SA Scrapbook Convention once again included a Charity Scrap Challenge at the 2011 event in Johannesburg and Cape Town! This year we nominated two charities as our Charity Scrap Challenge beneficiaries: MONKEYBIZ and JOYA HOMES: LYDIA’S HOUSE

Monkeybiz South Africa, is a nonprofit income-generating bead project started in January 2000. Through creating sustainable employment, Monkeybiz focuses on women's economic empowerment and health development in the most economically under-resourced areas of South Africa. The project, which has established a vibrant community of more than 450 bead artists, many of whom are the sole breadwinners within their households, has transformed the beaded arts market in South Africa. Each Monkeybiz artwork is unique and is signed by the artist, ensuring that individual artists receive recognition for their work. All of the profits from the sales of artworks are reinvested back into community services including soup kitchens and food parcels for the artists and their families.

Joya Homes and Educare Company was set up by a Christian motivation to bring hope and joy to the homeless, abandoned and HIV positive children of the Nomzamo area, Somerset West. As community members, being stirred by the need, they could not just turn away without doing something. Joya Homes means 'more joy'. It is a reminder to have hope and joy where there seems to be none evident, apart from a strong desire to bring it about. The main project under Joya Homes is Lydia's House. Lydia is a foster parent to seven children and her sister Phumeza cares for another seven children in the same way. Their vision is to provide a home of love for the unloved, the abandoned, the homeless and HIV positive children in Nomzamo, Somerset West, to care for them as a mother does.

The Charity Scrap Challenge took place on the Saturday in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Each delegate had an opportunity to purchase a Scrap Challenge Kit, but not necessarily partake in the challenge. Each entrant had one hour to scrap a single page layout using the contents of the kit supplied and a basic tool kit. The theme for the scrapbook layout at the Charity Scrap Challenge was 'Life is a bowl of cherries ... live, laugh, love', highlighting 'Life recipes for success and happiness'. Melissa Kennedy from Kaisercraft ran the Charity Scrap Challenge and included a couple of additional items and products for the participants to use in their layouts. This incurred a ‘penalty fee’ which raised more for the charities. The layouts were judged on the Sunday by the international teachers attending the 2011 event and sixteen layouts were chosen.

These finalists will be judged by an independent panel of judges and an overall winner and two runner-up layouts will be announced on our website and published in Scrapping & kie Magazine, Issue 46.

The overall winner will receive a ticket to the 2012 SA International Scrapbook Convention, one night's accommodation for the Saturday night of the event and dinner with the international teachers attending the September 2012 event. The two runner-up winners will receive a ticket to the September 2012 SA International Scrapbook Convention.

CHARITY SCRAP CHALLENGE TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

1. The CHARITY SCRAP CHALLENGE is only open to delegates who attend the 2011 event in September in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
2. One kit per delegate. Any additional kits will be available to purchase after the Charity Scrap Challenge at each event.
3. The single page layouts must be handed in by 18h45 on the evening of the Charity Scrap Challenge. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
4. All entries to be accompanied by the official entry form with all contact details and information.
5. Each Charity Scrap Challenge entrant will have one hour to scrap a single page layout using the contents of the kit supplied in the designated rooms at the respective venues.
6. The layouts will be judged by the international teachers attending the 2011 event. They will select layouts in Johannesburg and in Cape Town. Fifteen finalist s will be selected from the initial selection of layouts and published in the Scrapping & kie Magazine Issue No . These 15 layouts will then be judged by an independent panel of judges and an overall winner and two runner-up will be announced on our website and published in the Scrapping & Kie and Craftwise magazines.
7. The theme for the scrapbook layout at the Charity Scrap Challenge is the 'Life is a bowl of cherries ... live laugh, love', highlighting 'Life Recipes' for success and happiness.
8. Photos in Sepia, Colour or Black and White to compliment the theme for your single page layout can be included in the layout.
9. No other product other than the contents of the kit, basic scrapbook tools, inks, dimensional glaze and adhesives may be used. Additional product at the Charity Scrap Challenge will be made available to those participating in the Scrap Challenge.
10. The finalists and other selected original layouts will be kept to be photographed for judging and for the inclusion in Scrapping & kie and Craftwise Magazine.
    Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
11. The winners and winning layouts will be announced on our website, www.scrapbookex.co.za on Wednesday 12 October 2011.
12. The finalist layouts will be published in Issue No Scrapping & kie magazine which will be available in October 2011.
13. The winner's layout and the runner-up layouts will also be published in the November/December 2011 Craftwise magazine as well as in Issue 45 of Scrapping & kie.
14. SA Scrapbook Convention reserves the right to refuse to accept an entry in the Charity Scrap Challenge without giving any reasons.
15. By entering, entrants agree to abide by the rules and the decisions of the sponsors and judges, which are final and binding.
16. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence whatsoever will be entered into.
17. Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash.