Blogger's Challenge 17 and Give Away a Day 19

Each Friday I participate in a Bloggers Challenge Group -- do I am incorporating this challenge into the Give Away a Day for today. This is bound to be a long post, so please indulge me : )

The Bloggers Challenge this week was to create something that was inspired by something around us. Last week my brother and SIL came from Chicago to Connecticut to spend a week with me and my family. Two of those days we went hiking. New England is known, of course, for our beautiful foliage -- so we were hoping to see nature in her full glory. Well...that was the hope! We have had unnaturally warm weather this month and last, so the leaves have been hesitant to grace us with their full splendor! Of course, there were some trees that had changed...and I always find so much inspiration in their natural perfection. So Today's Challenge was inspired by the leaves from our hikes.

The Marker Wash technique from the October 2007 issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter was a natural for this inspiration. I really love this card -- It just seems to fit naturally with the background that says "We are not humans on a spiritual journey, we are spiritual beings on a human journey." Now THAT is inspirational, isn't it?

Please take a moment to visit the other ladies in the Bloggers Challenge group (listed in the sidebar on the left). They are wonderful artists and I think you might find their work inspirational, too!

Now, for the give away for day 19 (thanks for bearing with me!):

Today's lucky winner will receive their OWN Marker Wash package! Just add water (and stamps!)...

This prize package includes 10 Stampin' Up! markers, the card above, a package of Stampin' Up! paper, and a Pad of Watercolor Paper. This give away is sponsored by....me : )

Here are the details on how you can win today's Give Away:
ANYONE can enter. One entry per person, per daily give away please. To enter the give away for today, simply leave a comment on this blog entry telling me that you would like to enter by 11:59pm EST on Saturday, October 20th. No other entry methods will be included in the give away. If you email me to enter, your entry will NOT be considered as a valid entry. When you leave the comment, make sure to put your NAME in the comment -- if you enter your comment as "Anonymous", I cannot give you the prize! Blogger does NOT record your email address for me, so you will need to check back to find out if you have won or include your email address in your comment so that I can notify you. I will have a random number generator pick a number from the comments to select the winner. Each give-away is separate, so to be eligible for a specific item you must enter that day's contest on the post where it is listed.Check back every day during the month of October for the daily giveaway -- you can enter EVERY day! A fabulous Grand Prize will be offered on the last day of the month, too. Enter today -- good luck!

The winner of this Give Away is Lynne Malinowski! Congratulations, Lynne!