Welcome to Quirky Crafts Challenges

Welcome to Quirky Crafts Challenges the place where any craft project is allowed.

We're a small design team with big inspiration.

On the first Sunday of the month, at 6pm UK time, we will set a new challenge which will close on the 28th of that month at midday. The DT will pick their top three favourites and you could win a prize and join us as a Guest Designer. Winners are posted on the first Sunday in the month (midday usually) before the new challenge - don't forget to come and check if you are a winner.
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Sunday, 29 January 2012

Challenge 3 2012 - Make a Scene

Challenge 3 is a little bit different and we think a whole lot of fun. We want you to build a scene on your project. This means that you should start with a background picture and build it up with other items that are on the same theme to make a picture, and you can see what we mean if you look at the examples below.

We are pleased to introduce another new sponsor for this challenge and one of our regular sponsors.

The sponsors are:

Limited Runs who have lots of lovely images, as well as a monthly challenge. Hop on over to explore this very interesting site.
Limited Runs are offering our first place winner 3 digi images of their choice.

and our new sponsor Squigglefly who have so many images I didn't know where to begin! They also have challenges, freebies, and interesting links and this is another great site for those who love exploring.
Squigglefly are offering our second place winner 3 images (including sets) of their choice.

Now for some examples to get you thinking.

First of all our guest designers:

Andria used Limited Runs Mushroom House, with little birds and butterflies, and a cute die cut fence in front.

Mary (who made the top three two weeks running including first place with her lovely advent box in December) also used the Mushroom House from Limited Runds and the butterfly to make this lovely card on a multi textured and layered white background.

Angie used the Japanese Scene and elements from the Japanese Pack, available from Squigglefly, on her very peaceful card. Angie said "I've never done putting a scene together so it was different!".

and now for the Quirky Crafts Team:

Caro: I used the Limited Runs digital stamps (Tree 1, mushroom house, Mouse and big cupcake, Cuddles, Butterfly 3, dragonfly 1 and Little bird) to make this picture which is going on my sons wall. I didn't use any fancy art packages, just printed them all out and then cut them out to layer onto the background. They were all coloured in with promarkers and I used tapestry stamps for leaves on the tree. I finished the scene off with glitter glue on the wings of the dragonfly, the spots on the butterfly and the icing on the cupcake.

Diane: I decided to take the theme literally, and create a scene for a nursery wall. I used the Limited Runs Digital stamps in the Craft Artist program to create this scene. I printed extra images to decoupage the elements, especially the butterflies and the cat.

Cazzy: I used the Japanese scene and Japanese pack from Squigglefly and I managed to get the screen in there too. My little old lady is about to put up another lantern to celebrate. All the visitors have politely taken off their sandals and left them outside.


Lyn will be back with us very soon, we all send her our best.

Surprise! Hi guys, just had to have a go when I saw Nikki's (Limited Runs) Mushroom House (I love mushroom houses) Sorry I couldn't make a card, so this is completely digital!! I coloured the digi in PaintNet. Missing you all, hope to be back soon! ((Lyn))

Please add a link to your blog post (not your blog) using the biggest blue froggy at the top of the collection, the other one (at the bottom) doesn't do anything that we can tell, and please comment after you have linked.
Don't forget to mention Quirky and add a link back to here (please read the rules and if you realised you haven't followed the rules and won't be included in the top three, and you want your entry removed to try again - please email us using the link in the side bar).

The Quirky Crafts Challenge Design Team.

Winners of Challenge 2 - Silhoutte

Well we certainly saw some lovely silhouette's this week.  Thank you all for entering.  It was a tough choice for us as a design team to make, but the winner of the $10 voucher from Stitchy Bear stamps is...

Congratulations, this was simply stunning!  Please contact Cazzy via the email link on the side bar, and help yourself to a winner's banner to display on your blog. We would also like you to join us as a Guest Designer in an up and coming challenge.

The second place for this challenge was Cazro

and Susan was in third place.

These two cards are both beautiful! Please help yourself to a winner's banner and we would also like to invite you both to join us as Guest Designers.

Our next challenge will go live later today and we look forward to you joining us.
The Quirky Crafts Challenge Design Team.

