Rachel's Mixed Media Challenge - April 2025

Congratulations to @nollipap for being the winner of the March challenge.

Each month through 2025, a broad theme will be provided for the challenge and you can interpret these themes as literally or as loosely and abstractly as you wish.

If you’d like to learn something specific please let us know!

This month's theme is PERMISSION

• Permission to Let Go: Create a visual representation of something you feel ready to release or let go of in your life. What does it look like to give yourself permission to move on from it?
• Permission to Grow: Create a page about growth, like a plant or tree, symbolizing personal growth or transformation. What does it feel like to give yourself permission to evolve and change, even when it’s uncomfortable?
• Permission to Be Vulnerable: How does vulnerability show up in your life? Create a page that reflects the courage it takes to allow yourself to be open and authentic.
• Permission to Rest: Illustrate a scene that represents rest and relaxation. What does it mean for you to give yourself permission to rest without guilt?
• Permission to Dream: Create a dreamscape or vision board of your wildest dreams. What would it look like to give yourself full permission to dream big and pursue those dreams?
• Permission to Say No: Design a page that reflects boundaries and the power of saying no. How does it feel to give yourself permission to protect your time and energy?
• Permission to Be Imperfect: Create a piece that embraces imperfection. Use mixed media, doodles, or messy strokes to symbolize the freedom that comes from embracing flaws and mistakes.
• Permission to Feel: Create a page that represents the different emotions you feel on a regular basis. How does it feel to give yourself permission to fully experience your emotions without judgment?
• Permission to Be Yourself: Illustrate what it means for you to embrace your true self. What does your authentic self look like when you give yourself the freedom to show up fully, without pretending?
• Permission to Play: Create a playful, fun, and colorful page that represents playfulness. How do you bring joy and lightness into your life when you give yourself permission to just have fun?

Each of these prompts can be expanded with mixed media, textures, and even journaled thoughts to deepen the connection between your creative process and emotional reflection.

Tips/Technique/Tutorial:
With each challenge, a tip/technique/tutorial will be included. There is no pressure to incorporate the tip/technique/tutorial into your challenge page, the choice is entirely yours.

This month's tip is to stretch your stash by using Rachel's templates in a different way. Instead of using the template as a full page, try shrinking the template down and using it for a cluster. I took one of Rachel's templates from the Intrinsic series:



Using elements from her Give Yourself Permission collection, I filled up the template. I merged the layers together and then shrunk the layers down, using it as one large element instead of as a template. Then I duplicated it and used it across the page. It was a fun way to use it differently, put a little spin on things, and get more use out of my stash of items that sit on my computer.



Marijke created this fun example:



and Rachel said, "I have never used a template in this way before, I combined the clusters from templates in Hear My Voice Masking and Believing to create a cluster for the background to my photo and it pretty much designed the page for me apart from dropping in the background paper, adding a title and one more ink splat and scribble and the bird!!

I used Hear my Voice Questioning to finish the page and was inspired by the 'Permission to Dream' prompt. My Son is heavily into nature and birds at the moment and he's living his best life here working around trails in the park spotting birds. This was Mothers Day and it was a fun way to spend the afternoon wandering and wondering and dreaming about what we'd find around the next corner . . ."



Challenge Requirements:

• Create a new page using one of the prompts
• Use at least 75% of Rachel's Product currently available in her LilyPad shop.
• Any remaining percentage must be product from another current LilyPad designer. This could also include retired products from Rachel or the other current LilyPad designer.
• Hybrid projects are also welcome and the same product rules apply. Where digital products are used in a hybrid project they must all come from current LilyPad designers, and at least 75% must be Rachel's Product.
• Upload your layout to the Rachel Jefferies Designs Gallery at the LilyPad with your product credits.
• For your challenge entry to be counted, you MUST upload your finished layout to this thread. Please link your gallery image to your post in this thread, as it helps us leave love on your layout (and validate your project).
• No double-dipping… your layout must be created for this challenge only, no others.
• You must create a NEW layout for this challenge.
• This challenge will remain open for the monthly coupons through April 30th, 2025.

Prizes:

• All participants who post their page during the challenge month by the end of month deadline and meet the criteria will be eligible for a coupon of 15% off their next order (from Rachel's shop) of $8.99 or more.
• ONE lucky random winner who posts their page during the challenge month by the end of month deadline and meets the criteria will receive a $8.00 coupon for Rachel's Shop here at the LilyPad!

If you have any questions just tag me and I will get back to you as soon as I can. I look forward to your creations.

 

Great pages!!!

 

Delightful submissions so far... a few days left!!