Announcing the October Craft Challenge!

I know we haven't finished up the September challenge but I thought I better make an announcement soon about next month so you'll all have time to sign up! 

Our sponsor is Neatnix and they will be providing this great bucket (products not included).  I met the people behind Neatnix at CHA Summer and loved seeing their products up close and personal.  This bucket is pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and you can bet that the challenge will have something to do with that.

I'm coveting their stuff cubbies.  They look like regular magazine holders but they are sturdy and they fold up! 

If you'd like a chance to win this bucket next month, SIGN UP HERE!   The deadline is September 30th.

The craft challenge costs $5 (or buy a longer subscription at a discount) and includes some fun supplies for you to make something amazing!  I provide the product, you provide the creativity. 

Stop by tomorrow to see what last month's participants have come up with! 

September Craft Challenge Sponsored by Craft Critique

Our September craft challenge is brought to you by Craft Critique and the Butterfly Project.   Participating in The Butterfly Project is optional and not limited to craft challenge participants.  Anyone can make butterflies to send in.  Here are the details:

The Holocaust Museum in Houston is collecting 1.5 million butterflies for an exhibit scheduled to open in 2012.  Each butterfly represents one child that was murdered during the Holocaust. 

Here are some general requirements:

• Butterflies should be no larger than 8 inches by 10 inches.
• Butterflies may be of any medium the artist chooses, but two-dimensional submissions are preferred.
• Glitter should not be used.
• Food products (cereal, macaroni, candy, marshmallows or other perishables) also should not be used..
• Place your butterfly in a Ziploc Bag with your name and address.

Would you like to join us for the craft challenge?  You can purchase your $5 packet in my etsy shop.  I also have longer subscriptions available with a bit of a discount worked in.  They are great fun!  Nothing like getting an envelope full of craft supplies delivered to your doorstep. 

Want to see what you will win this month?  Is it worth playing for?  I thought so.

Thanks, Craft Critique!  You have until Sunday, August 30th to secure your craft packet for September.  

August Craft Challenge Packets

By now you should have received your craft challenge packets if you chose to participate in August.  For the rest of you, here is what they got:

Here we have pom poms, craft sticks, eyelets, tissue paper squares, "authentic" pirate gold, and a limited edition ChristyNelson.net friendship bracelet.  The bracelet doesn't need to be included in the final project but I hope you will be wearing it as you craft! 

Want to know what you're playing for?  This month I saved the sponsor slot for myself.  I knew I would have some goodies to share after attending the CHA Summer Trade Show.  Here's what the winner will have to look forward to:

(Big Kick and pink dollhouse chair not included)

I'll be sending the winner loads of really cool stickers and a stamp set.  Want to see some close ups?

Next month's challenge will be sponsored by Craft Critique so if you want in on that, you can order your packet now! 

CHA Summer Report: Provo Craft

I spent my fair share of time at the Provo Craft booth at CHA. It was the first booth I went to on Tuesday morning. I showed up because I wanted to play some more with a YUDU. Little did I know I'd be invited to attend their gala that night. It was the party to launch the Gypsy. I had seen the Donnie K videos before the event and I give Provo Craft an A+ for a very clever social media campaign.

Here is a quick video I filmed of Jim from Provo Craft demonstrating the Gypsy for me. It looks really exciting and I like the fact that you can just load your cartridges on there and they're good to go!

I was super excited to get a Gypsy (oh, the benefits of being a craft blogger!). The only problem? I don't have a Cricut.

Here you can see a picture of one. However, I'm pretty sure I'm going to want the Cricut Expression. I would be using it more for home decor, fabric, and vinyl so I can only imagine I'll want a bigger size. They're on sale this weekend at Joann's so I may have to go and check them out. Do you have one? What would you recommend?

Who wouldn't want to make this? This sold me on the Cricut right then and there.

Back to the YUDU. I wanted to play with this machine as much as possible to see if I should make the investment. Lucky for me, I waited because I found out last Friday that I won one at BlogHer!

