Happy Wednesday everybody.  Yes, heat, heat, heat everywhere!  Such a good time to stay inside and play at RAKScraps Digital Scrapbooking Community.  Its just past the middle of August and you all know what that means!  The August RAKScraps Mega Kit and Add On Kit is out!  Bright Summery colors, full of music!  Think of all those great summer photos you will be able to scrap with these two wonderful kits!  Take a look.

And the Mega Add On Kit is brought to us by WinksArt Graphics.  What a lovely lovely Add On.

A huge THANK YOU to all of the talented and generous Creative Team Members at RAKScraps and WinksArt Graphics for such a lovely collaborative effort on these kits.  Be sure to get yours in the RAKCenter, before the 31st of August. 

And, with the release of the Mega Kit and the Add On Kit for August, it is now time for the QuickPage Exchange Clubto fire up again.  What is the QuickPage Exchange Club you may ask.  It is a club for our members and CT to create lovely quickpages to go along with the Mega and Add On Kit, using the Mega and Add On Kits, and share them with everyone!  Quickpages are an easy and fun way to get all of those great photos scrapped, and all of the Quickpages created will be available for download in the RAKCenter on September 1st.  Give it a try.  You will be so glad you did!  Check out this thread for all the info.

Now, on to my favorite things, Digital Scrapbooking Challenges going on at RAKScraps.

**Dove Promises Challenge**- This is a new challenge in the Impromptu Challenges section of our messageboard.  HartMark Designs is sponsoring this challenge.  Her challenge to us is to use a message from a Dove Chocolate wrapper and create something.  This challenge message is “Remember your first best friend”.  There are really no rules to this challenge, which means it is creatively up to you!  For your participation in this challenge, HartMark Designs has created a lovely little RAK for you all.

I do hope you all will pop over and check out this challenge!  Thank you to HartMark Designs for such a lovely RAK!

**RAKScraps MEGA Challenge with Shelly** - Since the August Mega and Add On Kits are released, Shelly has a new challenge for us!  There are a few little rules and requirements and Shelly has posted them in her thread.  This is a great challenge to get started with the Mega and Add On Kits, and get that scrapping mojo moving!  This challenge includes music notes, which is one of the themes of the August Mega and Add On Kits, so completing this challenge will be a breeze.  Pop on over and give it a look and let us see what you create.  Shelly has prepared a little prize for all those who participate.  We look forward to seeing your challenge entries!

**One Month at a Time Challenge** - I think this challenge is such a great concept.  It allows for scrapping while keeping a chronological order of photos, and it is just fun!  The main requirement this month is that the picture be taken in August (doesn’t matter the year at all), along with 4 other small items, which you can find here.  The reason we scrap is to preserve our memories, and this challenge is a most excellent way to get those August photos together and get them scrapped.  Crosstown always does such a great job with this challenge and it is now in it’s second year!  And Crosstown has prepared a lovely RAK for this challenge.  It is really summery and bright and coordinates with the Mega and Add Kit Colors.

 Wow!  Thank you Crosstown. 

Now, I want to take a look at the RAKS for All area of our messageboard.  This is where our talented members create freebies to share all of the other members.  Let’s see what goodies we have today.

**Love Teddy**  Brought to us by Sparky 611 - This lovely teddy is going to be retired so get it while it is available.  It is just adorable.

Check out the thread for info on how to obtain this charming little bear.  Thank you Sparky611.

**Back to School (with Quickpage)** - Brought to us by Bunchie - A lovely kit for those Back to School Photos.

Thank you Bunchie, this is so nice.  Love the textures and colors.  Perfect for Back To School!  Wonderful Freebie!

Check out this thread for info on how to get this sweet little set!

**She’s a Lady Kit** - Brought to us by SparklyDuck75 - A Super Feminine kit full of lovey papers and elements and even 2 Quickpages. 

Check out this thread for info on how to get this lovely kit.  Wow Heather, you have outdone yourself again with this kit!  Thank you so much for sharing.

**Science Fair Papers**  - Brought to us by LilyBelle Scraps - Beautifully hued and patterned papers!  A great addition to your digital scrapping paper stash!

Check it out here and get the skinny on how to get these great papers.  Thank you LilyBelle!  These papers are super cool!

While you are scoring all these great freebies, please do pay attention to the individual TOU’s that come with each freebie and leave a little love for the designer, for without them donating their time and talent, we would not get these great freebies.  A little love goes along way to a designer!

I do hope this post has peaked your interest and  you stop by our friendly community to see all the wonderful things RAKScraps has to offer for the digital scrapbooker, card maker, and hybrid crafter!   We would love to have you join us.

Dont forget about our great sister sites as well.  Please take a moment to visit 3Scrapateers, Scrapwow, and our newest sister site, Scrap99!  With all this digital scrapping goodness, you may never leave  your computer!

