Saturday 28 January 2017

CHNC challenge 318


Thank you for another week of lovely entries. It's great to see people starting to make Christmas designs while there is no rush or panic ... it makes sense. I hope you will be able to join in this week and share your festive creations.

Please see here for changes to these weekly CHNC challenges from now on.

Before I tell you about this week's challenge, I need to let you know the winner of challenge 317. 

Please note that my email to send to is craftyhazelnut@gmail.com


Number 34: I luv scrapping too (Sue Reynolds) with this lovely card:


Congratulations, Sue. Please email me at craftyhazelnut@gmail.com with your full name and address so I can arrange for you to receive your Viva Decor My Paper World stamps.

Please note that winner needs to claim the prize by 11 February (2 weeks)

From now on, every CHNC challenge will be 'anything goes as long as it's Christmas', which will, hopefully, encourage as many crafters as possible to join in with their festive creations. However, there will always be an optional theme, which this week is 'no sentiment'. I want to stress that this is purely optional.

Challenge 318:
anything goes as long as it's Christmas
optional theme: no sentiment

Every week I will be giving a prize to a randomly chosen winner - this is the prize for this challenge:

Crafter's Companion Romany Christmas
Unmounted rubber stamp Christmas Tree


This is my card following the optional theme: no sentiment - you can read about it on My Crafty Outlook here:


Now it's over to you. You can use any materials, any techniques - it's anything goes as long as it's Christmas, with the optional theme of 'no sentiment'.

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 creation can be found) by 20:00 UK time Friday 3 February 2017. Please include a link to this blogpost within the post for your creation.

You can enter as many times as you wish 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 Saturday 4 February, 2017.

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.

Please also consider going to CHNC Facebook page and clicking 'like' if you haven't done so already and encourage your friends to do the same. 


Don't forget that 'anything goes' monthly challenges are on my Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra blog (these are still being sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps with a prize of four digital images for the randomly chosen winner each month) - you can share any Christmas creation you make throughout the whole month, including those that you link here - there is no restriction on the number of entries you can make throughout the month - the link for CHNC challenge extra for February is here.


I also run a challenge blog called Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - anything goes as long as you use some patterned paper - with a randomly chosen prize winner every month. Please click on the link to find out more. If you have used patterned paper for your Christmas creation, please enter it there too. And please be aware that the Patterned Paper Challenge is not restricted to Christmas - it is for any occasions as long as some patterned paper has been used.

Thank you for your support
I look forward to seeing your entries


Saturday 21 January 2017

CHNC challenge 317


Please see here for changes to these weekly CHNC challenges from now on.

Thanks so much for all your wonderful entries for last week's challenge.

Before I tell you about this week's challenge, I need to let you know the winner of challenge 316. 

Please note that my email to send to is craftyhazelnut@gmail.com

Number 16: laurie, who shared this lovely card:


Congratulations, Laurie. Please email me at craftyhazelnut@gmail.com with your full name and address so I can arrange for you to receive your Dear Santa rubber stamp theme plate and red white ribbons.

Please note that winner needs to claim the prize by 4 February (2 weeks)

From now on, every CHNC challenge will be 'anything goes as long as it's Christmas', which will, hopefully, encourage as many crafters as possible to join in with their festive creations. However, there will always be an optional theme, which this week is 'use a sentiment'. I want to stress that this is purely optional.

Challenge 317:
anything goes as long as it's Christmas
optional theme: use a sentiment

Every week I will be giving a prize to a randomly chosen winner - this is the prize for this challenge:

Viva Decor My Paper World stamps


This is my card following the optional theme: use a sentiment - you can read about it on My Crafty Outlook here:


Now it's over to you. You can use any materials, any techniques - it's anything goes as long as it's Christmas, with the optional theme of 'use a sentiment'.

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 creation can be found) by 20:00 UK time Friday 27 January 2017. Please include a link to this blogpost within the post for your creation.

