September Challenge Winner: Thank You, Tyra!!

It's time to announce the winner of Tyra's last challenge for SEI...

Congratulations, June S.! You won the September "Fall Fun & Back-to-School" challenge!! Please send us and e-mail so we can get your gift code to you. :)

Don't you think Tyra did an AMAZING job with the challenges this year? We have absolutely loved having her on our design team! Please take a minute to leave a comment and let Tyra know you appreciate her coordinating all the challenges & creating such inspirational projects.

Back to School & Fall Fun Challenge

Thank you to each and every one who participated in our inspiration challenge last month!

The winner of the Gift Tag Challenge is #5, by Stephanie! Congrats! Please send an e-mail to seiblog{at}shopsei{dot}com to receive your gift code. Have fun shopping!

Source: Hollyhocks and Honeybees 

By the time of this post my twins have been Kindergarten a little over a week now. They have been eagerly waiting to move on from preschool and are now getting used to new friends, new routines and another year in school! Their teachers asked that I send a note of encouragement the first day of class to be read by the teacher out loud.

Once again, SEI's Hand Picked 12 x 12 assortment pack saved the day as I used papers and embellishments to create these cute note cards. I used my die cutter to create the pocket and note cards. I topped off each pocket with the fruit embellishments, tags and string. I used SEI washi tape to assemble the pocket.

I really love how versatile the Hand Picked collection is. The primary colors and familiar fruit shapes are sure to be a hit with my two little ones! There was even room to add a small treat!

What will you create?

Challenge Rules:
Use the inspiration image to create a new layout, card, or mixed media design.
Use the linky tool below to add your project. Please post a direct link to your project from your blog or photo sharing site.
Mention the SEI Design Inspiration Challenge and link back to our site. Encourage your friends to participate!
You may combine this challenge with other challenges.
Use of SEI products is not required.
Please leave a link no later than September 28th.
US and Canadian residents only, please.
Have FUN!!!!!

One project will be featured during the next monthly challenge and the winner will receive a $25 gift code from SEI.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog!

Tyra

August Gift Tag Challenge

Thank you to each and every one who participated in our inspiration challenge last month! I hope you are enjoying the monthly challenges as I much as I do!

The winner of the July upcycle challenge is June S. (snazzyj)! Congratulations! Please send an e-mail to seiblog{at}shopsei{dot}com to receive your gift code. Happy Shopping!

Source: Pinterest

Doesn't it seem as if summer speeds right by after Independence Day? It sure does to me. Schedules are a little different and we are busy trying to fit in vacations, staycations and other summer fun into our everyday schedule. With all of the running around, a gift tag is the perfect finishing touch for the summer party, birthday or celebratory gift on the go!

I used paper, stickers and sundries from SEI's Azalea and Hand Picked collections to create these tags. I love the ready made sentiments and enjoyed using my die cutter and adhesive to quickly pull these tags together. What will you create?

Challenge Rules:
Use the inspiration image to create a new layout, card, or mixed media design.
Use the linky tool below to add your project. Please post a direct link to your project from your blog or photo sharing site.
Mention the SEI Design Inspiration Challenge and link back to our site. Encourage your friends to participate!
You may combine this challenge with other challenges
Use of SEI products is not required
Please leave a link no later than August 28th
US and Canadian residents only, please
Have FUN!!!!!

One project will be featured during the next monthly challenge and the winner will receive a $25 gift code from SEI.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog!
Tyra

July Upcycle Challenge

Thank you to every and one one of you who participated in our inspiration challenge last month! I love visiting each entry and getting to know more about each person! Thanks so much for sharing your love of paper crafting!

The winner of the June Hand Picked Challenge is #3, Stacy. Congrats! Please send an e-mail to seiblog{at}shopsei{dot}com to receive your gift code.

Source: Mano's World
Source: Tyra

How are you enjoying summer so far? I'm loving this season and I'm welcoming this season with open arms!

Inspiration struck immediately when I started to straighten up my craft space and noticed an empty embellishment container. Instantly shadow boxes came to mind. SEIs Pembroke kraft chips, and sundries, along with a few sundries from previous collections turned this packaging container into a neat miniature shadow box! The "welcome" sign was the perfect piece to finish my shadow box off.

I love the petite size of this shadow box and it would make a great gift to accompany a welcome basket.

What will you create?

Challenge Rules:
Use the inspiration image to create a new layout, card, or mixed media design.
*Add an up cycled item if you are able to!
Use the linky tool below to add your project. Please post a direct link to your project from your blog or photo sharing site.
Mention the SEI Design Inspiration Challenge and link back to our site. Encourage your friends to participate!
You may combine this challenge with other challenges
Use of SEI products is not required
Please leave a link no later than July 28th
US and Canadian residents only, please
Have FUN!!!!!

One project will be featured during the next monthly challenge and the winner will receive a $25 gift code from SEI.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog!