Here is an attendee using the YUDU to print on a picture frame. The Provo Craft had some really great make and take projects that allowed us to use a variety of different products in a multitude of ways. We used the Yudu on paper, picture frames, and shirts. We used the Cricut for embellishments and glass etching.

Here was one of the finished make and take projects.

By this time, I was glad I brought an extra suitcase. The projects were so fun that I spent a lot of time doing those. It was a great way to get hands on practice and chat with the reps they had there.

Keep your eye out on Provo Craft. They are doing some amazing things with technology and anything that combines technology with crafting- I love it!

Want to know what else I love? Meeting up with some of the Craft Critique gals at the Provo Craft Gala. Not the most flattering picture of us but it was all I got!

Speaking of the Craft Critique, they did an excellent review on the Provo Craft booth as well (I told you that bird pillow was great!). You'll also want to get your September craft challenge packets NOW! Craft Critique is the sponsor and you'll be sure the prize is amazing. I'll give you more details on that in a separate post.

BlogHer Outfits

I received my clothes from IGIGI.com.  Let me just say that the pictures do not do them justice.  The fabric is wonderful!  The fit is great.  Let's just say, I'm super impressed.

The other day I went over to a friend's house for some "styling".  I needed a little help picking out some shoes and jewelry.  I wasn't able to try on the jewelry (I forgot my necklace extender so it didn't look right without it) and I wasn't really concerned about shoes for the black dress so I didn't bring them. 

*Please excuse the photos as my camera has a bit of a learning curve*

Here is my outfit for Friday. 

 

This is my outfit for Saturday.

My Thursday outfit hasn't been photographed yet.  You'll see it soon! 

What do you think? 

Want your own IGIGI clothes?  They are having a special sale in July.  20% off your purchase.  Use discount code "MYFRIENDS" at checkout. 

June Craft Challenge Winners

The winner is Rhonda!  She will win a prize package from Laundry Tree and a free month of the craft challenge (August).  Rhonda is running a similar craft challenge to mine- I think sign ups are over, though- where she took items destined for the trash so you can turn them into treasures!  I'll certainly keep my eye out on that one!  Should be fun to see what people create from that.

Everyone that completed their item this month blogged about it!  I drew a name out of a hat and the winner of the free month of the craft challenge (August) is:  Robin from rsisland crafts.

Congrats to both of you!  August packets are available now so go and pick one up at my etsy shop!

BlogHer Wardrobe Winners

Thanks for all of your votes.  I really was having a hard time deciding.  Here are the top 3 choices from your votes.  I'll be rocking these fabulous clothes from IGIGI at BlogHer in Chicago! 

 

Now I just need some jewelry and shoes. 

Choose My Wardrobe

I am attending a few high profile events this summer including BlogHer, the Craft & Hobby Trade Show, and a Ford Ride & Drive Event for bloggers. Finding cute plus size clothes is always a struggle so I decided to look online and see what I could find. As soon as I saw the IGIGI website, I fell in love! Modest clothes for sizes 12-32. I contact their media department to see if they would be willing to sponsor my wardrobe for these events and they said yes! Not only that, but I'll have a $100 gift certificate to give away to one of my readers at the end of July.

I get to choose 3 pieces and I decided to let all you you help me pick. If you need a reminder of what my curves look like, you might want to check out my duct tape dress form post. Please keep those babies in mind when choosing my outfits! You can vote more than once but you can only vote for one item at a time. I'll also allow write-in votes. If you find something on the IGIGI website that you like better than the items I've picked, let me know in the comments!

*all pictures courtesy of IGIGI.com

Sponsor Spotlight. Comfy Creations

Back in May I did a Stuff I Like post on travel related items.  One of the items I featured was a therapeutic combo pack from Comfy Creations.  When I'm traveling I always wish I had something like that so I made sure to put it in my feature. 

