Time for Motivation and Inspiration

I am on a constant apology spree for neglecting my blog and I apologize yet again. However, I have found a way to fix my neglectful ways! And in the process I will be helping my awesome team out. There will be motivation and inspiration all around!

So here is the deal. The team that I am a part of (Collaborators in Cahoots) has voted yes to doing a monthly challenge. The monthly challenge will sort of be hosted by my blog, in that all of the entries will be recorded here for all to see. There will be some other neat things going on with it as well so let's get into the nitty gritty of it all.

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Details

*This challenge will hopefully help to inspire our team when we have those ruts that we all get in. You all know very well what I am talking about. It's sort of like writer's block but for now we will call it crafter's block. We will be holding a monthly challenge which will have a new theme every month. The participants will hopefully be inspired by the theme and make something new, exciting, liberating, and maybe even other-worldly for all of us to see. We will have a monthly poll when all of the participants have entered their new pieces, to see which one, our readers think is the best. Whoever wins, will get a feature of their own in this very blog.

*Everyone on the "collaborators in cahoots" team is welcome to join in on the challenge but they are, in no way, obligated or forced to join in. This challenge is only open to "Collaborators in Cahoots" team members. However, you can play along and use the themes for your own inspiration, and as a reader, you will have the objectivity to vote in polls for the winner of each months challenge event. If this isn't enough for you, please feel free to contact the team via the teams blog to see if there is an opening in the teams members for you.

*Once a month, on the first of every month, I will announce here, what that months challenge will be. At that time, team members will have until noon (central US time) on the last day of the month to send me an email with the link to their item in their etsy shop, or a single picture and description if they choose not to list their newly inspired item. I will add these items along with descriptions and links to a blog post on the first of the following month. During this time, you as the reader or team members, may leave comments for what theme you would like to see next month.

*As well on the first of every month, I will create a poll of the items that have been entered into the challenge and have appeared on the blog. You as the reader will have the chance to vote for the item which you think is best. Team members are allowed to vote as well, but preferably only once. And please be honest with your vote.

*On the seventh day of the month, the poll for the best item will be closed. On the following day, the person whose item won the poll, will be featured on my blog. I will include a short blurb about their shop and pictures as well as links. If they are available for questions before hand, I will add a few Q&A pieces.

*As well on the seventh day of the month, I will post a new poll for the challenge themes that have been nominated. On the fourteenth day of the month, this poll will be taken down and the winner will be set for the next months challenge. If by chance there is a tie, I will call tie breaker.

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Timeline
* 1st- Monthly challenge announced
Poll of items entered in previous month will be posted
Will begin accepting comments for nominating next months theme
* 7th- Poll for item votes will be closed
Poll for next months theme will be posted
* 8th- Themed challenge winner is featured
*14th- Poll for next months theme will be closed
*31st- Monthly challenge will be closed at noon (US central time)
* 1st- New Monthly challenge announced, etc...

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Rules

*Participants of the themed challenge must be a member of Collaborators in Cahoots. All polls can be participated in by both members and non-members.

*Participants must email entries to beads_elegance@yahoo.com by noon (US central time) on the last day of each month.

*Entries emails will be required to have either a direct link as well as a single photo and short description or a single photo and short description of the item without the link if they choose not to list it.

*Entries do not have to be listed but it is encouraged to list the item for maximum exposure.

*Entry items need to be inspired by the monthly challenges theme. If there is obviously no link to the challenge theme and the item, a brief description of the link between the two will be requested from the creator.

*No vulgar, offensive or otherwise overly mature items will be shown here. Since this is my blog, I will still attach links, however I will not show items of the above stated content. I have the final say in this in all cases.