Challenge #79: Opt. Twist…Christmas in July (i.e. Anything Goes Christmas)

 Hello, crafters! It is the first day of July and that means it is time for our next challenge to get under way!  I hope that you and your families continue to stay safe and healthy. 

 

Typically, with it being the 1st of July, I'd be wishing my fellow Canadians a Happy Canada Day but this year this day is more of a sombre occasion. First off, my heart goes out to all the people living in the western part of this country dealing with unprecedented, extraordinary heat right now. As a result of all the intense heat these last several days, a fire started and took out almost an entire village--90% of Lytton B.C. is now gone. 62 more fires have started in just the last 24 hours alone! Additionally, close to 500 people in that same province have also died from heat related ailments. My understanding is that people in the Western states of the US are also experiencing this terrible weather. 

 

On top of that, our nation is trying to reconcile itself with the horrific atrocities that our Indigenous population has suffered with the uncovering of more than 1148 unmarked graves of young children who were in residential schools. Canada Day this year is not a day for rejoicing. Instead, it is a day for reflection and thoughtfulness. My heart aches for all the pain so many people are feeling.

 

Now it is time to continue with the purpose for this post. I'm flabbergasted that it is already the start of July. That means that today, we are officially entering the second half of the year already! If you happen to send out a lot of cards during the holiday season and haven't started your pile yet, it is time to get cracking! If you've been slowly working on your pile, congratulations for getting an early start. Whichever category you fall into, I hope that you'll continue with the quest to work on all those Christmas and other December Holiday cards needed for year end AND share them with us here on our Link Up!
 

If you are new to this unique challenge, you can find out the impetus behind why I created it under the Introductions tab and all the details you need to know in order to participate, by checking out the Challenge Details tab (both tabs located at the top of the blog). For your convenience, a summary of the most important rules can be found in the right sidebar under the heading Basic Rules Summary.

Right now, it is time to get down to the business of our latest challenge. Here is what you need to know...

 

 

Challenge #79: Christmas in July

(i.e. Anything Goes Christmas)

 

We're doing things a bit different this month over here at The 12 Months of Christmas. This month's link up is technically just for fun as we don't have a guest sponsor lined up. However, you'll still have the chance to win the mini paper kit up for grabs (you can see a preview for this set by clicking HERE). In fact, since there is no sponsored prize, I'll be giving away the paper pack to THREE lucky winners. Additionally, those of you who link up two cards during the month will still earn the free digi paper available. So, the only difference is that we won't have a sponsored prize for one lucky winner. We hope that this change won't dissuade you from joining us this month!
 

As far as the twist goes, we're leaving that wide open this month. Since many general challenge blogs have a 'Christmas in July' theme, we have decided to capitalize on this and have opted to effectively do the same with an ANYTHING GOES theme BUT don't forget that your card still has to be suitable for CHRISTMAS!

 

 

Now check out what the Sleigh Belles came up with to inspire you. Since we don't have a sponsor this month, the team was presented with the opportunity to use anything they wanted for their card. Some have chosen to work with images and others chose sentiments as the focus of their cards. Christine has two cards to share with you! 

 

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

 

  

 

 

 

So what are you waiting for? It is time to link up your Christmas and other holiday cards for July! 

 

Please remember that this is a CARDS ONLY link up. While we've had some lovely tag entries, ornaments and other creative projects in the past, we've sadly had to disqualify them.

If you would like a say in determining which digital paper will be offered to those who link up a minimum of two cards this month, be sure to vote in our poll. Click HERE to head there now.

If everything goes according to plan, our winner announcement for Challenge #78 will be posted between the 10th and the 23rd. Be sure to also join us again on July 15th, for our midway post when the Merry Maidens will be here to share their amazing cards. 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!

We look forward to seeing you participate!

Link Up Below:
Cards for this challenge will be accepted from 6:00 p.m. (18:00 hrs), July 1st until 11:59 p.m. (23:59 hrs), July 31st, 2021 (all times listed are in Eastern Time).  Please click the 'Challenge Details' tab at the top of the page above for all the rules and details. Maximum 10 entries.