Upcyling challenge....

Spring has finally sprung in the UK which makes it a perfect time for another #CraftBlogClub challenge!

We're going to be upcycling!

Spring is a great time to have a clear out and find old stuff.  Instead of throwing things out why not upcycle? 

What you choose to upcycle and the craft techniques you use are up to you.  It could be revamping an old pair of jeans, turning that sad looking plant pot into fab crafty storage container or refurbishing an unloved piece of furniture.

• We will be revealing our upcycled projects in our Twitter chat on 25th June 2018 and If you have a blog also present your lovely project in a blog post by this date.
• Please mention #CraftBlogClub in your blog post and link back to this page.
• Let us know how you’re doing throughout the challenge on Twitter. Don't forget to use our #CraftBlogClub hashtag.

Anyone can join in the challenge, don't worry If you've never joined a #CraftBlogClub chat before, everyone is welcome!

I hope you will join in and I can't wait to see what everyone makes!!...

#CraftBlogClub challenge ~ crafty resolutions...

It's time for our first #CraftBlogClub challenge of 2018!

The challenge is.... "Crafty Resolutions".

Following the popularity of this challenge in previous years, we thought it would be perfect to start 2018 challenging you to learn a new craft or technique.

Whatever your crafting resolution, this challenge is hopefully the motivation to get you started.


The Rules....

• Learn a new craft, or,
• Try a new technique within a craft you already enjoy, or,
• Use that new machine / craft tool you haven't taken out of the box yet, or,
• Pick up a craft you haven't done in a long time.

• We will be revealing our makes in our Twitter chat on 20th March 2018 and If you have a blog also present your lovely project in a blog post by this date.
• Please mention #CraftBlogClub in your blog post and link back to this page.
• Let us know how you’re doing throughout the challenge on Twitter. Don't forget to use our #CraftBlogClub hashtag.

As it is a new craft/technique and the thought of having to complete a project may be terrifying, don't worry, the whole point of the challenge is to have fun learning a new skill. If you don't have a completed project we still want to see your work in progress.

If you don't have time to learn a new craft or don't have one in mind, why not go back to something you haven't done in a while? Dust off those sewing machines / crochet hooks / knitting needles / paint brushes etc and get crafting.

Anyone can join in the challenge, don't worry If you've never joined a #CraftBlogClub chat before, everyone is welcome!

I hope you will join in and I can't wait to see what everyone makes!!...

Psst.... If you don't know what #CraftBlogClub is and you like the sound of this challenge, we'd love you to join in and you can find out more here.

#CraftBlogClub Secret Santa....

It’s that time of year again and we are SO excited here at Craft Blog Club! This year marks our fifth Secret Santa, can you believe it?! I think it’s safe to say it’s our favourite #craftblogclub challenge of the year.

Here is how to join in:

• If you want to take part please email us at craftblogclub@gmail.com.  Please include your name, twitter name, email address and postal address. Email us by 8pm on Tuesday 7th November 2017. 
• We will then email everyone back by Thursday 9th November with the name and address of the person you are making a gift for.
• You then make that person a Christmas gift, this can be anything you like and made from any craft. It would be lovely for everyone to receive their gift in time for Christmas, therefore we have set a deadline for posting the gift by Wednesday 20th December 2017, which the last day for posting 1st class mail within the UK. 
• Make sure you include a note revealing who you are.  Who you make for won’t necessarily be the person that makes for you.
• Please only sign up if you can make and send a gift by the deadline. As crafters we all know how much time and love goes into making something handmade so let’s make sure no one misses out.
• Anyone can take part, don't worry if you have never joined our chats or taken part in a challenge before, we'd love for you to be involved.

The real excitement then begins as we all receive a special handmade Christmas gift from our Secret Santa! We ask that you write a blog post about the wonderful gift you receive and about the gift you made. We suggest you do this after Christmas (so not to spoil any surprises) and by Tuesday 9th January 2018, which will be our first #craftblogclub of 2018. It will make for a great first chat of the year to discuss our makes and gifts.

I hope you are as excited about this challenge as we are. We love seeing all the amazing gifts you lovely lot make for one another.

Want to know more about the #CraftBlogClub? find all the details here.

Time for a spring clean....

Previously, #CraftBlogClub has run a Spring clean Swap challenge but we have decided to make this years #CraftBlogClub Spring Clean a little bit different. This year we will be hosting the #CraftBlogClub Spring Clean during our chat on Tuesday 4th April. 

During the chat we want you to post a pic of any unwanted/unused crafty materials that you want to get rid of. Make sure you use the two hashtags #CraftBlogClub and #SpringClean. Then if someone thinks they could make use of whats in the photo, they tweet you back.

Privately you then share contact details and post the item. You get to have a clear out and someone else can make something fabulous with your unwanted materials.

If you have signed up for a #CraftBlogClub Spring Clean challenge before we would have arranged for you to receive a surprise package in the post and given you the details of someone to send a crafty parcel to.  This year we thought we would give this a go, it might work, it might not, but either way it will be a bit of fun.

All we ask is that you don't charge for the items. We suggest that the person sending the items covers the postal cost unless it is overseas or for large items, in which case you can agree who will cover this between you. 