A big thank you from all the Team at RAKScraps.  We appreciate you and that is why we are here!

See you all next Wednesday with more challenges, news and goodies.

Happy Wednesday everyone.  It’s still hot just about everywhere.  Especially at RAKScraps!  August is just rolling along and so are all of the fun things going on in our digi scrapping community.  I do have a bit of business to take care of first though, before we get to our weekly rundown.

Geri (Atria), our new Sponsor team leader would like me to remind you all that we are still having an open call for the Sponsor Team. 

WANTED! OPEN CALL FOR SPONSOR TEAM MEMBERS!

WHO: The Sponsor Team is open to anyone who is enthusiastic and able to fulfill the requirements. As this is a time sensitive work, you must be able to committ the hours needed (less than 24 hours a month) to reivew the kits and create four layouts in the time frame allowed.

You may contact Geri(Atria)  via RAKScraps message board PM for more information and to apply for one of the Sponsor Team Spots.

Everyone, follow me now. :-)   It is Challenge Review Time!  First up this month is ……..drum roll…………

** RAK FILE Challenge- This month Teddyprayer has given us a fun challenge.   Scrap a Theme Based , rather than an event based, layout using photos from at least 3 different days.  Prom photos are  great example.  It is something that is done most every year, if we have children in high school, and scrapping it every time it happens may not have the impact that scrapping all the pictures together from all the different years would have.  Here is an example layout from Teddyprayer to help us all get started.

And as always, there is a lovely prize for participating in this challenge, donated by the talented WinksArt Graphics:

Beautiful mini!

Happy Wednesday everybody.  Yep, it’s August.  Need I say more, except that it is HOT!!!!  With all this heat, everyone should stay inside, where it is cool, and come on in to RAKScraps, where cool fun and great challenges are always around. 

First off, this week I want to make an announcement.  RAKScraps is searching for energetic digiscrappers that would like to be part of our Sponsor team.  We are having an OPEN Call for Sponsor Team Members.  What is a Sponsor team member?  Members of the Sponsor team are enthusiastic scrappers who assist the entire RAKScraps team promote our Designer Highlight Sponsors each month.  What do they do?  They SCRAP!!!  They get the chance to use kits from the present month’s Designer Highlight sponsor to scrap layouts to show those kits in use and they get to write reviews of those kits.  These kits are available for free to the Sponsor Team, for their assistance in the promotion of that (those) particular designer(s).  Our Sponsor team helps to ensure that our Designer Highlight Sponsors have a rewarding and productive experience here with us here at RAKScraps. 

What is the committment requirements of a Sponsor Team member. A Sponsor Team member must create 4 layouts (one layout with each kit downloaded) and write a review of those kits, touring the Gallery and leaving some love for all the Sponsors and members, and participating in the forum.   Likely the total time committment each month would be less than 24 hours. (I spend that just deciding what kit to use to scrap photos!)  This is a time sensitive team position as the layouts and reviews must be done prior to the month that their Designer Highlight Sponsor is scheduled. 

Just think, free kits to scrap with, spending time in a wonderful gallery and great forum, and promoting great designers!  What’s not to love about the Sponsor team!  If you are interested in participating on this wonderful creative team, contact Barbara (RAKScrapsBarbara) and let her know!  We look forward to adding members to our Wonderful Sponsor Team at RAKScraps!

Now that one portion of the business at hand is taken care of, since it is the first post of August, you all know what that means.  Heather’s (SparklyDuck74) Avatar Quilt.  Heather sponsors the Avatar Challenge each month and puts together a “quilt” of the previous month’s avatars to start the new month’s Challenge.  Here is the “Quilt” for July.

Last month it was all about what we love about our country.  This month it is all about the music!  Favorite type of music, instrument, singer, songwriter, whatever fits your style.  So jump on in to the Avatar challenge and give that Avatar some “new digs”  Heather will be assembling her famous Quilt again with all of the new Avatars again at the end of August.

The first of the month also signifies new Designer Highlight Sponsors.  This month it is Crafting with I Did It Creations and Digital Scrapbooking at I did It Creations.  Check out their threads to learn all about them and tell them hello and welcome them to our fun scrapbooking community.

Crafting with I Did It Creations is offering this wonderful freebie for us to use.  Check out the thread to get the link to download this digital stamp set and paper pak.

 Once you have downloaded this wonderful freebie, and have been creative with it, post what you have done with it in the I Did It Creations Gallery and leave a link back in this thread so that you will be eligible for a prize at the end of the month!

Digital Scrapbooking at I Did It Creations is the second Designer Sponsor for this month.  They are offering this great collab freebie from our own Angela (Toucan Scraps) and Robyn of I Did It Creations.  Check out the thread here and make sure you get your freebie.  Create with it, and load up your creation to the Digital Scrapbooking at I Did It Creations Gallery.  Once you have uploaded your lovely creation, leave a link here so that everyone can share in your creativity and be eligible to win a prize at the end of the month.  Here is a preview of your great freebie.