I have since been in contact with Kathleen over the past few weeks and she sent me her mid size back relief pack to review on my blog*.  I don't know whether to blame Comfy Creations or not but the day before her product arrived, I got a massive crick in my neck and I couldn't move my head to one side.  How's that for ideal testing conditions?  Because my neck was hurting, the rest of my muscles felt strained as well from taking up the slack. 

Let's just get straight to the pros and cons, shall we?

Pros:

What drew me to these products in the first place were the fabric choices.  When you're in pain, it sure helps to have something extra pretty to rely on. 

They smell great!  I didn't even have to see who the package was from when I got it out of the mailbox.  It is a soothing lavender smell that is not too strong, but just enough.   They are also available unscented or peppermint. 

There are four pockets in the back relief pack.  This helps for even distribution of the heat.  It was nice to not have all of the warmth sink down to the bottom of the pack when I would put it on.

I used this a lot on my belly during a recent not uncommon female condition and it was particularly helpful.

Cons:

I wish it had ribbons attached to it so I could tie it on and wear it while doing stuff around the house.  I realize that this is probably not the point of this therapeutic wrap but I couldn't help but wish for it.

I found myself wanting the eye pillow to be a little longer so it would cover my temples.  As it is, it goes to the far edge of my eyes but when I have a headache I like to have the warmth cover my temples. 

So, there you have it!  Comfy Creations is one of the sponsors** here at ChristyNelson.net so I hope you'll take a moment to go and visit the shop.  You can click on their ad in the sidebar. She carries a wide range of products including keyboard and mouse wrist rests that I could certainly use after a long day of blogging!  Check them out.

*Product provided by sponsor

**Sponsor information available

April Craft Challenge Deadline

image courtesy of Spool {} via flickr

Can you believe that it is almost time to have your April craft challenge completed?  Have you even started?  If you haven't, don't worry.  You still have a few more days.  The deadline is Wednesday, April 22nd.   Email the picture you'd like to include for voting or you can go ahead and upload it to the Flickr group.  If you blog about the challenge, email me the link and you'll be included in the drawing for the free month. 

The winner this month will win a great stamping bundle (value over $60!) from Schlosser Designs.  I'm also pleased to announce that the sponsor for next month's challenge will be the Lincoln Handmade Etsy Team.  I'm a part of this great local group and they are getting together a bundle of their handmade products for a mega-awesome basket for the winner.  You won't want to miss out!  May craft challenge packets will be available for sale until April 27th.  This is a little earlier than normal.  I need to do this so I can be sure to get all of the packets ready to mail by May 1st. 

Did you know I have 3, 6, and 12 month subscriptions available?  Have a crafty mom?  What a great Mother's Day gift!  Are you a crafty mom?  Send your husband/kids the link.  I know this is kind of sounding like an infomercial and I might be a bit biased, but I think they make a great gift for yourself or someone else.  You will always be able to purchase them month by month, but if you purchase a subscription, you get a bit of a discount. 

Have no idea what I'm talking about?  Check out the Craft Challenge FAQs. 

Meet our Sponsors

In order for me to keep the price of the craft challenge packets as low as they are, I am now accepting advertising on this site.  Ads will be in my right sidebar and I will only accept ads that I think will appeal to my readers.  I hope you will take the time to check them out. 

The top spots are reserved for craft challenge sponsors.  The rest are available for purchase for a month or longer.  If you are interested in purchasing ad space on christynelson.net, please contact me via this form or email me directly. 

Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts Winners and Challenge Supplies

Most of the participants of the craft challenge will be receiving their packages today or Monday. Every month I try to come up with some sort of theme. This month I couldn't decide between green, "green", or bling. My birthday is in April and the birthstone is a diamond. I thought it fitting to include a little sparkle this month. Earth Day is also in April so I thought some eco-friendly supplies would be good, as well. Did you know that this felt is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles? I'm really looking forward to what everyone will create using these supplies. If you're interested in learning more about Christy's Craft Challenge, read this page.

And now... to the winners of Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts.

