Winner of CHNC challenge extra for December

Happy New Year

There were loads of entries for November's challenge - I was staggered when the entries started mounting up for December and, in fact, amounted to slightly more - what a fantastic surprise. Thank you so much, everyone, for making this challenge blog so special.

Unfortunately, there can only be one winner of the December challenge of the $21 of digital stamps from my generous sponsor, Bugaboo Stamps. Using random the winner is:

Number 419: Jessi, with this lovely card

Congratulations, Jessi. Please email me at hazelharris@ntlworld.com so that I can arrange for you to claim your prize.

I'm excited to be starting the new year with a fabulous Design Team of talented ladies.

January's challenge is here

I look forward to seeing your entries

And, once again, there will be a prize of $21 of digital stamps from Bugaboo Stamps

for the randomly chosen winner

Introducing the Design Team

I am thrilled to say that the seven talented ladies invited to join me on the Design Team from January 2014 have all accepted.

Let me introduce ourselves:

Hazel

'I'm Hazel, known in the crafting world as Craftyhazelnut. I live in Bromley, part of Greater London in the UK. I'm 66 and am married to John, who fully supports me in my obsession for accumulating (and using) crafting goodies. I've always been interested in crafting in one form or another; when I was younger I did a lot of knitting, embroidery, crocheting etc but over the past thirteen years or so have been more involved in papercrafting, particularly cardmaking, although I dabble in scrapbooking from time to time.

Three years ago I started my weekly Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenges to help me focus on making Christmas cards throughout the year - I always need a large stock by September/October as I sell to raise money for charity, particularly for Tearfund. Having successfully run the weekly Christmas challenge blog for two years, I started the monthly Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge extra blog where it's always 'anything goes as long as it's Christmas'. I have been overwhelmed at the response and decided by the end of the year that I need a Design Team, so here we are!

Deanne

My name is Deanne Clarke-Saunders. My hubby and I live in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. I’m an elementary teacher but currently not working. I have always enjoyed playing with paper, scissors, glue, and ESPECIALLY crayons and pencil crayons, ever since I’ve been a small child. I just couldn’t stop playing, so I continued by scrapbooking and card-making! I love it!!! My hubby calls me a paper hoarder. He just MAY be right, but I’d never tell him that!!! A man doesn’t need to know he’s right!!! haha!

Heather

I'm so excited to be joining the brand new Design Team for Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra. I live in Southern Rhode Island (USA) with my wonderful husband and three adorable girls. I started making cards about 12 years ago when someone introduced me to Stampin' Up! but really fell in love with papercrafting about 5 years ago. I stick mainly to card making, though every once in a while I foray off into the 'off the page' world. I thought originally that I would get into scrapbooking and that has just never happened. I am training up the next generation of paper crafters as my oldest daughter is starting to create cards on her own. And whatever the younger two see her doing, that is what they want to do. We go through a LOT of paper and tape at our house!

Helen

My name is Helen and I've been a card maker for many years. I particularly love stamping and Promarkers and my style is mostly clean and simple. I work for my local Abbeyfield Society as an activities coordinator and also teach card making workshops for Little Claire at weekends. As well as Little Claire, I'm also lucky enough to design for Pink Gem, Nutcrafters, Crafts-Too and Card Creations Plus and I'm part of the team for several challenge blogs. I love making Christmas cards and am really excited to be part of the team for Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Extra Challenge.

Renate

My name is Renate Valstar. I live in The Netherlands, at the westcoast near the sea. I've been married and I have a son and a daughter. I'll created cards for a few years. Starting with 3-D, now the most of my cards are made with stamps. I am very pleased that I've been asked for the DT team.

Rocky

I've been making things for as long as I can remember thanks to the encouragement from my Mum. I've tried all sorts of crafts but papercraft is my favourite. I'm a freelance demonstrator and designer based in Norfolk, England with my Husband, Son and Cat. I belong to a few design teams but this is my first Christmas one and I'm really excited to have a reason to make Christmassy projects all year round.

