Rachel's Mixed Media Challenge - July

Hello, July!

The winner for June's challenge was @Smwhite ! Congratulations. Winner and participant coupons will be distributed in a few days as Rachel cannot create coupons with the upcoming store migration. Be patient. Good things ahead!

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!

The theme this month is NAVIGATE.

I'm really excited about this theme and the prompts and can't wait to see what you come up with.

The prompts:

• Map your emotions today – Create a visual map of your current emotional landscape using color, shape, and symbols
• Storms I've survived – Depict a time you weathered emotional turmoil and what helped guide you through it.
• My internal compass – Illustrate the values, instincts, or beliefs that steer your decisions.
• Lost and found – Explore a time you felt lost and what helped you reorient.
• Current coordinates – Where are you right now in life? Represent it visually with symbols, maps, or abstract marks.
• Charting unknown waters – Express what it's like to face the unknown or begin a new venture.
• Inner explorer – What parts of yourself are still uncharted? Illustrate your journey inward.
• Create a personal compass rose – Design a compass with words or icons for your own guiding principles.
• Signs and signals – Journal about the symbols, dreams, or serendipities that have shown up in your life as guides.
• Constellations of connection – Use stars and constellations to show people or experiences that guide you.

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.

Here is the page I created.




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.

Our local and county libraries often start a summer reading program and include a BINGO board as a way for people to step outside of their usual/typical routines and try something different. Borrowing from that idea, here is a Bingo board for you to play with and explore this month.



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 July 31, 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.