1. The Childers

2. Shel

3. Zach & Hannah Parris

4. Morgana Ross

5. Sarah Crawford

I've contacted the winners via email. This was such great fun. I'm going to compile a post of all the "good things" people came up with in the comments. A lot of clever ideas can be found there. Thanks again to Martha Stewart Crafts for sponsoring this great giveaway!

March Craft Challenge Winner

Diane of dkdesigns is the winner of our March Craft Challenge As you can probably tell, she is a lampwork artist. I'm always in awe when I think that people take rods of glass and make these beautiful things out of them. As the winner of this month's challenge, Diane receives a bundle of patterns from YouCanMakeThis.Com. I hope you will all take the time to go and visit this month's sponsor. They offer quality patterns for instant download and their blog is full of great craft information. Diane will also receive next month's craft challenge packet for FREE!

The winner of the blog portion of the contest was Kelly of refibered. I did another random draw from the participants that blogged about their projects. As the winner, Kelly also receives next month's craft challenge packet for FREE!

Next month will be our biggest ever with 40 participants. Because the challenge is growing so much, there will be a slight change in the voting process. It will be explained in the packet so make sure you read the instructions carefully!

Congrats to the winners and I'm looking forward to next month! Packets will be mailed on April 1st.

If you would like to be a part of the craft challenge as a prize or supply sponsor, please read the FAQ page. The next available prize sponsor spot is July and I have supply sponsor spots available starting in May.

Meet Our Sponsor Schlosser Designs

Today is the last day for any March participants to turn in their photos to me, or upload them to our flickr group. If you have yet to sign up for April's craft challenge, the deadline is quickly approaching. You have until March 27th. You won't want to miss out because our sponsor is Schlosser Designs.

I met Erin, the owner of Schlosser Designs, at the Mom 2.0 Summit. She is an interior designer by day and supercrafter and designer by night. On her blog you can find free downloads and great projects to try. Among other things, she designs clear stamp sets. Currently there are 4 stamp sets in her line but that is about to double in the next couple of weeks. They are so brand new that I can't even sneak an image for you. Let me just tell you that you will all be among the first to see them once they are unveiled.


Her stamp sets are so affordable. For $12.50 you get so many versatile images! I am truly impressed. I'm even more impressed that she is giving April's craft challenge winner a set of FOUR clear stamp sets PLUS the blocks you need to get started. This is over a $60 value. Did I mention that you can also choose from the brand new stamp sets that have yet to be revealed to the public?

I hope you'll take the time to go and look at what Schlosser Designs has to offer.

Sponsor, Advertising, and Product Review Information

ChristyNelson.net is an up and coming craft website with a monthly average of over 6,500 visitors. Readers come here looking for craft projects, tutorials, and the latest craft products.

I currently have 3 different opportunities available for promotion of your craft products, shops, or blogs.

• Craft Challenge Sponsor- Get your craft products in the hands of crafters all across the nation by sponsoring our monthly craft challenge. There is also an option of being a prize sponsor.

• Advertising- Competitive rates are available for advertising space. I will only accept advertising that fits in with this site's content.

• Product Reviews- I am open to review craft products and books that I feel are a good fit with the site. I will be honest and fair in my review.
  

For more information about any of these options or to suggest some other form of partnership, please fill out the form below.

Become a Sponsor of Christy's Craft Challenge

Sponsors are now being accepted for Christy's Craft Challenge.

There are two different sponsorship opportunities at this time for the challenge.

Prize donor. As a prize donor, you will receive a button-sized ad (125 X 125 pixels) that month and a mention in all craft challenge posts. In return, you provide a prize (no less than $20 value) that would be of interest to crafters. Prize donors are responsible for shipping the prize to the challenge winner.

Supplies Donor. I currently have 20-30 participants per challenge. Paper, fabric, ribbon, anything that can be used by a crafter, is welcome. In addition to getting your products in the hands of crafters, supply donors will receive a square button ad (125 X 125 pixels) for the month and a mention in all craft challenge posts.

Please email christy@christynelson.net for more information.