Rose

Hi, my name is Rose and I am married to a wonderful man that not only supports my crafty (obsession) hobby but encourages it. We are empty nester's with just our two spoiled fur babies Precious and Q left at home.

I am thrilled that Hazel has asked me to be on her design team as I love making Christmas cards all year long.

Suze

Hello! My name is Suze and I live in New Zealand.

I have been card-making off and on for a number of years since a friend introduced me to rubber stamps although I now work mostly with digi stamps. My style is mainly CAS but I'm trying to learn new techniques. I first started blogging my cards in February 2012 so that I could enter some challenges. I initially started with mainly Christmas challenges to take the pressure off at the end of the year but have since found several others that have appealed to me. Since I live on the other side of the world, so many of the challenges are the opposite season to ours which certainly makes things interesting!

I am so looking forward to this new phase of CHNC challenge extra. Please give these ladies a warm welcome.

Meanwhile, the December challenge continues here - please click on the link or scroll down to see it and join in with your entries. There are already well over 500 entries .... please keep them coming!

Follow up to Design Team Call

Please scroll down for the December challenge or click here.

I was absolutely taken aback by the number of lovely crafters applying to be on my Design Team. I never expected so many entries - and, yes, I did also take into account the couple of emails I had as well as those who linked.

I originally said that I was looking for two or three folk to join me, not expecting that many would apply. There were so many entries for November that it had me thinking that I should try to have a larger team - at least we could share the commenting!

It was a really hard decision as to who to invite to join me. To make it fair I looked through the earlier months of the year to see how many of those applying had been sharing their cards then. I'm inviting 7 people who applied to be on the team who have submitted entries for the challenges every month.

I realise that some of you have been regular players since you discovered the blog and I am so grateful for your support and interest and I hope you will continue to share your festive makes and not be too disappointed at my decision.

I will continue to invite guest designers to join us for a specific month - I already have people lined up for January, February and March.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who shares their festive creations here, whether now and again or regularly - I love seeing all your wonderful inspirations.

By the end of this month, this challenge blog will have been running for a year and I hope that next year it continues to be a success, thanks to all of you.

Please scroll down for the December challenge or click here.

CHNC challenge extra for December

Please click here to see the winner of CHNC challenge extra for November.

This challenge will last for the whole month of December - anything goes as long as it's Christmas - it doesn't have to be a card, you can link any project as long as it's Christmas!

There are just more and more lovely crafters adding their Christmas cards - there were 805 entries during November, a record number - thank you, everyone, for making this challenge blog such a success and a lovely place to share festive crafting. 

Christmas will come and go during this month, so this is an opportunity to share all those last minute cards ... and perhaps continuing making cards after the Big Day to start getting ahead for next year.

All of these monthly challenges are being generously sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps - a winner will be randomly chosen using random.

Bugaboo Stamps are proud to sponsor this challenge - they are offering $21 of digital stamps to the randomly selected winner.

Everything That You Ever Wanted to Know About Bugaboo Stamps: A Short Essay

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 (and you know who you are), you can find Bugaboo Stamps   at Totally Stampalicious. And finally, join the Bugaboo Stamps DT   for weekly challenges at Catch the Bug. 

Every month I am joined by a Guest Designer and for November I am pleased to welcome Kathy Barrett

Kathy writes:

'My name is Kathy Barrett and I currently live in a rural area of Arkansas with my husband and our 3 schnauzers.  Sadie, our oldest at 16, is in the photo with me.  I am a medical researcher by day and addicted stamper by night.  I was introduced to stamping in 2007 by a Kindergarten teacher, for whom I was a Renaissance Reader for 11 years.  I started out slowly, until I introduced my friend Margaret to stamping.  From there, we both became addicted and we have never looked back.  Last year I finally got brave enough to start a blog.  Outside of stamping and blogging, I enjoy doing dog agility with my youngest Schnauzer, Geena Bea.  I also volunteer with an animal rescue as donation coordinator, database manager and Foster Failure (we have adopted all our fosters!).  Stamping has become handy in that I make special cards for children who donate to our rescue and donors can purchase cards in honor/memory of someone or a pet.  I am thrilled to have the opportunity to guest design at Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge!'