You can enter as many times as you wish 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 Saturday 28 January, 2017.

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.

Please also consider going to CHNC Facebook page and clicking 'like' if you haven't done so already and encourage your friends to do the same. 


Don't forget that 'anything goes' monthly challenges are on my Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra blog (these are still being sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps with a prize of four digital images for the randomly chosen winner each month) - you can share any Christmas creation you make throughout the whole month, including those that you link here - there is no restriction on the number of entries you can make throughout the month - the link for CHNC challenge extra for January is here. Now that all challenges on the weekly blog here are 'anything goes as long as it's Christmas' it makes sense to also link for the current challenge on my Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra blog - you will then have two chances to win a prize.


I also run a challenge blog called Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - anything goes as long as you use some patterned paper - with a randomly chosen prize winner every month. Please click on the link to find out more. If you have used patterned paper for your Christmas creation, please enter it there too. And please be aware that the Patterned Paper Challenge is not restricted to Christmas - it is for any occasions as long as some patterned paper has been used.

Thank you for your support
I look forward to seeing your entries


Changes to CHNC weekly challenges


Before I announce changes, I wish to thank all sponsors for their tremendous support in providing prizes for my CHNC challenges. This has been much appreciated by me and by the winners.

After six years of running the challenges and much thought, I've decided that from now on I will run my CHNC challenges without sponsors, with me giving a prize for a randomly chosen winner.

This has mainly been brought about by trying to cut down a bit on the time taken to run the challenges. Much as I appreciate the support of sponsors, it does generate more work for me and my husband is needing more of my care, so I feel that something has got to go.

Perhaps one day in the future I will be going back to sponsors to ask them  to give prizes for some challenges, but for now I'll see how things go with just me providing a prize.

And from now on, every week will be 'anything goes as long as it's Christmas', with an optional theme ... which is just that, optional!

One more minor change is the closing time of each challenge. Each week the linky will close at 20:00 UK time, instead of the later time of 22:00 ... this will give me a bit more 'breathing space'. Challenges will start start at 09:00 UK time every Saturday morning.

I'm hoping that these changes won't prevent crafters from entering their Christmas creations. When I started the challenge blog it was to help me to make Christmas designs throughout the year and to encourage others to do the same. I'm hoping that making every challenge 'anything goes' it will make it easier for crafters to take part, going with the optional theme if they so wish.

Saturday 14 January 2017

CHNC challenge 316


Please see here for changes to these weekly CHNC challenges from now on.

Before I tell you about this week's challenge, I need to let you know the winner of challenge 315. 
Please note that my email to send to is craftyhazelnut@gmail.com


Number 46: Kelly (Kelly's cards), who shared this lovely card:


Congratulations, Kelly. Please email me at craftyhazelnut@gmail.com with your full name and address so I can arrange for you to receive your Contemporary Christmas paper pad.

From now on, every CHNC challenge will be 'anything goes as long as it's Christmas', which will, hopefully, encourage as many crafters as possible to join in with their festive creations. However, there will always be an optional theme, which this week is 'feature a creature'. I want to stress that this is purely optional.

Challenge 316:
anything goes as long as it's Christmas
optional theme: feature a creature

Every week I will be giving a prize to a randomly chosen winner - this is the prize for this challenge:

Dear Santa rubber stamp theme plate
ready mounted on EZ mount
Red white ribbons 6 x 1m


This is my card following the optional theme: feature a creature - the lovely glittered reindeer from The Works - you can read about them on My Crafty Outlook here:



Now it's over to you. You can use any materials, any techniques - it's anything goes as long as it's Christmas, with the optional theme of 'feature a creature'.

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 creation can be found) by 20:00 UK time Friday 20 January 2017. Please include a link to this blogpost within the post for your creation.

You can enter as many times as you wish and also link to any other challenges that allow you to do so, but new work only, please.

A new challenge will be set at 09:00 UK time on Saturday 21 January, 2017.

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.

