CHNC challenge 57: just make it square

Thank you for all the entries for last week - it lovely to see that there are some new folk entering into the fun as well as some 'regulars' still joining the challenges. There weren't quite so many last week - I hope that doesn't mean you've put away your Christmas stash ... please make sure you get it out again. It only seems a short time ago that we celebrated Christmas, but here we are already near the end of January - time goes so quickly, so it makes sense to start those Christmas cards now.

Before I get on to today's challenge, I need to let you know the winner of challenge 56. Unfortunately, there could only be one winner and this is the result of using random.org:

Number 3:  Tanja

who shared this beautiful card:

Congratulations, Tanja! Please email me - hazelharris@ntlworld.com - so I can arrange for you to receive your gift certificate for $10 to spend with DigiDoodle Shop.

Challenge 57

For challenge 57 I'm asking you to make a square card - please remember that it must be a Christmas card.

I don't know about you, but I love making square cards. I hope you do too and that you will join in this challenge and make any Christmas card that is square.

And this challenge is being sponsored by Ooh la la Creations, who are generously giving their latest CD: Shoes in Bloom part 2, which is worth £14.99:

This is the final part of the beautiful watercolour

shoe art from Lee Brownlee

There are 60 artwork sets all containing

backing papers, co-ordinating inserts, toppers

and stacked decoupage

In addition to these you will find

Bonus papers, traditional decoupage, bookmarks

sentiments, quick card toppers, waterfall

calendar

and a slideshow

to introduce you to each piece of artwork

Over 850 sheets to print

For my card I've used a recycled image, some lovely red glitter paper and some sparkly ribbon. You can read more about it and the challenges I've entered on my regular crafting blog My Crafty Outlook here:

Now it's over to you. As usual, you can use any materials, any techniques, as long as the end result is a Christmas card - and this week it has to be square.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with for this challenge - please add a link to your blog post (not your blog, but the actual post where your card can be found) by 22:00 UK time Friday 3 February. Please mention my blog and create a link within the post for your creation.

You can enter as many times as you wish (a good way to build up your stock of Christmas cards) and also link to any other challenges that allow you to do so, but new work only, please.

A new challenge will be set on 4 February.

Please add your link to inlinkz. If by any chance it disappears, please leave a comment with the link to your blog post and I will make sure it is added.

If you haven't done so already, please become a follower and grab my bright pink button to post on your sidebar and help continue to spread the word about this challenge blog - thank you.

CHNC challenge 56: have a heart

Thank you so much for all the fabulous entries for last week's challenge - so many of you getting started with those Christmas cards - you know it makes sense!

Before I get on to today's challenge, I need to let you know the winner of challenge 55. Unfortunately, there could only be one winner and this is the result of using random.org:

Number 3:  Meg

who shared this beautiful card:

Congratulations, Meg! Please email me - hazelharris@ntlworld.com - so I can arrange for you to claim your prize.

Challenge 56

For challenge 56 I'm asking you to 'have a heart' - feature a heart on your Christmas card - it can be part of the image, a brad, a sticker ... any kind of heart.

And for this week's challenge Digi Doodle Shop are generously giving a $10 gift certificate to the randomly-chosen winner.

DigiDoodle Shop

DigiDoodle Shop is the results of a mother and daughter’s love for the arts and crafts.  It was started a little over 3 years ago with a little more than 100 stamps, and has since then grown to almost 500 stamps.  Joy (the mother of this team) designs realistic images, while Judy (aka/daughter) loves the “fun side of life”, and create images with a cartoon flair.  Having these two complimenting styles have enabled

Digi Doodle Shop to offer a wide variety of stamps.

It is a real honor and pleasure to sponsor this challenge, and we look forward to seeing all the amazing creations.  We thank the design team for their incredible creations, and wish all the participants the very best of luck in this challenge.

Thank you so much for having us, and again the very best of luck to all of you.

Sincerely,

Judy and Joy


For my card I've used the digital image 'Christmas heart' which was kindly given to me by Digi Doodle Shop, just one of the Christmas images that they stock.I've kept to a simple design, printing out the digital image quite big - I coloured with promarkers and added the text in the circle using Christmas is love by tlc creations. Papers are K & Co Secret Santa.I then added the epoxy hearts in the corners. You can see the card on my regular crafting blog My Crafty Outlook here and see the other challenges I entered with it.

Now it's over to you. As usual, you can use any materials, any techniques, as long as the end result is a Christmas card - and this week include a heart.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with for this challenge - please add a link to your blog post (not your blog, but the actual post where your card can be found) by 22:00 UK time Friday 27 January. Please mention my blog and create a link within the post for your creation.

You can enter as many times as you wish (a good way to build up your stock of Christmas cards) and also link to any other challenges that allow you to do so, but new work only, please.

A new challenge will be set on 28 January.

Please add your link to inlinkz. If by any chance it disappears, please leave a comment with the link to your blog post and I will make sure it is added.

If you haven't done so already, please become a follower and grab my bright pink button to post on your sidebar and help continue to spread the word about this challenge blog - thank you.

CHNC challenge 55: use a digital image and/or paper

Big apology to anyone who looked at this post earlier this morning - I had to abandon preparing this last night because I was unwell, so, unfortunately, it went live this morning with the wrong information about the winner (it was last week's - I obviously intended to revise it. The correct information is here now.

