Finish that project challenge

I've decided to start a challenge, or whatever you want to call it. I got the idea while bloghopping on a quiltblog. They had a great challenge:
every month you try to finish a half-finished project that is laying around in your "to do" basket, pile or room, lol (depending on how much of a procrestinator you are) Did I spell that right? But because so many joined their chellenge they limited the projects to soft things like sewing, crosstitch, quilting etc. This challenge is more for altering, jewelrymaking, scrapbooking, canvases and sewing too. I'm not limiting it, so it can be anything you want it to be.

I'm myself am in a big need of such a deadline since I have, for instance:

* A skirt that just needs hemming and a waistband - has been laying since last summer.
* A painted gardentrunk that needs some painted flowers on just one side, the rest is done.
* A bag that is more than half-done. Just need to attach the handles and sew the sides together. Started working on it in may I think.
* I have a box of beads already designed for necklaces, bracelets etc. I just need to put them together.

and the list goes on...Not to mention my kitchenchairs that I've been re-painting and changing the fabric on for the last...I think I bought them about 3 years ago. See what I mean? I'm getting a bit ashamed hanging my dirty laundry like this. :) Hopefully with your hawkeyes, eh, I mean support ;) I'll finally finish all of these projects that not only take up a lot of room in my apartment, but also my mind.


So I challenge everyone who needs an extra kick in the behind to come and join me. I might give myself a free pass for january, but then it starts for real, lol. On the other hand I started sewing a stuffed bird (no, it's not a thanksgiving turkey, lol) yesterday so if I finish it I'll count it as my finished project for january. I just need to sew together the tail, but I'm getting stuck. Can't decide if that's really it. I'll show you tomorrow and maybe you can help me decide if he's done or not. Otherwise he'll be banished to my growing "almost done" pile.

The "rules" are simple:
Before the end of each month try to finish something you have half-done or something you've wanted to do. It can be painting/altering a box, a piece of jewelry, sewing, doing the last touches on your scrapbook album and so on. You decide what you want to do. When you're done, write a comment here linking to your post. I'd love to see what you've done. If you only do soft things like sewing, knitting and such you can join one project a month challenge. They will have prizes every month.
I'm not as generous, but I will see if I can have one big giveaway after a year (at the end of january 2010). Maybe something I have done myself? How does that sound? You will earn one entry every time you've finished a project, so a total of 12 entries!

I have made a blinkie (woohoo!) that you can put on your blog to spread the word. It would be so fun if you would join. If you do - leave a comment here. When you're done with your project leave another comment with a direct link to your post. It would be nice to read about the project too, when you started it, how much you had left and so on.

Oh, and you are not forced to do anything, you don't even need to sign up for anything. But if you feel like it would help you to finish some projects, put the brand new blinkie on your blog and let me know that you've joined. It would be so much fun to start something like this and to see if there is any interest out there. Heck, I need it, lol.

Phew, I think I got it all. If I forgot to mention anything or if you have problems with adding the blinkie, let me know.

Now I just need to wait for some feedback...

Challenges and fabrics

Today I've been super craft-productive. I've been buying fabrics, making two cards and cleaned up my table (but now it's messy again after the two cards, haha) I'm trying to clean it up so I can put up my sewingmachine.

My first card is for sketch and stash challenge. They have a guest designer spot available for 2 weeks, so I had to try out, especially since I knew just what to do. The challenge was to follow a sketch - and as always use your new stash, (like the name of the challenge, duh!)

I have used some reeeeally bright papers I got a year or two ago in a swap or as a prize, don't remember now, that's how long ago it was. I thought they were so pretty I just kept them in a bag, lol. The stamp is a RAM I got on the 50% sale at scrapaddicted. Even the bright fushia, orange and limegreen promarkers are new. I think I managed to mirror-flip the sketch, but I just had to to make it all look balanced. The text+little flower is from a patterned paper sheet. I really like buying those patterned papers with texts because then you have so many sayings/words. It was too muted, so I actually drew with the promarkers right on the text and flower. Worked out great, don't you think?
I know it's a really bright card and not for everyone, but I think it turned out very good.





The second card is for friday sketchers. I had to follow this sketch a little more and everything on the sketch had to be on the card. I used the blue patterned paper as the swirls and I don't know if it shows that well, but I have a laceribbon under the blue PP (patterned paper). I was thinking about outlining the swirls to make them stand out more, but thought it would be too much. I'm having problems with adding too much stuff. I try to challenge myself by adding one more thing than I would normaly, so I'm proud anyway. I think it follows the sketch so hopefully I'll be entered in the draw of some great round stamps! I've been looking for that kind, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.






Finally I want to show you the Tilda fabrics I bought today. I couldn't decide on which colorscheme I should go with (since I don't know what to sew yet), so I bought both pinks and turquoises. There are different shades of pinks and turquoises so they mix differently. The only "problem" I have is with the one far to the left since it's a bit greener than the other ones. I can always return it in worst case. I was in a hurry when I picked them out, so I just grabbed all I liked (I usually don't shop like that, but since I can return them I thought I could decide later. I didn't want to be late for my movie date)
The colors are a bit yellower on the pic, but you get the idea. Can't wait to sew something with this and show you!

