How do you keep up with challenges and sketch contests and deadlines? How do you try and know about them. I keep finding out about them when the deadline is like a week away.

I used to go into the challenges section and specifically look for monthly ones where there is a sign-up by deadline and once that month rolls around, you post your LO sometime before X date (usually at the end of the month). But then I automatically kept coming to this general section and I forgot to check challenges. I haven't done one in ages...more than a year! But it was a good way to get my creative juices flowing!

ETA: There might also be challenges in any local scrapping stores, or scrap nights you might attend. I go to one once a month and we hang out LOs that were completed sometime in the month before. I haven't hung anything yet because my current album is all double page LOs. And I went to a retreat in May that is twice a year. The lady who organizes it does a challenge in between May-Oct. to get us to keep scrapping between that time frame. We bring our challenge pages in and get a prize just for participating!

If I join a challenge I add it as a favorite topic and I make a list that I keep in my scraproom of what ones I have joined and if I have done a lo for it.
I also keep a list to be sure I remember to leave love - in other words I try to check in frequently.
I have made the mistake before of overestimating my free time in any given month and entered more challenges than I could handle.

How to find challenges:
Right about now is a great time to start signing up for September challenges. Most challenges start posting in the last week of the month for the next month.

I know that Ugly Paper has started and so has Boys Boys Boys - and my personal fav right now-
(because I am the hostess ) can be found here and you are right on time to join:
http://www.scrapbook.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/15799...

I use designteamcalls.com. You can get some of the Calls free but for a few $ a month you can get a complete list.

Thank you So Crafty for the info. This seems like a great site

I go the challenge section the last few days of the month til the 1st or 2nd of the next month and go through the challenges and pick the ones that strike my fancy that month.and I have some favorites I do every month...I save the ones I want to enter under favorite topics. (see Save to Favorite Topics below) I print the list (and usually lose it lol) but I can write the twists on that list for the challenges that have a twist and keep track of which layouts I've done.
I entered GMFTS's gallery challenge and I recommend it. It's a great idea...a lift challenge with a twist.

I'm a geek: I keep a spreadsheet.

I have the different links along the top columns, sorted by type of challenge (card, LO, other) and then by the day of the week that they start. I have the dates down the side, and I colour in the blocks of days that each challenge runs for. I have today's date showing in red so that I can see instantly when I'm nearing the end of the challenge. When I complete each one, I change the colour and add my entry on the date so I can see which I have left to do. I also copy any photo inspirations into it.

Then I can print off the current challenges and take the sheet to a crop. I don't enter every challenge every time, but it gives me a great choice of inspiration to choose from. It works for me.

RedSquirrel: I really like the idea of keeping a spread sheet. I think I am going to try that for sure and see how it works our for me. Thank you all suggestions.

don't forget the online challenges,,,,you can win lots of free stuff. I just won a 50.00 voucher for Simon Says stamp. Entering was a whim, a why not,,,it was anything goes, so why not enter something. There are tons of anything goes challenges out there, and if you make a card or a LO, why not??

As for keeping track,,,I'm old fashioned,,,,I write it on my calendar

• thehappyscrapper8 Said:

I can PM you a screen shot if it would help?

I would really appreciate that!!!

Whenever I join challanges, I actually store them on a word document and check them off as I finish them.