For her lovely easel card, Kathy has used 'candy cane bear' by Bugaboo Stamps - you can read about it here on Kathy's blog:

Thank you,  Kathy, for being my guest for this month. Please go over to Kathy's blog and leave her some comments.

This is my card for CHNC challenge 153: light it up- now closed - more about the card here:

And a card I've made for The Glory of Christmas 21: turquoise and brown - this challenge is now closed - you can read more about it here:

And this is my card for CHNC challenge 154 - open for entries until 22:00 UK time Friday 13 December - more info here:. This card is also for the Sweet Pea Stampers challenge: it's cold outside':

And this is my card for The Glory of Christmas 22: snow - you can read more about it here - that challenge is open until 23:55 on 21 December:

If you have any entries that would fit any of these challenges, we would love to see them there.

You may add any Christmas card or project to this challenge

it's 'anything goes' every month

There really aren't any rules as such - just have a look at what I've written on the right hand sidebar and join in! You may link as many entries as you like as long as they weren't blogged before 1 December 2013.

Weekly challenges will continue on my CHNC challenge blog - these usually have a theme - but any card that you enter there can be entered here as well, so you increase your chance of winning a prize. 

And, of course, you can chat about this monthly challenge extra blog on the CHNC facebook page as well - if you haven't joined that yet, please follow the link and 'like' the page.

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 20:00 UK time Tuesday 31 December.  Please mention my blog and create a link within the post for your creation. The winner will be announced at 23:00 UK  time on 31 December.  January's challenge will begin at midnight on 1 January, when I hope to have my new Design Team in place.

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.

Thank you for your support

I look forward to seeing your entries

This challenge will last for the whole month of December - anything goes as long as it's Christmas

Design Team Call

Design Team Call

I hope to continue inviting a guest designer every month, but would also like to have two or three folk to join me on a regular basis. I'm looking for crafters who share my passion for making Christmas cards throughout the whole year.

If you would like to be considered to join the team, please leave your name in linky with a link to your blog.

The initial term would be for six months from January 2014, with a view to continuing after that if mutually agreed.

As this challenge blog is always sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps, digital images of choice would be provided so that at least one card each month would be made using a Bugaboo image for the first of the month, adding another card later in the month if desired - using any images.

Those who join me would be expected to comment on allocated numbers of entries throughout the month.

This call will remain open until Saturday 30 November. The new team members will be notified on or before Saturday 7 December in order to give time to submit a card for 1 January 2014.

Please only apply if you are committed to making Christmas cards throughout the year.

If you have any queries, please email me: hazelharris@ntlworld.com

This will remain at the top of the blog until the close of the call on Saturday 30 November. Please scroll down or click here for the November challenge.

Winner of CHNC challenge extra for November

I just couldn't believe the way the entries kept coming in throughout the month and we ended up with a staggering 805 altogether. I think I managed to comment on every entry - I hope I didn't leave anyone out - and thanks to Mrs A, my guest for November, for commenting on so many entries. It's clear now that I need a design team to help me. Later this evening the Design Team Call is closing and then I have the difficult job of choosing who to appoint - I never dreamed that there would be so many applying.

Unfortunately, there can only be one winner of the November challenge of the $21 of digital stamps from my generous sponsor, Bugaboo Stamps. Using random the winner is:

Number 378: Rose, with this lovely card:

Congratulations, Rose. Please email me at hazelharris@ntlworld.com so that I can arrange for you to claim your prize.

December's challenge is here

I look forward to seeing your entries

And, once again, there will be a prize of $21 of digital stamps from Bugaboo Stamps

for the randomly chosen winner

CHNC challenge extra for November

Please click here to see the winner of CHNC challenge extra for October.

This challenge will last for the whole month of November - anything goes as long as it's Christmas - it doesn't have to be a card, you can link any project as long as it's Christmas!