Tyra

June Hand Picked Challenge

Thank you everyone who participated in our inspiration challenge last month! Tyra has another great challenge this month. But, first the winner of the May Color Challenge is Jen D., with this sympathy card. Congrats, Jen! Please send an e-mail to seiblog{at}shopsei{dot}com to receive your gift code.

Hello it’s Tyra and it’s time for another challenge! I’m so ready for summer and all that it brings. In my family that means planting a new vegetable garden, enrolling our kids in summer camp and weekend trips to the farmer’s market.

SEI’s Hand Picked line is perfect for this season. I used this bright and colorful collection to create thank you cards for my children’s teachers. I love the farmer’s market feel of these cards. I will add a gift card to the front “pocket” of this card as a nice little surprise.

The Hand Picked line is perfect for creating party banners, cards and layouts for summer celebrations. If you prefer more of the floral colors of summer, visit my page for another take on this design using SEI’s BASICS sundries. What will you create?

SEI Collections Used:
Hand Picked
BASICS Sundries

Challenge Rules:
Use the inspiration image to create a new layout, card, or mixed media design.
Use the linky tool below to add your project. Please post a direct link to your project from your blog or photo sharing site.
Mention the SEI Design Inspiration Challenge and link back to our site. Encourage your friends to participate!
You may combine this challenge with other challenges
Use of SEI products is not required
Please leave a link no later than June 28th
US and Canadian residents only, please

Be Amazing and have FUN!!!!!

One project will be featured during the next monthly challenge and the winner will receive a $25 gift code from SEI.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog!
Tyra

Tyra's May Color Combo Challenge

May is here! Ready to find out who our March flower power challenge winner is? The winner is... Lilian YF! Congratulations, you won a $25 gift code to shopsei.com! E-mail us at seiblog{at}shopsei{dot}com. This is Lilian's lovely creation...

Would you like a chance to win too? Here's Tyra to announce the next challenge...

As a fellow crafter you know as well as I do that color is everything! Color is one of the first decisions one makes when approaching design. Not only color, but decisions around color combinations and proportion one of color to another. Got it? Not quite? Well there are plenty of online resources available at your fingertips. I have discovered ColourLovers.com, a community dedicated to everything about color. For today’s challenge I used the Azalea collection and decided to look up the word "Azalea" on the ColourLovers website. What I found are four different color combos similar to SEI's Azalea Collection. These color combos will also serve as the inspiration image for this month's challenge:

Photo Source: ColourLovers.com

I love the color combo suggestions and the proportion of color suggested (e.g. size of each color swatch) within each combo. Here is my take using the beautiful papers from the Azalea collection:

I used panels from the Azalea perforated sheet sheet to create quick panels for each card. I loved how everything turned out.

The "Never Give Up" panel is perfect for making a card to encourage someone. Visit JustTyra to see a few more projects I created with the Azalea collection.

What will you create?

Challenge Rules:
Use the inspiration image to create a new layout, card, or mixed media design.
Use the linky tool below to add your project. Please post a direct link to your project from your blog or photo sharing site.
Mention the SEI Design Inspiration Challenge and link back to our site. Encourage your friends to participate!
You may combine this challenge with other challenges
Use of SEI products is not required
Please leave a link no later than May 28th
US and Canadian residents only, please

Be Amazing and have FUN!!!!!

One project will be featured during the next monthly challenge and the winner will receive a $25 gift code from SEI.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog!

Tyra

Flower Power Challenge

It's a new month and time for another challenge. But, first we'd like to announce the winner of our March challenge and a $25 gift code to shopsei.com... Stacy! Here's the spring mosaic tag she submitted...

Please send an e-mail to seiblog{at}shopsei{dot}com to recieve your $25 gift code to shopsei.com, Stacy.

Hello Spring! The last time I wrote, the weather was below zero and I was waiting for warmer weather. Spring has now arrived and with it the anticipation of many blooms and blossoms! One of my favorite flowers are hydrangeas in every single color! Did you know that the color of these flowers vary based on the pH (acidity) of the surrounding soil? Beautiful white hydrangeas grow in our backyard and I can't wait to see these beauties again!

Inspiration Image:

Photo Sources: Southern Living "Redesign Your Hydrangeas" Photo.

"Backyard" Photo. Tyra Babington

In celebration of my favorite flower I used papers and trim from the Pembroke Collection. I used Pembroke's "Sweater", "Violet" and "Beadboard" papers to create this glorious blossom. It is not quite circular, but I love it and I think it will take residence on my desk. Best of all, no watering is required!

What will you create?

Challenge Rules:
Use the inspiration image to create a new layout, card, or mixed media design.
Use the linky tool below to add your project. Please post a direct link to your project from your blog or photo sharing site.
Mention the SEI Design Inspiration Challenge and link back to our site. Encourage your friends to participate!
You may combine this challenge with other challenges.
Use of SEI products is not required.
Please leave a link no later than April 28th.
US and Canadian residents only, please.
Have FUN!!!!!

