Challenges for 2024!

[Robin Carlton]

Hey chickies!!

Since so many of you are around and kickin' about for DSD, I wanted to ask you guys...

Do you still love doing challenges every month? Have they become a chore or do you still look forward to seeing what the Babes and I come up with each month? Do you want more This or That challenges in the new year, are you missing Bingo cards, or do you want something entirely new for 2024?

We plan months out and are already talking about challenges in the coming year and are tossing around ideas, but I thought why not ask those of you who do play along for your thoughts and input?

We'd really love to give you what you want so lay your ideas and thoughts on us <3

Can't wait to hear from you guys!

R

[SweetChar]

Throwing my two cents in...
I always enjoyed the monthly challenges. I am a random scrapper, not doing one year at at a time. So I didn't/don't have that get-the-year-done goal in mind. The challenges gave me something to focus on. If I were voting, I'd say keep a monthly challenge.

[aussiegirl]

I like monthly challenges, not so much the Bingo style, and maybe a break from This or That.

I like "set" challenges:
Template challenge (SSD provides one to use)
Recipe challenge
Scraplift challenge
color challenge
inspiration challenge
etc

Giving us a little more control of what "theme" we want or need to scrap. Sometimes I find myself "stretching" a layout to fit the theme of a challenge, where if we had a little more freedom, but still guidelines, it may be easier to get more layouts done each month.

I am currently trying to finish my Disney Cruise and Universal Studios album. None of that fits in with themes that focus more around the season or holiday that we are currently in.

I do enjoy the challenges, some months are easier than others based on life in general!

[kelseyll]

It has been a while since I've had the time to participate, but I have always enjoyed the challenges here. I really like the "This or That" format. It gives so many great ideas and I end up with a layout I NEVER would have created otherwise. I am with Char - total random scrapper so "the year in review" kinds of challenges or any of the P365 ones didn't work well for me. I do like that you can jump in and participate at any time as some months are busier for me than others. Looking forward to what you decide for 2024!! How is that almost here already??? =)

[Leablahblah]

I love the This or That challenges (but not quotes ones... lol) and I don't like change. So I'd say keep it as it is! haha

[clucaswvu04]

Definitely still look forward to the challenges each month! I have really enjoyed the This or That challenges; sometimes I find myself stretching it a bit but also sometimes I have to stretch my creative thinking to find something that works for me and a challenge and that part I enjoy personally.

I am usually a yearly scrapper - well I think so, I am usually working on the last year's family album. And most of the challenges I can find a way to incorporate with what I am working on or what is coming up chronologically. Sometimes I will go back and rescrap older photos but I'm okay with that too.

I also don't mind "set challenges" like someone mentioned above.
Personally the challenges keep me scrapping, sometimes I feel pressure to get them all done even if it's last minute but that's my own pressure lol. I really appreciate that there are levels to getting a discount/etc. so that if you don't quite get to them all that month there's still an incentive. I don't even know if it's necessary but it is appreciated!

[3BluEyedBabi]

I look forward to the challenges every month. They definitely give me the opportunity to grow and scrap things I would not have thought of and I love that. Not to mention the pages that are used as examples from the babes are just amazing! I really enjoy the This or That challenges! I would be sad to see them go because they are so different than any other scrap site and one of the many things I LOVE about SS!

[Robin Carlton]

Originally Posted by Leablahblah

I love the This or That challenges (but not quotes ones... lol) and I don't like change. So I'd say keep it as it is! haha

I dont like change either! I like knowing what to expect and such lol At the same time, I like to keep you guessing and excited!

[Lidia G]

I look forward to the challenges every month and even though I find some more challenging than others, they do make me think outside the box and I end up scrapping pages that I would otherwise never have thought of creating. I like the present format but would be open to something new.

[angiekey]

I love the flexibility of the This or That? Challenges, but they tend to be primarily topic-oriented. I miss the challenges that were technique- or product- or photography-focused. Maybe we can incorporate more of those?