There are just more and more lovely crafters adding their Christmas cards - throughout the month I could hardly believe how many entries were regularly being submitted - thank you, everyone, for making this challenge blog such a success and a lovely place to share festive crafting. 

All of these monthly challenges are being generously sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps - a winner will be randomly chosen using random.

Bugaboo Stamps are proud to sponsor this challenge - they are offering $21 of digital stamps to the randomly selected winner.

Everything That You Ever Wanted to Know About Bugaboo Stamps: A Short Essay

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 (and you know who you are), you can find Bugaboo Stamps   at Totally Stampalicious. And finally, join the Bugaboo Stamps DT   for weekly challenges at Catch the Bug. 

Every month I am joined by a Guest Designer and for October I am pleased to welcome Mrs A (Valeryanne Williams)

Mrs A writes:

'Everyone knows me in Blogland as Mrs A. I'm so pleased that Hazel has asked me to be her Guest Designer this month as I love using Bugaboo stamps whenever I can.

I have crafted in one form or another for as long as I can remember but have only turned my hand to card making in the last 18 months. My 3 grandchildren keep me busy as I am always getting requests for making things which I am always pleased to do for them.'

For her lovely easel card, Mrs A has used 'fancy bonnet Christmas stuff'' kindly supplied by Bugaboo Stamps:

And for her second card, Mrs A has used Bugaboo Stamps  'make it snappy - reindeer trio'. You can read more about these lovely cards on Mrs A's blog here.

Thank you,  Mrs A, for being my guest for this month. Please go over to Mrs A's blog and leave her some comments.

For my first card I've used 'reindeer leap', another image kindly supplied by Bugaboo Stamps - you can read more about it here on My Crafty Outlook:

This is for CHNC challenge 149 (closed now) - you can read about it here on My Crafty Outlook:

This is for CHNC challenge 150: outdoors - just one of the three quick clean and simple cards that I made with 'The Snowman' supplies  - you can read about them here on My Crafty Outlook- challenge is closed now. 

These are my cards for CHNC challenge 151: indoors - the challenge is closed now:

My guest, Mrs A, is adding two more cards:

For this gorgeous easel card, Mrs A has used 'Merry Christmas to ewe', kindly supplied by Bugaboo Stamps. You can read more about this here on Mrs A's blog.

For this joy fold card, Mrs A has used 'nutcracker4' from Bugaboo Stamps - and she loved it so much that she purchased the rest of the set of 7 soldiers - and has used them beautifully on this card. You can read more here on Mrs A's blog.

This is my card for CHNC challenge 152: for a child - you can enter up until 22:00 UK time Friday 29 November - more about the card here:

And a card I've made for The Glory of Christmas 21: turquoise and brown - if you make any suitable cards, we'd love to see them there - you can read more about it here:

You may add any Christmas card to this challenge

it's 'anything goes' every month

There really aren't any rules as such - just have a look at what I've written on the right hand sidebar and join in! You may link as many entries as you like as long as they weren't blogged before 1 November 2013.

Weekly challenges will continue on my CHNC challenge blog - these usually have a theme - but any card that you enter there can be entered here as well, so you increase your chance of winning a prize. 

And, of course, you can chat about this monthly challenge extra blog on the CHNC facebook page as well - if you haven't joined that yet, please follow the link and 'like' the page.

It's now time to get serious with making your Christmas cards, so I expect to see lots of entries this month.

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 20:00 UK time Saturday 30 November.  Please mention my blog and create a link within the post for your creation. The winner will be announced at 23:00 UK  time on 30 November.  December's challenge will begin at midnight on 1 December.

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.

Thank you for your support

I look forward to seeing your entries

Design Team Call

If you would be interested in joining me on the team for at least the first six months of  2014, please click here for details of the Design Team Call. 

Winner of CHNC challenge extra for October

What a bumper load of entries for October - we almost made 500! I can't thank you enough for all the support and blogging friendship that this challenge blog has generated - and it's all down to everyone of you lovely crafters who take the time to link you inspirational projects.