All you hÄnglar lovers listen up

I've found a blogcandy that you really need to see. Lim is giving away a hÄnglar stamp and a whole bunch of images to one lucky winner. This is only open for those of you that live outside Sweden or Norway. For us that don't, we have a chance of winning some other great stuff.
So if you're craving your first own hÄngel - hurry and enter her candy. It ends saturday 24:th.

Have a giggle

This week on cute card thursday the theme is "have a giggle". I don't make funny cards and wasn't going to join, but there was this gorgeous RAM stamp as a prize, so I had to join :) Besides, you grow with challenges, right? I'm falling in love with the RAM stamps and would love to add this one to my collection. I told you I got another stamp except the bunny one on the sale. Yesterday I started coloring it in and had the same first reaction as with the bunny stamp: oh no, I can't color this, it will never look good, but eventually it did. It's a very different type of stamp to color with all the swirls, but it's growing on me. And I think that if you use alcoholmarkers (like promarkers, copics, triamarkers etc.) it takes a while before it starts looking good, so if you're a beginner: push through, it will look better in the end!

Anywhoo, when I had decided on the challenge I remembered I had won this stampset with chocolatequotes as a blogcandy. And naturally a stuffed house mouse stamp worked beautifully. Some "chocolatey" papers and voilá:
One giggly card (or at least one that will put a smile on your face I hope)

What surprised me the most was how creative I got with the layout. Maybe I should design some sketches? If you're inspired by this sketch, please let me know. If you make a card following it please link back to my blog and let me know. I would love to see what you did with it.




The text says: when noone understands you, chocolate is there.

New candy winner

The first prize has been claimed, but I haven't heard anything from the person that won the second prize...so that means I have done another draw for the second prize and the winner is:



ta daaa






Carole

Carole, please contact me within a week or the candy will go to someone else ;)
kamadesign@gmail.com


I guess it's worth checking in from time to time :)

Today I haven't been very productive. I went into town and picked up some beautiful boxes to have crafty things in. I also bought a birdhouse that I want to paint and decorate. I already have big plans for it.

I also have gotten totally obscessed with the Tilda stuff (the fabric I mentioned in my previous post). Next thing on my to-do list is sewing a little.

Oh, and I'm thinking about starting up a little challenge or whatever you want to call it for all of us that need a kick in the behind to get stuff done. I just want to design a little blinkie so that everyone that joins can put it on their blog. I've just started googling how to make one, if you know how, please tell me!

Two challenges, DT call and Tilda fabric

I have used my new bunny RAM (Rachelle Ann Miller) stamp I told you about earlier. I was very uncertain about it when I started coloring it and thought I would have to sell it because it wouldn't look good, but the more I colored the more pleased I got and I think it turned out pretty good. I used my newest promarkers and a blender. I exchanged my broken "pumpkin" pen for a blender pen which basically removes color. I've been very curious about it and since she was out of the color that was broken I got the blender instead. I used the blender on the nose, back of the bird and on some flowers. It takes away the color completely (good if you mess up) or leaves a watermark look which I think is pretty cool.

The card is made for two blogcandychallenges and a DT call sketch.

Bec offers a candy if you make a lovecard and send her the link to your blog. I got the patterned paper the other day with this colored image in mind, because I didn't have anything at home I thought would match. Unfortunately I color first and think later, lol. I've noticed it's much easier to choose the paper first and THEN color the image. Think I will try to do it that way from now on, but sometimes I just want to color my new stamp or try out my new markers.

The next candy is at Ann's. Ann is celebrating for getting on the designteam of the cuttlebug challenge blog. If you join the challenge you will get one extra entry.
The challenge was to use your favorite embossing folder. The one I have used here (stylized flowers I think it's called) I got in a swap. I'm in a yahoogroup where we change things we don't use. I advertised for this folder since it's the last one I want in my collection. It's not worth for me to buy them through the net because the shipping is the same as for 10-12 folders. So I asked on the group if someone had that folder and would like to swap for something I had and I got a reply! So I'm now a proud owner of this folder. Did you notice that the pink tag is embossed too?

Denise at Whimsy stamps is looking for a new guestdesigner. You need to follow a sketch and use an animalstamp. I thought the sketch worked great for this card and I'm especially happy with what I did with the text. The heart is cut out from a patterned paper sheet, the tags are cuttlebug dies. Otherwise it's pretty simple and I think the card speaks for itself.





Sketch used from Denise's blog.

Finally I want to show you two pieces of fabric I bought today. They are from the "Tilda" collection (not to confuse with Magnolia's Tilda). The designer of this collection is Tilda Finnanger. She has designed a whole line of fabrics, papers, stamps, embellishments, sewingkits, patterns for angels, animals and others and so on. My friend Coni is a huge fan of Tilda's and she has sewn bags and more recently a pig with these fabrics if you want to have a look at the style.
I've just found a new book that Tilda has published and I think I will buy it. It has patterns of wonderful things you can sew. Since I probably will join the secret easter swap I need to have something fun to sew.
Here are the two fabrics, they are lavender, pink and purple (I exchanged the photo. On the previous the fabrics looked brownish) It's a pretty small piece of fabric and the left medallions are about 0,5cm, so the fabric would work great for small projects (like dollclothes for instance). I'm so excited about doing this kind of sewing. The only thing I've been sewing in the past are clothes, bags and curtains. It will be so much fun to do some homestyling stuff like decorations and such.
To be continued...