Sunday, 15 January 2012

Challenge 2 - 2012 - Silhouette

I loved all the food shown in the last challenge - it made me feel quite hungry! Thank you all so much for entering.  It is my (Caro's) turn to set the next challenge and I decided to choose SILHOUETTES.  At this time of year I often see the most amazing silhouettes of trees in the morning against the sunrise on my way to work, and I just love them, so I want to see what interesting silhouettes you come up with. Don't forget, we are not just a cardmaking challenge blog; you may incorporate your silhouette into any creation you wish.
For this challenge we are again joined by one of our regular sponsors 'Stitchy Bear Stamps' who are offering a generous $10 voucher for their store for the winner of the challenge.


As always, the winner and two runners up will be chosen by the Design Team and invited to join us as Guest Designers in a following challenge.

So without further ado here are some SILHOUETTE examples from the team, all made using Stitchy Bear digital stamps:

 Guest Designer Claire used Top Hat for a Lady for her stunning cameo easel card.

Diane
I chose to work with a digistamp called sewing....for obvious reasons...I changed the stamp colour to fit the colour scheme of my card, I wanted the sewing machine to pick up on the green in the floral backing paper and the leaves on the flowers. My flowers are made from a spellbinders roses die and embellished with pearl beads. I used ribbon, lace and buttons to echo the sewing theme...

Caro: My first card is a one layer card made with the Rose Fantasy silhouette stamp from our sponsors.  For this card I had to do some careful measuring and make the inked background first before putting the card through the printer.  Once that was done it was simply a matter of adding Holographic glitter glue to the wings for a clean and simple design.

Caro: My second card used the 'Off shore' silhouette stamp from our sponsors which again was printed onto a distress ink background.  I then layered the image onto various mats, added real shells (from Cleethorpes beach!), a shrink plastic shell and the ribbon for a masculine card.

Cazzy: I used Sewing and decided to make it into a repeating pattern for the background of this card which also features die cuts Tim Holtz Sizzix die and real stitching.


Sadly due to personal reasons Lyn was unable to join the team this time.

We look forward to seeing your creations.  Please remember our rules (in the side bar), we don't have many of them, but in order to be considered for a prize you must follow them. A lot of people are being disqualified because they enter their cards into more than 6 challenges including this one.
Please add a link to your blog post (not your blog) using thebiggest blue froggy at the top of the collection, the other one (at the bottom) doesn't do anything that we can tell, and please comment after you have linked.

 Don't forget to mention Quirky and add a link back to here (please read the rules and if you realised you haven't followed the rules and won't be included in the top three, and you want your entry removed to try again - please email us using the link in the side bar).


 Happy Crafting from: The Quirky CraftsChallenge Design Team.

Please leave us a comment after you have linked your creation. If you followed the Quirky Rules you may be included in the top three - good luck from the team. If you want your entry deleted please email to ask.


















Winners of 2012 - Challenge 1

It is time to announce the winners of the last challenge, which was set by Diane - Food Glorious Food!  There were some gorgeous entries here and they made me feel quite hungry.  Sadly, a number of you did not follow our rules, which clearly state that you can only enter 6 challenges including ours, and so you were disqualified for the prizes.

We had two prizes up for grabs this time:  This gorgeous set of ribbons from Crafty Ribbons
and a choice of 7 digital stamps from Bugaboo Stamps

The first prize winner is Andria
I am sure you will all agree that this is a gorgeous card with a lovely matching tin.  Well done, and you will get your choice of the prizes. Please contact Cazzy via the email link on the side bar, and please help yourself to a winner's banner to display on your blog. We would also like you to join us as a Guest Designer in an up and coming challenge.

The second prize winner is Margreet
Congratulations Margreet!  You will win the other prize so please contact Cazzy via the e-mail link in the side bar. Please help yourself to a winner's banner and we would also like to invite you to join us as a Guest Designer.

Third place is awarded to Angie's handmade crafts with this gorgeous embossed card.
Congratulations Angie. Please help yourself to a winner's banner and we would also like to invite you to join us as a Guest Designer. Please contact Cazzy via the side bar email link.
Our next challenge will go live later today and we look forward to you joining us.

The Quirky Crafts Challenge Design Team.