[tanyiadeskins]

I always come back for the challenges. I am also a random scrapper and LOVE that I get inspired to scrap my everyday pics because of the inspiration given from the challenges. I end up scrapping pics I never thought I would. Sometimes a challenge is so good it inspires me to take pics just to scrap that. lol

I do not mind change but I dont think set challenges would inspire me. I love the This or That format actually and they are given a wide birth so there is always some way I can find something to work with them.

Y'all are literally the ONLY scrap site I use. Must be doing something right.

[tjscraps]

I'm a 'completer' or 'collector'. I would either do ALL the challenges in the month, or none of them, nothing in between lol I know, it's bizarre.

Things I love about the challenges is having a goal to complete them, and it really does get me scrapping! I really love the focus of the Shout Out/Show off too - not just the leaving love part, but getting to show off something we're really proud of, and picking something from someone else.

[bienejen]

I also love the this or that format! I like the flexibility/options! I'm also forever behind and scrapping all different things from any of the last 10 years so I can almost cross something off my to do list and complete a challenge. I'm not much of a fan of very specific technique challenges as sometimes my software just doesn't do the things that photoshop does. My goal is to scrap the pictures I have and not necessarily go out and take new ones just to complete a challenge, so having options keeps me participating. If you were ever to do a template challenge, please make sure to include a png option at minimum, also including .page would be fabulous and I LOVE that we have designers that include those formats!!

[bienejen]

Originally Posted by tjscraps

Things I love about the challenges is having a goal to complete them, and it really does get me scrapping! I really love the focus of the Shout Out/Show off too - not just the leaving love part, but getting to show off something we're really proud of, and picking something from someone else.

Great call out, Trina!! I love all 3, too!

[Stefanie]

I love the This or That challenge format.
Sometimes living in the Southern Hemisphere (opposite seasons) and not celebrating thanksgiving or Halloween makes the more theme specific ones a challenge. I love though that you are flexible in the interpretation of the challenges.

[MissHappy80]

I must be honest that I never, before this weekend, take part in challenges. I scrap already for ten years, but with young children around I didn't have the time. Now the kids are older I want to try to anticaped a little bit more. Loved the bingocard this weekend with all kind of different things. I started scrapliften for the first time and I loved to get me out of "my comfortzone" a bit. So what I mean I love the challenge to bit different and change in easy to harder so I can choose how much time I have and what I can do then

[Kiana]

I love variety. Before becoming a Babe, one of the main reasons I always did the challenges here was because the Bingo card challenges offered so much variety.

I don't like the forum standards, every month template, scraplift, photo, etc. to me that wasn't appealing.

This or That, took Bingo to another level and offered even more variety and an option in choice to interpret and to me that was priceless.

However, I understand that everyone these days seems pressed for time more now than ever before, perhaps there is a scaling back of what ever is offered for 2024.

[PictureMom]

I would like something that is very flexible and allows me to use pictures I have. I think the challenges are good but I find that sometimes the this or that options are not really something I would scrap about and just make a page to make a page...if that makes sense.
Almost like a list of things and you pick what you want from it..

Have you ever thought of changing the rewards to the rest of the following month? I've found that I get coupons but based on budget the week that it's good for doesn't work for me so I don't use it, but if was valid longer I would have.

[Josie]

I love the This or That challenges and also the Bingo cards and try to always fully participate in the challenges, which unfortunately often doesn't work. I find the mix between the two challenge types optimal (Bingo cards at special events and This or That as a monthly challenge)

[LynnZant]

I prefer This or That? over Bingo because it offers more flexibility. I'm the opposite of Angie in that I'm not a fan of technique type challenges. I got derailed early during the summer scrap event with a challenge that was so not not my style that it sent me down a rabbit hole of thinking, "I'm going to end up with all these pages that I don't like at the end of two months." I like prompts that are more subject to interpretation because I'll admit that I've stretched a few to fit a theme, but I'm assuming SSD doesn't care. Their products were used, and I got a page done. Win!

