single sided. My four embellishments are: "woof!" sticker, tag sticker, little doggie sticker, and the 3D paw print, which happens to be made out of one of the sheets of papers.

You did it right Brandy!!! But, you could have added another embellishment because if you make an embellishment out of the papers you used it doesn't count as one of your four embellishments if you don't want it to.

[Ayla]

I have a question, or maybe I'm just not getting this? How can you use 2 double sided papers only? If I want a 12x12 layout, one of the sides would be completely unused and thus I will only have essentially 1 background paper and then 1 double sided paper to play with. 4 single sided papers or 1 double sided paper plus 2 singles are doable to actually show all 4 papers, but how do you show all aspects of 2 double sided ones? Can I use a cardstock background without it counting? I also realized that by October, when you HAVE to use only 2 double sided papers, that digi is being knocked out. Just some thoughts on this rainy morning.

[killarney_rose]

I have a question, or maybe I'm just not getting this? How can you use 2 double sided papers only? If I want a 12x12 layout, one of the sides would be completely unused and thus I will only have essentially 1 background paper and then 1 double sided paper to play with. 4 single sided papers or 1 double sided paper plus 2 singles are doable to actually show all 4 papers, but how do you show all aspects of 2 double sided ones? Can I use a cardstock background without it counting? I also realized that by October, when you HAVE to use only 2 double sided papers, that digi is being knocked out. Just some thoughts on this rainy morning.

Give me a your rainy morning at the ranch!!! Yet we do have a 20% chance!


Your right digi girls would be knocked out.....but I'm not doing that to ya'll!!! You'll still get to play using what's allowable right now. This challenge is though really designed for paper scrappers and to get them to think outside the box. The second time this type of challenge gets a whole lot easier!

Sure you can use cardstock.....but it counts as a paper! Then you have to use another single sided and one double sided.

Maybe showing you papers in this post will help!

This is the paper I used on the Austin layout!



The stars on my layout came from the front side in this photo. How did I get them. If I were to flip my layout over you would see a hole I cut out underneath my photo to use the paper. When I get back to the ranch this weekend I will get a picture of the back of the layout so you can see what I did and post it. Of course the larger the size of the photo the more of the backside one can use. And then it also makes you think about how to design the layout.

Now for a some of papers to show you how to increase your ability to have more choices in patterns and colors.

Again moving to two other lines of Bo Bunny you can see what their cut-out papers look like:



And both papers are linked to see the back side!

And from We Are Memory Keepers:



And from Graphic 45:



Or from older lines of Echo Park:



This is how you get all the patterns and different colors you would need to do a layout. The Amaryllis layout had an ugly blue on the backside of my background paper. And with the Echo Park Paper I used only the side with the four patterns my photo is mounted on. On that layout I essentially used only two papers.

What it boils down to is how you interpret to use the two double sided papers.

Just remember if you use the papers you have chosen to create an embellishment then it doesn't count as one of your four embellishments unless you want it to.

I hope this helps!

[Art_Teacher]

I have also been know to cut the double-sided papers in half, so I can use both patterns. I cut them, then put them together with double-sided tape on the back and a strip of scrap paper. Sometimes I put a ribbon or a contrasting paper strip over the joint on the front, too. Here is a layout where I did that:

[blbabe1234]

Thank you for the clarification Kim. I was a little confused as whether the paw print I created out of paper would count as an embellie are not. But as my LO stands, since the paw print is so large, I really don't need any other embellies (in my opinion). But next time, I'll know. It was a great challenge Kim.

[killarney_rose]

I have also been know to cut the double-sided papers in half, so I can use both patterns. I cut them, then put them together with double-sided tape on the back and a strip of scrap paper. Sometimes I put a ribbon or a contrasting paper strip over the joint on the front, too. Here is a layout where I did that:

Whoo hoo Laura!!!! Thank you for posting the hint!

And then there is nothing in the rules you can't take that paper in your stash that says to you "UGLY, Why the heck did I buy it and use it to build the layout on instead of using a joint!!! I typically do that when I cut out a frame 12x12 frame when I want to use the paper for something else.

Oh the horrors Nancy......I did just that when I found some Golf paper I had purchased with pretty green Saint Augustine Grass to use the grass for a cattle layout!!! What was I thinking!!!! Grass like that typically doesn't occur in my pastures especially this time of year.....we are under a burn ban.....and had a wildfire about six miles from the ranch last Sunday because some one threw out a cigarette.....burned about 90 acres. Terrible when pasture is so precious to feed cattle this time of year! On top of that cattle and horses like to bypass St. Augustine as it's course, loaded with water, and doesn't taste good to them. Never mind it doesn't do well in drier climates like the ranch.....but beautiful lawns in warm humid climate!!!

[blbabe1234]

I have also been know to cut the double-sided papers in half, so I can use both patterns. I cut them, then put them together with double-sided tape on the back and a strip of scrap paper. Sometimes I put a ribbon or a contrasting paper strip over the joint on the front, too. Here is a layout where I did that:

SUPER cute Laura!

[pawprints]

I have also been know to cut the double-sided papers in half, so I can use both patterns. I cut them, then put them together with double-sided tape on the back and a strip of scrap paper. Sometimes I put a ribbon or a contrasting paper strip over the joint on the front, too. Here is a layout where I did that:

This is ADORABLE Laura!

[writerlady]

I'll give this a try!

[Ayla]

Thanks....that helps. Hopefuly this stupid move will be accomplished soon and I can start eating paste again very soon!

[Retiree3]

I hope I did this right. Just let me know if I didn't.

Here is my LO. I chose # 1. My 4 embellishments are the sticker- you rock, label for the date, the journaling spot, and the airplane.