Sunday, 1 January 2012

Challenge 1 - 2012- Food Glorious Food

Hi Everyone, HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our followers. Hope you all had a lovely, healthy and Happy Christmas. Now when I (Diane) was trying to decide on my theme for this challenge I was up to my neck in cooking for the Christmas break, and I got to thinking that we would all be sick and tired of the sight of food by New Year....so what better theme for the challenge.....just to tease you all.

This challenge is not only our first for 2012, but also the first with a new sponsor. We have been joined on this challenge by Bugaboo Stamps, and we are all happy to welcome them aboard. Please check out their digital stamps, they are so cool, and are something just a little bit different too. Bugaboo also have their own challenge blog where you can have another chance to win.

proud sponsor
Bugaboo Stamps have very kindly offered a prize of 7 digital stamps to the winner of this challenge.
We are also sponsored for this challenge by our favourite ribbon and button people: Crafty Ribbons who will be providing some yummy cherry ribbons.


The winner of the challenge can choose either the Digistamps or the Ribbons as their prize, so second place will also receive a prize this time. Both winner and runner up will be asked to join us as Guest Designers in a future challenge.
So just to recap my challenge is "Food Glorious Food". So I want to see a creation, card or anything else at all, around the theme of food . Here is what the team have come up with using stamps from Bugaboo Stamps.

Guest Designers from our sponsor:

Sandye Curry used JJ Housework Cook on her recipe card.

Scrappy used this cute cow with a big candy stick to make a candy box.



Guest Designer Yogi used Baking Dottie on her first card with a definite French theme.

Yogi used JJ Housework Cook and sentiment on her second card.

Cazzy: Well here I am a little late again, due to printer problems last night! I used JJ Housework Eat Out with sentiment on my card and went for a turquoise base and matching Promarker. Great for someone who hates to cook or is houseproud. I think this sentiment would also work great with Dottie Baking!


Happy New Year everyone! I'm so excited I could sing!! (don''t!) I love Bugaboo Digi Stamps and have used Berry Fairy Cupcake for my card. I printed the digi out four times and built up a 3D image. A bit of glitter here and some added sparkle, almost good enough to eat!
I've also made an ATC using this Lovely little Monkey with his Birthday Cake...(I'm seeing monkeys everywhere now!) I've done a little bit of 3D-ing on him too. The balloons are from another Bugaboo image...



This is my first experience with Bugaboo stamps and I loved them so much that I used 3 of them and matching sentiments to make a series of ATCs. I used Dovecraft paper for the background, then edged the ATCs with distress inks (broken china and worn lipstick) and finished off with Gems and the sentiments.


I love these digital stamps. I chose JJ Cook to work with and thought for a change I would not do a card. I have made a recipe box. The image coloured, as a ways, with promarkers.

We hope to see lots of entries...show us what you've got....

Please add a link to your blog post (not your blog) using the biggest blue froggy at the top of the collection, the other one (at the bottom) doesn't do anything that we can tell, and please comment after you have linked. Don't forget to mention Quirky and add a link back to here (please read the rules and if you realised you haven't followed the rules and won't be included in the top three, and you want your entry removed to try again - please email us using the link in the side bar). Happy Crafting from: The Quirky Crafts Challenge Design Team.

Winners :- Challenge 26 Quirky Christmas or New Year with a twist - Steampunk

The Quirky Crafts Challenge Team would like to wish a Very Happy New Year to all our followers, sponsors and challenge entrants old and new! Let's hope it is a good one and you have more joys than sorrows in 2012.

It is time to announce the winners of the last challenge of 2011. Now this one was set by Cazzy...and was a bit of a challenge to all I think. The Design Team all put in some great examples for inspiration. None of us had really done Steampunk before so it was exciting. Some of our entries didn't understand that Cazzy was looking for a Steampunk element to the entry, which was a shame. After much consideration our winner this challenge and therefore the prize winner is Clairebears.


Congratulations to you and a very well done. Please contact Cazzy via the email link on the side bar, and please help yourself to a winner's banner to display on your blog. We would also like you to join us as a Guest Designer in an up and coming challenge.

Second place has been awarded to
Mary Anne.


Congratulations Mary Anne. Please help yourself to a winner's banner and we would also like to invite you to join us as a Guest Designer. Please contact Cazzy via the side bar email link.

Well it will soon be time to launch the next challenge...the first for 2012! Come back soon and find out what it is......


The Quirky Crafts Challenge Design Team.