It was lovely to see that so many of you are keeping your Christmas stash out and have started the year by getting ahead with your Christmas cards - thanks to everyone who entered last week's challenge. And it was good to see so many resourceful ideas for giving something recycled a new lease of life.


Before I get on to today's challenge, I need to let you know the winner of challenge 54. Unfortunately, there could only be one winner and this is the result of using random.org:

Number 12: Shaz in Oz

who shared lots of beautiful cards including these:

Congratulations, Shaz! Please email me so I can arrange for you to claim your choice of two sheets from Linnie's Whoopsi Daisy shop.

Challenge 55

For today's challenge I'm asking you to use a digital image and/or paper.

Today's challenge is being sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps:

The randomly chosen winner will be able to choose digital stamps to the value of $21

Everything That You Ever Wanted to Know About Bugaboo Stamps:

As if raising five children in the frozen land of the North was not enough of a challenge, Jodie Mackrell decided to dip her cold little Canadian toes into the world of papercrafting by opening an online store full of her illustrations. That was two years ago. Today Bugaboo Stamps is one of the leading companies in digital images, and we're still growing!  From seriously snarky to sugary sweet to sublimely soulful all the way over to the other side of the super sexy spectrum, you're bound to find all that you need and more to create your paper projects.  Jodie works very hard to provide New Releases and Freebies every week! If your taste runs to rubber, you can find Bugaboo Stamps  at Totally Stampalicious. And finally, join the Bugaboo Stamps DT   for weekly challenges at Catch the Bug. 

I made a set of five cards for this challenge using a lovely digi supplied by Bugaboo Stamps called 'Christmas words Noel'. I digitally coloured the image in Paint, adding strips of double sided tape on the sides, which was then glittered. You can read more about my card and the challenges I've entered it into on my regular crafting blog My Crafty Outlook here. 

Now it's over to you. As usual, you can use any materials, any techniques, as long as the end result is a Christmas card - and this week please use a digital image or paper.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with for this challenge - please add a link to your blog post (not your blog, but the actual post where your card can be found) by 22:00 UK time Friday 20 January. Please mention my blog and create a link within the post for your creation.

You can enter as many times as you wish (a good way to build up your stock of Christmas cards) and also link to any other challenges that allow you to do so, but new work only, please.

A new challenge will be set on 21 January.

Please add your link to inlinkz. If by any chance it disappears, please leave a comment with the link to your blog post and I will make sure it is added.

If you haven't done so already, please become a follower and grab my bright pink button to post on your sidebar and help continue to spread the word about this challenge blog - thank you.

CHNC challenge 54: give it a new lease of life!

I want to thank everyone who made last year such a success for my challenge blog. I do hope that you still have enthusiasm for making Christmas cards throughout the year - it's not too early to start now!

I hope you have made a resolution to make Christmas cards throughout the year to ease that sense of panic as it gets near to the end of the year and you realise that you need more Christmas cards. So please don't pack away your Christmas cardmaking supplies - keep them out to hand throughout the year. and get busy with those cards - joining in my challenges will help you achieve this.

Before I get on to today's challenge, I need to let you know the winner of my celebration candy from challenges 52 and 53. Unfortunately, there could only be one winner and this is the result of using random.org:

Number 25: Riliska

who shared this beautiful card:

Congratulations, Riliska! Please email me with your name and full address and I'll get the goodies sent off to you.

Challenge 54

For today's challenge I'm asking you to recycle something. It could well be that you've taken down your Christmas cards and have spotted a few bits and pieces that would be just right to incorporate into a new card. Or perhaps you had some wrapping paper, packaging, ribbon or wrappers from crackers that are too good to just put in the recycling rubbish bin. I'd like you to give someting a new lease of life and recycle it - use it on a new Christmas card.

Thanks to the generosity of so many sponsors coming on board to support my challenge blog, I am pleased to say that there will be a prize every week from now on!

Today's challenge is being sponsored by Whoopsi Daisy - the randomly-picked winner will receive their choice of two sheets from Linnie's Whoopsi Daisy shop.

Whoopsi Daisy Digi Stamps features all hand drawn images by the amazing Linnie

and specialises in cute images of children.

Whoopsi Daisy offers a great deal for your money.

Take a look at the

Whoopsi Daisy shop 

where you are certain to find awesome images which will fit all your creative needs.

For my card I used a piece of a Christmas cracker that I carefully rescued. The image is from Whoopsi Daisy sheet 264 - isn't it lovely? I actually won this as a prize from Whoopsi Daisy for taking part in one of their challenges. You can read more about my card and the challenges I've entered it into on my regular crafting blog My Crafty Outlook here. 

I'm adding another card that you can see on My Crafty Outlook here (the background is recycled wallpaper):

Now it's over to you. As usual, you can use any materials, any techniques, as long as the end result is a Christmas card - and this week please give something a new lease of life - recycle something.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with for this challenge - please add a link to your blog post (not your blog, but the actual post where your card can be found) by 22:00 UK time Friday 13 January. Please mention my blog and create a link within the post for your creation.

You can enter as many times as you wish (a good way to build up your stock of Christmas cards) and also link to any other challenges that allow you to do so, but new work only, please.

A new challenge will be set on 14 January.

Please add your link to inlinkz. If by any chance it disappears, please leave a comment with the link to your blog post and I will make sure it is added.

If you haven't done so already, please become a follower and grab my bright pink button to post on your sidebar and help continue to spread the word about this challenge blog - thank you.

I look forward to seeing your creations.