Thank you to everyone who entered the October challenge.

Unfortunately, there can only be one winner of the $21 of digital stamps from my generous sponsor, Bugaboo Stamps. Using random the winner is:

Number 369:  sweetpea, with this lovely cracker:

Congratulations, Janet. Please email me at hazelharris@ntlworld.com so that I can arrange for you to claim your prize.

November's challenge is here

I look forward to seeing your entries

And, once again, there will be a prize of $21 of digital stamps from Bugaboo Stamps

for the randomly chosen winner

CHNC challenge extra for October

Please click here to see the winner of CHNC challenge extra for September.

This challenge will last for the whole month of October - anything goes as long as it's Christmas.

What a bumper lot of entries there were for September - I'm looking forward to seeing all your festive loveliness this month - if you haven't yet started to make your Christmas cards, now is the time! I can hardly believe that it's October already and by the time this challenge is ended we'll be really getting towards Christmas.

All of these monthly challenges are being generously sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps - a winner will be randomly chosen using random.

Bugaboo Stamps are proud to sponsor this challenge - they are offering $21 of digital stamps to the randomly selected winner.

Everything That You Ever Wanted to Know About Bugaboo Stamps: A Short Essay

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 (and you know who you are), you can find Bugaboo Stamps   at Totally Stampalicious. And finally, join the Bugaboo Stamps DT   for weekly challenges at Catch the Bug. 

Every month I will be joined by a Guest Designer and for October I am pleased to welcome JoAnn.

JoAnn writes:

'Hi my name is JoAnn and I am so excited Hazel asked me to be her guest designer for October. I love making Christmas cards all year long. I have been doing crafts of some sort for most of my life, hence the title of my blog, "Crafty Nana's Blog". I started scrapbooking and cardmaking in 1998 and it is definitely addictive. I enjoy making cards for family and friends, and also send some to Operation Write Home for our troops overseas. We live in Central Florida about 60 miles from the west coast. My husband and I are both original Floridians and moved back here after he retired from the military. We are both retired now and I enjoy my crafts and spending time with the grandchildren.'

So this is JoAnn's first card using the 'Ava Christmas mistletoe fairy' image kindly supplied by Bugaboo Stamps - you can read more about it here on her blog:

And here is JoAnn's second card using 'Deacon Christmas elf presents' image:

Thank you, JoAnn, for being my guest for this month. Please go over to JoAnn's blog and leave her some comments.

My first card features the Noel image and snowflake digital paper kindly supplied by Bugaboo Stamps - you can read more about it here on My Crafty Outlook:

And this is my card for CHNC challenge 145 where there is a picture inspiration - closed now.

This is my card for CHNC challenge 146 - closed now.

This is my card for CHNC challenge 147 which is now closed:

This is my card for CHNC challenge 148: music - please click on the link and enter your cards - open until 22:00 UK time Friday 1 November:

And this is a card that I've made for The Glory of Christmas 19: homemade background - please clikc on the link and join in the challenge if you can - details here on My Crafty Outlook:

You may add any Christmas card to this challenge

it's 'anything goes' every month

There really aren't any rules as such - just have a look at what I've written on the right hand sidebar and join in! You may link as many entries as you like as long as they weren't blogged before 1 October 2013.

Weekly challenges will continue on my CHNC challenge blog - these usually have a theme - but any card that you enter there can be entered here as well, so you increase your chance of winning a prize. 

And, of course, you can chat about this monthly challenge extra blog on the CHNC facebook page as well - if you haven't joined that yet, please follow the link and 'like' the page.

It' incredible to think that we are now into October - if you haven't started to make your Christmas cards yet, now is the time!

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 20:00 UK time Thursday 31 October.  Please mention my blog and create a link within the post for your creation. The winner will be announced at 23:00 UK  time on 31 October.  November's challenge will begin at midnight on 1 November.

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.

Thank you for your support

I look forward to seeing your entries