Please also consider going to CHNC Facebook page and clicking 'like' if you haven't done so already and encourage your friends to do the same. 


Don't forget that 'anything goes' monthly challenges are on my Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra blog (these are still being sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps with a prize of four digital images for the randomly chosen winner each month) - you can share any Christmas creation you make throughout the whole month, including those that you link here - there is no restriction on the number of entries you can make throughout the month - the link for CHNC challenge extra for January is here.  Now that all challenges on the weekly blog here are 'anything goes as long as it's Christmas' it makes sense to also link for the current challenge on my Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra blog - you will then have two chances to win a prize.


I also run a challenge blog called Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - anything goes as long as you use some patterned paper - with a randomly chosen prize winner every month. Please click on the link to find out more. If you have used patterned paper for your Christmas creation, please enter it there too. And please be aware that the Patterned Paper Challenge is not restricted to Christmas - it is for any occasions as long as some patterned paper has been used.

Thank you for your support
I look forward to seeing your entries


Saturday 7 January 2017

CHNC challenge 315


Happy New Year

Please see here for changes to these weekly CHNC challenges from now on.

Thank you so much for all the wonderful entries for last week's challenge. It's been a difficult week for us (yet again), with John being admitted to hospital on Sunday ... but the good news is that he is now home (last evening after 10:00 pm) - if I haven't yet had a chance to comment on your entry, I will do so soon.

Before I tell you about this week's challenge, I need to let you know the winners of challenge 314. There were three opportunities to win a prize.

Please note that my email to send to is craftyhazelnut@gmail.com


The first winner:

Number 25: Helen, who shared this lovely card:


Congratulations, Helen. Please email me at craftyhazelnut@gmail.com so I can arrange for you to receive your £10 voucher from Crafter's Companion.

The second winner:

Number 42: Red Obsession Cards (Teresa), who shared this lovely card:


Congratulations, Teresa. Please email me at craftyhazelnut@gmail.com so I can arrange for you to receive your £10 to spend at Crafty Ribbons.

The third winner:

Number 46: Diny, who shared this lovely card:


Congratulations, Diny. Please email me at craftyhazelnut@gmail.com with your full name and address so I can arrange for you to receive your Crafty Bob CD-rom kindly donated by Craftsuprint.

From now on, every CHNC challenge will be 'anything goes as long as it's Christmas', which will, hopefully, encourage as many crafters as possible to join in with their festive creations. However, there will always be an optional theme, which this week is 'clean and simple'. I want to stress that this is purely optional.

Challenge 315:
anything goes as long as it's Christmas
optional theme: clean and simple

Every week I will be giving a prize to a randomly chosen winner - this is the prize for this challenge:


These are two cards that I made following the optional theme: clean and simple - you can read about them on My Crafty Outlook here and here:



Now it's over to you. You can use any materials, any techniques - it's anything goes as long as it's Christmas, with the optional theme of 'clean and simple'.

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 creation can be found) by 20:00 UK time Friday 13 January 2017. Please include a link to this blogpost within the post for your creation.

You can enter as many times as you wish 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 Saturday 14 January, 2017 - please come back then to hear about the changes being made from then onwards.

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.

Please also consider going to CHNC Facebook page and clicking 'like' if you haven't done so already and encourage your friends to do the same. 


Don't forget that 'anything goes' monthly challenges are on my Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra blog (these are still being sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps with a prize of $21 of digital images for the randomly chosen winner each month) - you can share any Christmas creation you make throughout the whole month, including those that you link here - there is no restriction on the number of entries you can make throughout the month - the link for CHNC challenge extra for January is here.


I also run a challenge blog called Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - anything goes as long as you use some patterned paper - with a randomly chosen prize winner every month. Please click on the link to find out more. If you have used patterned paper for your Christmas creation, please enter it there too. And please be aware that the Patterned Paper Challenge is not restricted to Christmas - it is for any occasions as long as some patterned paper has been used.

Thank you for your support
I look forward to seeing your entries