At this time of the year, there are lots of count downs going on.
My son is counting down the days until he gets to see the new Star Wars movie.
We’re counting down the days until Christmas.
Many are counting down the days until the New Year when they’ll make resolutions and dream up new goals and plans.
I’m counting down the days until New Years as well, but for a totally different reason. I’m counting down the days until January 1 because it is the date of my favorite scrapping event of the year…the Month of Challenges here at The Lilypad!!
This will be my sixth year participating in MOC and I’m as excited as ever…maybe even more!!
I remember when the first Month of Challenges was announced around this time in 2012. My family was preparing for a move across the country from South Carolina to El Paso, Texas. I so wanted to participate and complete the challenges, but I though there was no way I could do it in the middle of a move. I mentioned it to my husband in passing and he encouraged me to take on the challenge.
I am so happy that I did!!
I spent my nights during our move scrapping away in a hotel room. There were a few times that I fell behind on the challenges, but then I scheduled time for my husband to take care of our children and I caught up. By January 31 of 2013 I had THIRTY-ONE scrapbook layouts that I was so proud of!!!
Participating in the Month of Challenges was and still is the very best way to kick off a year of scrapbooking!
I will admit that over the last few months I have fell into a bit of a slump with my scrapbooking. I’m looking forward to the Month of Challenges to get me out of that slump and motivate me for scrapbooking again in 2018!
There is so much that I love about MOC that I want to share with you today.
First of all, I love the community that the Month of Challenges creates here at The Lilypad. Nothing can grow a community more than participating in and preserving through challenges together and that’s exactly what we do here during the month of January. By participating in MOC you’ll gain new scrapping friends and grow closer to the ones you already have. I have been so touched by the community here and specific members as they have sent messages and commented on layouts. I have gotten to know their families, their triumphs and their struggles through the forum and the pages that they have created.
As I already mentioned, I love that the Month of Challenges creates a great way to start scrapbooking in the new year. Many of us create goals for the new year. Part of creating my new year goals is looking at my scrapbooking goals, whether they are learning a new technique or increasing the number of layouts I create. The Month of Challenges creates a tangible way of getting a head start of meeting your scrapbooking goals in the new year.
And lastly, I love the Month of Challenges because it is CHALLENGING! Participating in MOC truly grows and stretches me as a scrapbooker. I promise you will learn new skills and techniques and grow exponentially as a scrapbooker by participating in the challenges here in January. That has definitely been my experience and the experience of many others. This year promises a list of fun, fresh new challenges and I am over the moon excited for them!
I’m going to leave you today with four tips for succeeding in the Month of Challenges.
- Set a personal goal…your goal could be to complete all 31 challenges and earn the $20 gift certificate or it could be something else. If you know you schedule won’t permit you to complete all thirty-one challenges, don’t let that stop you from participating and trying. You could set a personal goal to complete any other number of challenges or to learn a new skill.
- Interact with the community…I promise you’ll get so much out of the Month of Challenges if you really dive into the community here! Chat it up in the forums, attend chats, and most of all, comment on layouts that you love!
- Plan for it…before the craziness of the month sets in, come up with a plan for how you will make time to scrapbook and complete the challenges. Maybe you can set aside a little time each evening or maybe you’ll get your scrapping done on the weekends. Look at your calendar and make a plan!
- Come with a positive attitude ready to embrace the challenges that you are presented with! The team here at The Lilypad works hard planning for an enjoyable Month of Challenges and if you come ready to embrace challenges you’ll have a blast! Every challenge may not be easy for you and you may have to scrap a little out of your “comfort zone”, but that’s what it’s all about.
If you’re up for the challenge (and I SO hope that you are!), you can pre-register here!
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