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, 22 April 2012

WINNERS- Challenge 8 2012 - Quirky Happy Event (recipe and New Baby or Pregnancy theme

This was a lovely challenge set by Cazzy. We were sponsored this time by Crafty Ribbons and Stitchy Bear. Not so many entries this time, but the quality was high.

Our first winner is
LOZ.

Congratulations! You are the winner of a lovely exclusive baby ribbon collection from Crafty Ribbons.
And our second winner is
Linda
Congratulations to you too, you have won a $10 voucher from Stitchy Bear to spend on their fantastic digital stamp shop.

Both of you are also invited to be a Guest Designer for a future challenge. Please could you both contact Cazzy using the email link in the side bar to claim your prize and arrange a future challenge.


Thank to all those who entered. Please come back later today for the launch of the next challenge.

Sunday, 8 April 2012

Challenge 8 2012 - Quirky Happy Event (recipe and New Baby or Pregnancy theme -see below).

A very Happy Easter Holidays to you all.

To see who won Challenge 7 please scroll down to the post below this one.

This Quirky Cazzy Challenge is inspired by my soon to be Grandson, and is in honour of those who are expecting a happy event (that is the patter of tiny feet) or for those who have experienced the happy event. So I want to see congratulations on your pregnancy, soon to be grandma, or new baby projects, cards or whatever you want to make. New big brother, new Grandparents, new parents, new aunty, baby announcements, but your make must include: GINGHAM, RIBBONS (OR GINGHAM RIBBONS), and NOVELTY BABY BUTTONS/EYELETS OR BRADS.

This must be about a NEW baby, or PREGNANCY.

Important Note: We are relaxing the rules on the number of challenges you can enter (this is a trial for a few challenges to see what happens). You can enter as many challenges as you like with your make including ours as long as your make fits our theme and the recipe above.

Our wonderful sponsors this time are

Crafty Ribbons, who are providing a wonderful prize to our top prize winner of this exclusive baby ribbon collection:




and Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps,
who are giving our second place winner a $10 voucher so you can choose what you want when you want it from three different ranges as used by the DT (the voucher will tell you which ranges you can pick from).

Now lets see what the DT came up with using images from our sponsor:

First our guest designers:
Bev G joins us again (despite a tornado wreaking havoc near where she lives - thankfully she and her family are all safe) with this very sweet card, Bev used Clown Doll and Toy Bunny.

Sarabeth who was a winner a while back but couldn't join us at the time, made a lovely cross over gift card holder using Toy Bunny.


Caro:
I made a little tag for a friend who has just had a little boy she has named Archie, using the 'Hush Lil Baby' silhouette stamp from our sponsor as well as gingham paper, blue ribbon, blue gems, rubber sentiment stamps and little feet, hands and bottle buttons from my stash.

I've made a shaker card so the Doll Clown digi could sit in the corner. I printed her out in two different sizes and used the smaller size inside the card. Coloured with three different shades of pink ProMarkers. I've used gingham papers and ribbon and tiny heart buttons. The Baby's rattle was also a button. All my baby buttons are blue, so I coloured it pink using a Promarker. The sentiment and insert were done on the computer using a grey outline with a pink fill.

I used Baby Cakes Digital Stamp. I decided that I would like to make it into a shaped card, so imported the stamp into my Studio Software and created the outline by tracing, copying, flipping and welding the images. I then printed the image several times and decoupaged it. I have included gingham ribbon (not the right shade of blue, but all I could find as I am in the middle of a craft room relocation!) and my themed button is the giraffe on the baby cup. it was just the right size!


Due to Technical difficulties (as well as migraine) I had to come up with something other than the project I had planned, and in very short time! This card uses Baby Sleeping and Toy Bunny images from Stitchy. I added some novelty buttons and paper pieced the images with some blue gingham paper (now where is all the gingham ribbon I thought I had?). There is some nursery rhyme ribbon in the background (the cow Jumping over the moon from Little Boy Blue which came from Crafty Ribbons). Hopefully I will have another one to show you soon using the last image, which was also planned for the project that wasn't to be!

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).

Have Fun - The Quirky Crafts Challenge Design Team.

Winners of Sketch challenge


It's winner time, and definitely quality not quantity this time round! Everyone used Lyn's sketch beautifully, well done on that and thank you for playing along.

Two entrants used Bugaboo images and got extra points in Lyn's scoring system, and the results are as follows:

Our first place goes to: Linda with this cheeky green frog card.


Well done Linda, you have won 7 Bugaboo images of your choice, please contact Cazzy (me) using the email link in the sidebar and I will tell you how to claim your prize, and let me know if you would like to join us as Guest designer for a future challenge. Please help yourself to a winner's badge from the sidebar to display on your blog.