Tyra

Tyra's Spring Challenge

Thanks so much everyone who entered last month's challenge! It was truly hard to pick just one winner. But, the winner is...

Irit Shalom, "Love This"

Please send an e-mail to seiblog{at}shopsei{dot}com to get your gift code, Irit.

Are you ready for Spring? I sure am after below zero weather and snow almost to my knees! I am definitely looking for signs of spring:

SEI's Catalina collection of beautiful spring like colors are perfect for gift packaging and favor boxes for baby and bridal showers like the gift packaging I created here:

The coordinated springtime colors and foil accents (I love the geo deco gold foil accent) paper make Catalina an beautiful collection to coordinate and layer. Check out the layout I created using the "Right Now" card from the appliqué perforated paper as the focal point. I added simple journaling and my layout was complete.

What will you create?

Challenge Rules:
Use the inspiration image to create a new layout, card, or mixed media design.
Use the linky tool below to add your project. Please post a direct link to your project from your blog or photo sharing site.
Mention the SEI Design Inspiration Challenge and link back to our site. Encourage your friends to participate!
You may combine this challenge with other challenges
Use of SEI products is not required
Please leave a link no later than March 28th
US and Canadian residents only, please
Have FUN!!!!!

One project will be featured during the next monthly challenge and the winner will receive a $25 gift code from SEI.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog!

Tyra

Rustic Valentine Challenge

Hi, it's Tyra and I'm back with this super lovely challenge. First, I would like to announce the winner of last month's Gratitude Challenge:

Laura Baylay!

Congratulations, Laura! Please email seiblog{at}shopsei{dot}com for your prize! Happy shopping!!!

Rustic Valentine is the theme for this month's challenge.

The words "rustic" and "vintage" inspired me to use colors beyond the traditional red, pink and white often used for Valentine's day. I started with pennants from SEI's Banner Kit as my foundation, my die cutting machine and SEI papers and sundries to create a series of rustic, vintage valentine banners. What I espcially like about SEI's sundries is each embellishment is double sided, with metallic version on one side and matte on the other.

I might add string to one of these banners and attach to a gift for my husband. I will most likely string the remaining banners together to create a cute valentine collage for hanging in my office.

The Mia Bella paper collection would work perfectly with this theme. Believe it or not, the Chalet collection of rustic paper (that gorgeous mountain ash cardstock) and traditional reds (try the cherry oak cardstock) is a neat option. What will you create?

Challenge Rules:
Use the inspiration image to create a new layout, card, or mixed media design.
Use the linky tool below to add your project. Please post a direct link to your project from your blog or photo sharing site.
Mention the SEI Design Inspiration Challenge and link back to our site. Encourage your friends to participate!
You may combine this challenge with other challenges
Use of SEI products is not required
Please leave a link no later than February 28th
Have FUN!!!!!

One project will be featured during the next monthly challenge and the winner will receive a $25 gift code from SEI.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog! Let me be the first to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day!

Tyra

Gratitude Challenge

Happy New Year! It's Tyra and I'm here to kick the New Year off with the challenge that is sure to inspire you.

First, let's announce the winner from the Cozy Winter Inspiration Challenge:

Paula Jennings.

Congrats to you!!! Please email seiblog{at}shopsei{dot}com for your prize! Hugs and Happy Shopping!!!!

As I look back at 2013 and look forward to 2014, I can't help but to feel a sense of gratitude for family and friends. Gratitude is the inspiration for today's challenge! Let's take a look at the inspirational photo collage:

By the way, that's my youngest son and I walking down the street last summer. "Thankful" and "family" are just a few of many words that come to mind when I think of Gratitude. Let's take a look at what I created:

I focused on some of the colors found in the inspiration photo and used my die cutting machine, papers from the Vogue and Chalet collections to create an interesting combination of shapes. The teal arrow and silver sentiment was cut from SEI's Kraft Basics.

I also loved using the blooms and blossoms chalkboard tag to ground the sentiment. The colors in these collections work beautifully together. If you do not have a die cutter, use the beautiful stickers from the Vogue collection, featuring very similar elements. Now I have a card perfect to give to someone to start the year off right! What will you create?

Challenge Rules:
Use the inspiration image to create a new layout, card, or mixed media design.
Use the linky tool below to add your project. Please post a direct link to your project from your blog or photo sharing site.
Mention the SEI Design Inspiration Challenge and link back to our site. Encourage your friends to participate!
You may combine this challenge with other challenges
Use of SEI products is not required
Please leave a link no later than January 28th
Have FUN!!!!!

One project will be featured during the next monthly challenge and the winner will receive a $25 gift code from SEI.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tyra