[Scrap-therapy]

I really feel torn on this question...
I don't really like change and I like the This or that challenge but sometimes, even when interpreting in a different way, I have difficulty finding ideas or the right photos. Or I have to choose photos that I didn't necessarily want to scrap.

It's positive in the sense that there is a real challenge and sometimes make me out my comfort zone and I therefore have pages that I would not have made without the challenges but sometimes I regret that there is not something broader, more open like scrap recipes, scraplifts, templates, sketches, etc...

Maybe it's possible to mix the two?
Keeping challenges like now and more open ones?

I really like the pages that the babes make as an example and the answers to my questions when I don't understand a challenge (Robin gave lots of ideas for one but I already did my layout at this time lol).

I'm not sure if I would like a new type of challenge in the sense that this one suits me most of the time.

I agree with Jennifer in case you put templates, I need PNG files, very important! lol!
And also agree with PictureMom about the rewards coupons, it would be much appreciated if it would be valid longer. I tend to don't use it too sometimes. Just an idea.

Thank you for asking us for our opinion!

[aussiegirl]

[QUOTE=PictureMom;1063151634]I would like something that is very flexible and allows me to use pictures I have. I think the challenges are good but I find that sometimes the this or that options are not really something I would scrap about and just make a page to make a page...if that makes sense.
Almost like a list of things and you pick what you want from it..

Have you ever thought of changing the rewards to the rest of the following month? I've found that I get coupons but based on budget the week that it's good for doesn't work for me so I don't use it, but if was valid longer I would have.[/QUOTE]

Yes! I have missed out on using coupons because they don't fall on a payday/scrapping budget week! If the date to use them was extended, I have a better chance of using them, and not wasting them!

[Robin Carlton]

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback with me. My wheels are turning for sure!! Love some of the suggestions here, so going to get to work.

[rach3975]

Originally Posted by aussiegirl

I like "set" challenges:
Template challenge (SSD provides one to use)
Recipe challenge
Scraplift challenge
color challenge
inspiration challenge
etc

Giving us a little more control of what "theme" we want or need to scrap. Sometimes I find myself "stretching" a layout to fit the theme of a challenge, where if we had a little more freedom, but still guidelines, it may be easier to get more layouts done each month.

I am currently trying to finish my Disney Cruise and Universal Studios album. None of that fits in with themes that focus more around the season or holiday that we are currently in.

I do enjoy the challenges, some months are easier than others based on life in general!

I love the idea of the This or That Challenges, especially having 2 options and inspiration layouts for each challenge. But like Dawn, I'd love to see more challenges that offer inspiration for how to scrap a page rather than what to scrap. I work on scrapping a 6-month period at a time, and very often my photos don't fit the challenge themes even when I stretch them. In the first month or two that I'm scrapping an album, I have such a big variety of photos that I can usually make the challenges work. After that it gets too hard and I stop doing the challenges. I'd love the see more recipes, challenges that ask us to combine any 2 templates or kits, use specific colors, take inspiration from a source, scraplift, etc. I still do a lot of monthly recap layouts (Project Life pocket pages that have a random assortment of photos, focused either on family or news headlines) and it's rare that I can make them fit the challenges. That said, I feel like the October This and That challenges have a lot more of the kind of challenges I like, so I was excited to see them!

Some months I scrap less due to life, work, and other hobbies, so it honestly wouldn't bother me if the challenges stretched across 2 months. Even when I love a set of challenges, I usually only get to a fraction of them within the month they're active.

I appreciate how hard everyone at SSD works to keep us scrapping and engaged!

[lizziej]

I don't participate in challenges often because they tend to be too restrictive for the photos I want to scrap. But that being said, maybe you could change it up every month. One month of This or That, another with Bingo, and another with miscellaneous challenges like template, recipe, technique, photography, etc. Maybe even have one month where we could go back to the previous 3 months and pick any 15 challenges.

[lovely1m]

When I had more time to scrap and needed a coupon code to shop, I loved them. Now I don't have as much time, so I just scrap for myself when I have time.