Challenge #136: ANYTHING GOES CHRISTMAS with the Optional Twist…STRIPES 🧦 🧣

Welcome Christmas Crafters! It is the first of the month and time for our new challenge! I hope that you and your families are happy and well!

 

Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful words during my absence. I am mostly recovered from my procedure and the surgery. I still have some health issues to continue exploring but I'm SOOOOO MUCH BETTER than I was. It is pretty scary thinking back on it. It is very possible that if I hadn't gone to the hospital, that I might not be here right now as I was so severely dehydrated and undernourished by the end of the three month period I had been struggling through. My husband had told me that if I hadn't made the decision that Friday in June to head to the hospital, that he would have called the ambulance that same day—or dragged me kicking and screaming if necessary. Though to be perfectly honest, since I couldn't even hold my head up for more than a few seconds at a time by that point, there would have been no kicking and screaming. 🫢 I am just happy to be on the tail end and healing so it is time to get back on track with our challenges.

 

So much time has gone by. I'm flabbergasted that it is already the start of September. As fall will soon be upon us, the months until Christmas are rapidly dwindling! 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 for a chance to win some goodies! 

 

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 #136

  ANYTHING GOES with the 

Optional Twist: STRIPES

Our theme, as always, is ANYTHING GOES CHRISTMAS (or in celebration of other December holidays). If you'd like an extra challenge, our optional twist this month is STRIPES! Stripes can add a playful touch, a modern feel, or a classic holiday look to just about any merry make.Think peppermint candy canes, holiday stockings, cozy scarves, bold backgrounds, or subtle striped patterns in traditional Christmas colours or frosty winter hues. There's no shortage of festive ways to incorporate this timeless design. Create your stripes with patterned papers, stamping, stencils, ink techniques, ribbon, washi tape or strips of cardstock. So have fun toeing the line... or crossing it! We can't wait to see your wonderfully stripey Christmas creations!

Keep in mind though, that you don't need to follow the twist to link up your cards and earn a free paper each month or for a chance to win your choice of TWO Christmas or Winter themed mini kits of digital papers from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles. Following the twist is simply for fun and to challenge yourself if you'd like. 

Here is a preview of September's paper for those adding TWO cards to this month's link up:

 

 

Now check out what the Sleigh Belles came up with to inspire you. Clicking on the DT names will take you to the individual blogs where you can check out the specific details for these wonderful cards.

 

 

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

 

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.

Please join us again on September 15th, for our midway post when the Merry Maidens will be here to share their awesome cards. In case you missed it, the winner announcement for Challenge #135 was published on August 30th. I am now officially caught up with all the outstanding winner announcements. Hallelujah!!! If you need to check any of them out, please just scroll backwards to find all six (Jan. to June)  Be sure to follow us 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), September 1st until 11:59 p.m. (23:59 hrs), September 30th, 2026 (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.