With all the great freebies, hitting the challenges that are up at RAKScraps will be easy and fun!  Please make sure that you stop by our August Designer Highlight Sponsor threads and let them know how much we appreciate the donations of their time, talent, and creativity. 

A big thank you to Crafting with I Did It Creations and Digital Scrapbooking with I Did It Creations!  We are so happy that you are spending this month with us.

Tally ho and onward!  New challenges have been put up on the boards for August.  As always, there are so many to choose from.  I wanted to let you know about one in particular this week, the ATC Challenge with Hartmark Designs, one of the newest members of our CT Group here at RAKScraps.  Mandi has put up a wonderful challenge in the Impromput Challenge forum.  For those of you that may not know what an ATC (Artist Trading Card) is, there is an introduction in this thread.  The theme is “What I did on my Summer Vacation”.  Create an ATC on this theme, load it up in your gallery, leave a link to your creation in the thread here, send your file to Mandi (Hartmark Designs) and once the challenge is over, you will recieve a file of all the trading cards!  (Kinda like baseball card trading, only much prettier!)  Thank you Hartmark Designs for such a great challenge.  Here are a few that have already been completed. 

 A walk in Mom’s Garden by SparklyDuck75 (Heather)

Son’s Big Leap - Mizfit

Address Card - Bernadette1

Ladies, wonderful work!  I do hope everyone will jump on into this challenge, it is quick, easy and fun.

There are tons of other Digital Scrapbooking Challenges to be had in the Challenges forum at RAKScraps.  Hop on over and check them out for a little inspiration for your scrapping.  There are great participation prizes and the great part is that you get all those lovely photos and memories scrapped at the same time.

Well, that will wrap up this week’s post.  Stay tuned for next week, as I will begin the rundown of all the challenges and prizes available at RAKScraps, as well as the RAKS for All and CT RAKS for All sections of the wonderful forums at RAKScraps.

While you are out and about on the internet, please stop by and see our sister sites, 3Scrapateers and Scrapwow.  They have tons of things going on as well, including great products, games, challenges and wonderful eye candy in their galleries!  Great for inspiration.

For all of us at RAKScraps, I wish to thank you for stopping by and reading our blog and visiting our wonderful Digital Scrapbooking Community.

See you next week!  Happy Scrapping!

Happy Wednesday everybody.   Time for the July Wrap up Post!!!!  Can you believe July is practically over?  I can’t!  School is starting in a few weeks, which means August is right around the corner.  Did you get your July Mega Kit and/or Add On Kit this month.  You have 4 days left to hit the RAKCenter and get your fantastic Kit(s).  And you also have a few more days to enter the July Challenges at RAKScraps.  Just hit up the Challenges Forums and see what inspires you! 

Remember, our designer highlight sponsors, Circle of Life Scraps and Floppy Latte Designs still have their newsletter freebie challenges open!  Make sure that you have downloaded your newsletter freebies!  They are great kits!  And there are participation prizes for posting with these freebies!  Show your appreciation for our Designer Sponsors with a layout.  Next month, we will have new sponsors and more fun things going on!

Be on the look out for the July Quickpages!  They will be out on August 1st in the RAKCenter.  With the great Mega and Add On kit, they are sure to be equally spectacular.  I love making the quickpages and if you do too, you still have one day to get your quickpages in to be included in the Quickpage Exchange.  The Quickpage Exchange is a great way to share your creativity with other members, and get a set of great quickpages to help you along in your scrapping!

If you haven’t yet, you should also check out the RAKS for All and the CT Raks for All forums for great freebies from our Members and smashing good Creative Team.  Remember, please respect the TOU’s that accompany the freebies, and leave the designer a little love….it goes such a long way!

If you are looking for a way to pass a bit of time, hit the GAMES forum for a little fun with the online games going on. They are always interesting, and it is also a great way to interact with other members of RAKScraps! The Games are always going on, no matter what time you visit!  In fact, the whole Off Topic Section of the forum is a great place to hang out while you are scrapping.  Someone is always around!

And Since today is July 28th, I would like to wish our Very own CT Angela of Toucan Scraps, a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY!     I hope your day is as special as you are!  Everyone please join me in wishing Angela a very happy birthday and many happy returns!

Since I wont be making another post until August, I want to say that July was fantastic!  (Hot, sticky, humid, rainy…..But Fantastic!)  And I just know August will be as grand!

In your travels around our digital scrapbooking community, take a minute and visit our sister sites 3Scrapateers and Scrapwow.  They also have a lot of great things going on, wonderful products, and such friendly people!

Well, this will close the July Wrap up!  Thank you for spending a bit of time with us!  We enjoy your company!

Thank you from the Team at RAKScraps!