In second place Olga with her beautiful sewing themed card:
Well done Olga - please contact Cazzy (me) using the email link in the sidebar and let me know if you would like to join us as Guest designer for a future challenge. Please help yourself to a winner's badge from the sidebar to display on your blog.

and in third place Kelly with her Bugaboo freebie flowerpot image.
Well done Kelly - please contact Cazzy (me) using the email link in the sidebar and let me know if you would like to join us as Guest designer for a future challenge. Please help yourself to a winner's badge from the sidebar to display on your blog.


Don't forget to check back later for the next challenge!


Have Fun - The Quirky Crafts Challenge Design Team.

Sunday, 25 March 2012

It's Sketchy This Bugaboo Challenge #7!

Hi Guys! Welcome back to another Quirky Crafts Fortnightly Challenge. Scroll down to the previous post to see the winners of our last Challenge, Recipe For A Special Lady. We're looking forward to our winners joining us as Guest Designers!
I hope you are all enjoying the sunshine!! Over here in England as I type this the sun is blazing in through my crafty window. It's my turn (Lyn/Spyder) to set the theme, and I have chosen my favourite, a nice simple Sketch... even with our clocks springing forward this weekend there's still plenty of time to make your creations, go scuba diving, mountaineering, bungee jumping or just lie in the sun... and to all those of you who are knee deep in snow..(hehehe) well, I hope you love skiing! Okay, I'm in good spirits because we have a fabulous sponsor for this Challenge...

Who are kindly offering our winner Seven digi's of their choice from the Bugaboo Digital Store!
I've whipped up a very simple sketch, which, providing we can see you've used it, you can add any extra embellishments you can find in your crafty stash! Add flowers, beads, gems, glitter, decoupage the layers, use extra ribbon, brads, buttons, or leave it plain and flat. Twist it, turn it or even reverse it. You don't have to use a Bugaboo image, but!!! if you do this challenge (they do a freebie every Friday so I'm sure you all have a few) you'll get extra points in my voting system on who wins! Right, what's next? Oh yes! The sketch!
See, told you it was easy! Here's some fabulous makes, using Bugaboo Digital Stamps, made by the Quirky Craft's Design Team, no Guest Designers this challenge, but we do have some fabulous creations by two of the Bugaboo Design Team!

Bugaboo Design Team examples:

Kay
Kay has used Edward Elephant-with Flower (and his little chickie friend!)



Quirky Crafts Design Team Examples
I used Lilies which is a lovely hand drawn image. The large flower is decoupaged, the image is coloured with Promarkers and Trias and painted with artist's iridescent medium to make it sparkle. The sketch has been flipped for this card. I wanted to keep the background colours delicate to not overwhelm the delicate image.

For my second card I used Eggbert, he is perfect for Easter cards! I coloured him with Promarkers and cut him out with Nestabilities and lots of layers. The papers I used were free with Crafts Beautiful magazine. The ribbons, bows, pearls and blooms are Papermania, as is the sentiment stamp.

Finally, because none of our winners could join us this time round, here is my third card. I used Oz Toto, and I love this one because it looks just like our Alfie dog. I used some dog papers and vellum, and the bone stickers all from a scrapbook kit by Boxer Scrapbook Productions, and the papers are called Woof Words. I hunted everywhere for my bone eyelets only to find them in the first place I looked!

Here is my interpretation of Lyn's sketch. I have used papers from Shery K Designs and of course a lovely digi stamp from our sponsors. This one is called Silhouette and Butterfly and Flowers. The lace mat was cut using my Cameo from a file by Monica's Creative Room. Hope you like it.
I made my son's birthday card using Edward the Elephant Present digital stamp from our sponsors. I just love the look of that elephant and I couldn't resist making him on a bright card so used papers from Dovecrafts Nana's kids range, along with big brads and mini buttons.
I've made a birthday card using Bugaboo's Edward Elephant-Present digi stamp too. After colouring with ProMarkers, I may have gone bit 'OTT' with the sketch by adding, a bow, flowers, gems and die-cuts. I've also decoupaged Edward, his present, the balloons and the little chick. In side I've used a PNG image, CritterBalloons-Elephant and printed him straight onto the backing papers. The font is a Freebie. (Link on blog) All papers are from PinkPetticoat.
Inside
*Card added 29th March. I've just finished this Happy Easter card using Scene it-Easter I've added a few things more than the sketch but less than the card above! All papers I used were freebies from Crafty Magazines. (Links on my blog)

We can't wait to see what you come up with! Please read the Quirky rules, (found on the side bar) If you haven't followed them you won't be included in the top three. If you later realise this, and want your entry removed to try again - please email us using the link in the side bar. We'll still come and visit coz wei love to see your creations! Please add a link to your blog post (not your whole blog) using the biggest blue froggy at the top of the collection, (the first one you see) the other smaller 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 Crafts and add a link back to here.
Have Fun - The Quirky Crafts Challenge Design Team.

