Challenge Guidelines - Updated for October 2018 to June 2019 Term

Hello, STAMPlorations friends! Just one more sleep and it will be October...which means the STAMPgirls' summer break is over and we'll be back to regular programming! Our challenges resume, beginning with the CUTplorations Challenge on Monday, October 1. 

So here's a refresher of our challenge guidelines. We've revised our prizes (more prizes, more winners), as well as the use-by-date of gift certificates. We are also asking players to link back AND display the challenge graphic (on their blogs; non-blog players are not required to display the challenge graphic) if they want to qualify for the prizes. And we've made one change to the Mixed Media Challenge: mixed media CARDS can now be linked as well! 


We run a number of challenges here on the blog and each challenge has its set of guidelines. Our challenges are:

• Mixed Media Challenge - 1st Sunday of the month
• CUTplorations - 1st Monday of the month
• TAGplorations - 1st Tuesday of the month
• CAS Card Challenge - 1st Thursday of the month
• Theme & Sketch Challenge - 1st Friday of the month
• Never-ending Anything Goes Challenge

Beginning with the winners and top picks of all October 2018 challenges, here are our updated challenge guidelines and prizes:

***A note to all players: If you have word verification turned on, our design team may not be able to leave a comment, so please consider turning it off.***

MIXED MEDIA CHALLENGE GUIDELINES
This challenge starts on the first Sunday of the month and ends on the last day of the month.

• Your project(s) can be anything mixed media, including a card! (Yes, mixed media CARDS can now be linked up to this challenge.)
• You must use a stencil or stencils (any brand) in your project(s) - if it isn't obvious that you used a stencil in your project, your entry may be deleted or will not be eligible to win.
• Non-STAMPlorations products in entries are OK.
• You can enter as many projects as you wish as long as they are in separate blog posts and that they are new and not created prior to the start of the current month's challenge.
• Your project photo must be posted in full in your blog post to be eligible to win and receive the corresponding prize. Please don't link up to our challenge if you're only showing a sneak peek of it (as is the case if you made it as a design team project for another company). In the same vein, please do not link up your project if it's solely to promote another company.
• You must display the challenge graphic in your post (if linking from your blog) and link back to the challenge post post (not just the main blog) in order to be eligible to win (and receive the corresponding prize).
• Link up by the last day of the month, 11:55 p.m. Pacific.

CUTplorations CHALLENGE GUIDELINES
This challenge starts on the first Monday of the month and ends on the last day of the month.

• Create a project inspired by the inspiration photo for the current month. You can create any type of project -- card, ATC, altered project, mixed media, art journal page, scrapbook page, etc. -- but make sure you use die cuts (any brand) and at least one STAMPlorations product. (A STAMPlorations product can be a stamp, stencil, thin metal die, or even a page from our coloring book. If you don't own a STAMPlorations product, you can still join by using the free digital stamp we are offering here.)
• You must display the challenge graphic in your post (if linking from your blog) and link back to the challenge post post (not just the main blog) in order to be eligible to win (and receive the corresponding prize).
• Link up by the last day of the month, 11:55 p.m. Pacific.

TAGplorations CHALLENGE GUIDELINES
This challenge starts on the first Tuesday of the month and ends on the last day of the month.

• Create a project based on the theme with or without the twist.
• Your project(s) can be anything but it must have a tag (or tags) in it.
• Non-STAMPlorations products in entries are OK.
• Link up as many projects as you wish as long as they are in separate blog posts.
• Your project photo must be posted in full in your blog post! Please don't link up to our challenge if you're only showing a sneak peek of it (as is the case when you made it as a design team project for another company). In the same vein, please do not link up your project if it's solely to promote another company.
• You must display the challenge graphic in your post (if linking from your blog) and link back to the challenge post (not just the main blog) in order to be eligible to win (and receive the corresponding prize).
• Link up by the last day of the month, 11:55 p.m. Pacific.

CAS CARD CHALLENGE GUIDELINES

This challenge starts on the first Thursday of the month and ends on the last day of the month.

• Create a CAS card with or without the optional color twist.
• Non-STAMPlorations products in entries are OK.
• Link up to 3 entries and link up to as many other challenges as you want.
• You must display the challenge graphic in your post (if linking from your blog) and link back to the challenge post (not just the main blog) in order to be eligible to win (and receive the corresponding prize).
• Link up by the last day of the month, 11:55 p.m. Pacific.

THEME & SKETCH CHALLENGE GUIDELINES
This challenge starts on the first Friday of the month and ends on the last day of the month.

• Link up any type of project(s) based on the theme, the sketch, or both.
• You must use stamps in your project(s) -- rubber, clear, or digi from any company. Non-STAMPlorations stamps are OK.
• Link up to 6 entries and link up to as many other challenges as you want.
• You must display the challenge graphic in your post (if linking from your blog) and link back to the challenge post (not just the main blog) in order to be eligible to win (and receive the corresponding prize).
• Link up by the last day of the month, 11:55 p.m. Pacific.

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ANYTHING GOES CHALLENGE GUIDELINES

This challenge is a never-ending challenge.

• You must use STAMPlorations products (clear stamps, digi stamps, ARTplorations stencils, and/or CUTplorations dies) in order to link up to this challenge. You may use stamps/stencils/dies by other companies but STAMPlorations products must be the "star" of your projects. (Using a small sentiment from any of our sets and then images from other stamp companies doesn't qualify - you can enter those to our other challenges, but not to this one. STAMPlorations stamps must be obvious and front-and-center in your creations.)
• NEW creations only please.
• Submit as often as you want and combine with as many challenges as you want, so long as each project you submit is different.
• Any and all types of projects are welcome.
• Link directly to your blog post.
• To be eligible for the prizes, display our special challenge badge on your blog post and link to the Never-Ending Anything Goes Challenge page and encourage others who have STAMPlorations stamps to play.

Monthly Prizes

• $15 gift certificate to the winners in the challenges voted by each design team (5 main winners)
• $5 gift certificate to three (3) randomly picked players per challenge (15 winners total)
• $10 gift certificate each to two randomly picked entries in the Never-ending Anything Goes Challenge

About our gift certificates: Gift certificate prizes for our challenges will expire 3 months from the date they are issued to the winners. Gift certificates can be combined and used in one order. For example, a challenge participant can win multiple times in our challenges over the course of 3 months and use all the gift certificates she won and apply them in one order before her first gift certificate expires.

A gift certificate is NOT a coupon (or discount) code. A gift certificate is a payment method. (The other payment method is Paypal.) The gift certificate code(s) (a string of 16 numbers -- no letters!) is applied during the THIRD step/page in the checkout process -- when a customer is asked to choose her method of payment: Paypal or Gift Certificate(s).

We have a detailed explanation on the difference between STAMPlorations gift certificates and coupon code HERE.