Challenge #6: Optional Theme--Home for the Holidays...Vintage Theme

Hello and welcome to The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up.  We had our biggest turnout yet in the last challenge with 55 cards linked up.  29 of those people also qualified for the Optional Theme; however, 12 of them forgot to add FT.   While we may catch some of them, it is always important to let us know whether you followed the theme so we can include you in the draw.

Well, now its time to get May's challenge under way.

The Basics

While you can find out ALL the information you need to know in order to participate in the challenge by checking out the 'Challenge Details' tab at the top of the page (or by clicking HERE), here is a refresher of the basics.

• Anyone can link up as many Christmas and/or December holiday themed cards (including Happy New Year's cards) throughout the month with an ANYTHING GOES theme.
• Every person who has linked up a MINIMUM of two (2) cards will be eligible to receive a specially designed Christmas themed digital paper.
• Each month there will be an OPTIONAL theme to follow.  Anyone who submits a card adhering to the monthly theme, will have the chance to win a prize from that month's guest sponsor.
• Every holiday card you submit to the link up, earns you one chance to win a special digital Christmas kit that will be offered up after the year is complete.

Now that the basics are out of the way, how about we get on with the details of Challenge #6.

Challenge #6

Optional Theme:  Home for the Holidays VINTAGE THEME

Do you remember Christmas time when you were little? All of us come from different eras and hopefully we all have some fond memories of Christmases past. The look of ornaments, decorations, wrapping paper and cards have definitely undergone changes in their appearances throughout the years. Have you stayed traditional to your roots or have you moved on with the times? Regardless of your style, this month we want to see a card that reflects the Christmases of old.

In order to have a chance to win the prize from our wonderful guest sponsor this month, make sure that your card has a vintage theme. So, break out those classic images, grungy papers and anything else that will give your card a vintage look. If you do follow the optional theme, be sure to add FT after your name so that we include you in the draw for the prize.

Remember, you don't need to follow the theme to link up your cards and earn a free paper each month, and have your name thrown into the year end draw for some extra digital goodies. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of a $15.00 gift card from Lunagirl.

Talking about Lunagirl, how about we get to know them a little bit better...

My name is Karen, owner of Lunagirl Images. In 2004, after collecting vintage ephemera for most of my life, I started digitizing and restoring images and designing digital supplies for artists and crafters (my husband collected antique books and prints, so we had quite a house full!) We are proud to have been the first company to offer digital vintage image collections of this size and quality at prices affordable to the home crafter.
At Lunagirl.com (and in my etsy shop) I currently offer you several hundred unique digital collage sheets and dozens of themed craft CDs -- over 30,000 images so far! They are a great resource for card making, scrapbooking, jewelry making, and much more, easy to use, carefully researched and curated, all thoughtfully organized and lovingly cleaned up, ready to you to use in your projects. I love altering and embellishing these beautiful and fascinating images and seeing what my customers create with them.

In addition to digital art and design, I enjoy painting on wood, creating assemblage icons and shrines, reading history books, bellydancing, cooking, and sewing with my vintage Singer. I'm also blessed to be the mom of two teenaged boys.
If you're looking for something in particular in vintage style, feel free to email me at info@Lunagirl.com!

Check out the great images that the team worked with this month for the start of the challenge. Clicking on any of the image watermarks will take you to their page in the Lunagirl store where each of these images can be found.

Victorian Christmas Collage

Dreaming of a Pink Christmas

Blue Noel

Jolly Old Saint Nick

Winter Fun

While team members had the option of working with any of my Décosse's Dynamite Doodles papers, I did create a special set called A Grungy Christmas, based on the theme for this challenge.  Check out the preview...

Everyone who links up a minimum of two cards during the month of May will earn ONE of the digital papers from this set.  The specific paper up for grabs will be shown during the winner announcement post.  Additionally, one random winner will earn the full set of papers.  

Have your say in determining which colour will be offered to those who link up a minimum of two cards this month by completing the poll in the sidebar on the top right hand side. (I might be a bit late switching out the polls this month so your patience is appreciated.)

Now check out what the Sleigh Belles came up with to inspire you.  Unfortunately, I just ran out of time to get my own card done for the start of the challenge.  Thank goodness I'm a co boss and can post when I want. ;)  So, I'll join Monica during the midway this month.  Laura on the other hand had the chance to create not only some cards but also some great tags; so, there are two extra projects from her!  Now normally we are strictly a card challenge but these tags deserved a place in the spotlight this month as well.

Clicking on the names will take you to the individual blogs where you can check out the details for all these wonderful creations...

<<<coming soon>>>

So what are you waiting for?  It is time to link up your Christmas and other holiday cards for May!  Whether you choose to link up two Anything Goes themed cards simply to earn your free paper this month, or you choose to also follow the optional theme to have a chance at the sponsor's prize, it is completely up to you!

If you are new to this unique challenge, you can find out the impetus behind why I started it under the 'Introductions' tab and all the details you need to know in order to participate, in the 'Challenge Details' tab (both tabs located at the top of the blog).

We have a packed month as usual; so, Monica and I hope to see you back with us soon!

• Join us on June 8th when we'll publish the names of the people who earned the free paper for April along with the winners and top picks from Challenge #5.
• Next, be sure to join us on June 15th, for our midway post where you'll get to see cards created by the Merry Maidens!
• Then on June 23rd, Monica will be back to share another holiday tradition with you all.
• Other special posts may be published throughout the month.  Be sure to sign up to have our posts delivered by email or follow us through Bloglovin' so you don't miss a thing!

CHALLENGE DETAILS SUMMARY
Each month we'll include a summary of details for the particular challenge taking place.  If you are new, please be sure to familiarize yourself with all the details and rules in the 'Challenge Details' tab at the top of the page.  Please note that dates and times listed below are for this particular challenge only:

• Cards for this challenge will be accepted from 6:00 p.m. (18:00 hrs), June 1st - 11:55 p.m. (23:55 hrs), June 30th, 2015.  
• You need to link up a minimum of two (2) Christmas or holiday themed cards each month in order to qualify to receive that month's digital paper.
• This is NOT a progressive challenge.  You can jump in at any time.
• You can link up as many holiday themed cards as you want as long as each entry is with a new project.  No backlinking.  HOWEVER, if you decide to follow the optional theme of our Vintage Theme (see specific details above), only a maximum of three (3) entries will qualify for the draw for this month's $15.00 gift certificate from Lunagirl.  You must add 'FT' after you name so we know which cards to add to the random draw for the sponsor's prize.
• The winners and top picks for Challenge #5 will be announced on July 8th in a special post.
• Make sure when entering your project that you mention The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up in your post with a link back to this blog.
• Please remember to link directly to your blog post where we can see your creation, and not just the generic link to your blog. Generic blog links will be disabled or deleted.

We look forward to seeing you participate!

Link Up Below:

An InLinkz Link-up