Winners: Challenge #6 Recipe For A Special Lady

Afternoon everyone! It's time to chose the winners of our last Quirky Challenge, A Recipe For A Special Lady set by Caro. We had some lovely entries, kindly sponsored by The Cutting Cafe, who offered a prize of three sets of digi stamps for the winner! All the votes are in...and the winner is....
Suzanne, you made a beautiful Mother's Day card. Your other creations all through your blog are amazing. Well worth a visit! Well done! You've won three sets of Digi stamps from The Cutting Cafe! We would also love you to join us as Guess Designer in one of our future challenges! Please take a Quirky Banner for your sidebar with a link back to Quirky!
Here is Suzanne's gorgeous card.After a lot of thinking, counting of votes and umpteen cups of cold tea, our second favourite is...
...with this lovely easel card. We loved all the detail Leah Ann, the more we looked, the more we found!! For loads of inspiration, please pay Leah Ann's Blog a visit, you'll find some amazing creations!!
And our third favourite creation was made by....
...with these amazing flower boxes! Pop over to Deanne's blog to read how she made them!

We would love you all to join us as Guest Designers in the near future, so please contact Cazzy using the e-mail on the sidebar to arrange winnings and details. (You may need to paste and copy the addy into your own email provider) Don't forget to take a Quirky Banner to place on your side bar with a link back to here!
I'll be back later with a new challenge set by me, Spyder/ Lyn. There's already a sneek peek of my DT card on my blog, hope you can all join in!! Bye for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, 11 March 2012

Challenge 6: A recipe for a Special Lady


Hello and welcome back to Quirky crafts. It is my (Caro's) turn to set the challenge this week and as it is Mother's Day here in the UK on March 18th I decided that it would be appropriate to have a challenge for all those special women out there. Your card does not have to be for a Mother (we are aware that sadly not everyone still has their Mum's) but it should be for a special lady in your life. This is a recipe challenge so please make sure your card also includes:
Circles, Flowers and gems/pearls
for a Special lady

We are sponsored this week by the Cutting Cafe who have offered a prize of three sets of digi stamps for the winner of this challenge.
The Cutting Cafe sell good value collections of digi images, you get lots of sheets of images and/or sentiments, and it doesn't stop there - Cutting Cafe also sell cutting files for electronic cutting machines in a variety of formats.

The Cutting Cafe has also provided the team with some of their digi images to work with, so without further ado here are the examples from the team

First of all Guest Designer Natali used a sentiment from the All About Mom set to make this lovely bright easel card.

This card will be a Mothers Day card for my Mother in Law. She is in her 80's now, but hates to be indoors. She insists on going out every day, and insists on having a cup of tea absolutely everywhere she goes, even if it is just 5 mins down the road from her house! So when I saw the Tea Time digital stamp set, I just had to use it. I enlarged the stamps slightly to fit the scale of my card. The papers are from Shery K Designs. My images are coloured with promarkers and 3d on the card. I have a ribbon element , the small bow near the sentiment and also a plaited ribbon strip behind my flowers, which were made with a spellbinders die and have gems in the centre. I have a circular element in the backing paper design and also I have used faux brads (Card Candy) on the tea cup border.

LynI've used the Word Sentiments "All About Mom" from our Sponsor, which I've embossed, distressed slightly with some very fine sand paper and inked the edges. I've added paper flowers made from circle and flower punches, as well as ribbon flowers, tiny gems, swirly die-cuts, then topped it all with lashings of Stickles Glitter!

Cazzy


I decided to cut a circle aperture in a square card blank. I used the word block and sentiment from All About Mom inside so it shows through, with flowers from One Spring Day around the aperture. I made the mistake of using distress inks and cut and dry foam on some of the images which smudged the ink, but decided to leave it. I used Promarkers on the small flowers and the striped middle of the inside flower. I probably could have backed the flowers on the inside too to make it even more special.



My Mother-in-law is also a tea drinker so I used the Tea Time Digital Stamp set and combined it with the All about Mom set to make this card for her. I coloured the main image with promarkers, the papers were free from the Scrapbook Magazine many moons ago and I used Crafty Individuals corner stamps and flower gems that have been in my stash for ages.

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).

Have Fun - The Quirky Crafts Challenge Design Team.

Winners:- Challenge 5 2012; The First signs of Spring

It is time to announce the winners of the last challenge which was set by Diane.  Although there were not many entries that followed the challenge of a Spring themed double Z-fold card, the ones that were made were beautiful so thank you all! 

After much deliberation the design team have chosen Cely as the winner of this challenge.


Congratulations!  You have won 5 digital images of your choice from our sponsor, The Stamping Boutique.


Our runner up is Bev G with a gorgeous bird in a heart making this feel like Spring.

Congratulations to you too!

We would like you both to join us as Guest Designers for a future challenge so please can you contact Cazzy using the e-mail in the sidebar to arrange winnings and details.

That's all for now.  Our next challenge goes live in a few hours so hope to see you there!
The Quirky Crafts Challenge Design Team.