This isn't an opportunity to sell items but to encourage us to look at your unused stash, have a spring clean and encourage one another to reuse and recycle. What might have been gathering dust in your stock might be just what another crafter is looking for. It's all just a bit of Spring Cleaning fun!

This has come at a perfect time for me as I desperately need to have a clear out so I can be more organised and get new storage for the craft den.  

If you have never joined us for a chat or it's been a while, it doesn't matter, everyone is welcome.  We hope to see you for the #CraftBlogClub 2017 Spring Clean on Tuesday 4th April 2017 from 7pm GMT.

#CraftBlogClub Challenge ~ crafty resolutions....

It's time for our first #CraftBlogClub challenge of 2017!

The challenge is.... "Crafty Resolutions".

Following the popularity of this challenge in previous years, we thought it would be perfect to start 2017 challenging you to learn a new craft or technique.

Whatever craft you want to learn this challenge is hopefully the motivation to get you started.  Alternatively, you may have received a new craft tool/machine for Christmas that you still need to take out the box, it's time to get it out and give it a go!

As it is a new craft/technique and the thought of having to complete a project may be terrifying. Don't worry, the whole point of the challenge is to have fun learning a new skill and if you don't have a completed project we still want to see your work in progress.

If you don't have time to learn a new craft or don't have one in mind, why not go back to something you haven't done in a while? Dust off those sewing machines / crochet hooks / knitting needles / paint brushes etc and get crafting.

Anyone can join in the challenge, don't worry If you've never joined a #CraftBlogClub chat before, everyone is welcome!

The Rules....

• Challenge;
• Learn a new craft, or,
• Try a new technique within a craft you already enjoy, or,
• Pick up a craft you haven't done in a long time.

• We will be revealing our makes in our Twitter chat on 14th March 2017 and If you have a blog also present your lovely project in a blog post by this date.
• Please mention #CraftBlogClub in your blog post and link back to this page.
• Let us know how you’re doing throughout the challenge on Twitter. Don't forget to use our #CraftBlogClub hashtag.

I hope you will join in and I can't wait to see what everyone makes!!...

Psst.... If you don't know what #CraftBlogClub is and you like the sound of this challenge, we'd love you to join in and you can find out more here.

#CraftBlogClub Secret Santa....

It’s that time of year again and we are SO excited here at Craft Blog Club! This year marks our fourth Secret Santa, can you believe it?! I think it’s safe to say it’s our favourite #craftblogclub challenge of the year and tonight my co-host, Katie, launched the latest Secret Santa challenge. 

Here is how to join in:

• If you want to take part please email us at craftblogclub@gmail.com.  Please include your name, twitter name, email address and postal address. Email us by 8pm on Tuesday 1st November 2016. We will then email everyone back by Tuesday 8th November with the name and address of the person you are making a gift for.
• You then make that person a Christmas gift, this can be anything you like and made from any craft. It would be lovely for everyone to receive their gift in time for Christmas, therefore we have set a deadline for posting the gift by Tuesday 20th December 2016. Make sure you include a note revealing who you are.  Who you make for won’t necessarily be the person that makes for you. Sadly, last year a few people never received their gift, so please only sign up if you can make and send a gift by the deadline. As crafters we all know how much time and love goes into making something handmade so let’s make sure no one misses out this year.
• The real excitement then begins as we all receive a special handmade Christmas gift from our Secret Santa! We ask that you write a blog post about the wonderful gift you receive and about the gift you made. We suggest you do this after Christmas (so not to spoil any surprises) and by Tuesday 3rd January 2017, which will be our first #craftblogclub of 2017. It will make for a great first chat of the year to discuss our makes and gifts.

Anyone can take part, don't worry if you have never joined our chats or taken part in a challenge before, we'd love for you to be involved.

I hope you are as excited about this challenge as we are. We love seeing all the amazing gifts you lovely lot make for one another.

Want to know more about the #CraftBlogClub? find all the details here.

#100DaysofPatternCBC challenge....

It’s time for a new #CraftBlogClub challenge and we thought we could try something different which will hopefully inspire us all!

The challenge is to share photos based on a theme every day for 100 days. If you miss a day or pop in and out that is fine it is supposed to be fun, not another thing you have to fit in to your day.  

The theme we have picked is 'pattern'.  We thought this would be something that you could easily find and take photos of regularly regardless of the type of craft you do. It can be fabric prints, something on your craft table or anything that inspires you when you are out about like some fancy brickwork, interesting patterns in the street, basically any pattern from anywhere. Hopefully this will inspire your creative work as well others.

How to take part…

• Take a photo and share on Instagram and/or Twitter.
• Use the hashtag #100DaysofPatternCBC so we can see everyone’s photos.
• This challenge will be running from 10th August until 17th November 2016.  Don’t worry if you miss a day or can’t do it every day just share your photos when you are inspired to.
• Anyone can join in, it doesn’t matter if you have never taken part in a challenge before or joined our chats (although it would be great if you would like to join us on Tuesday nights for a chat, all the details about us are here).
• Have fun!

I can’t wait to see your photos!

I’ll be officially launching and chatting about the challenge in tomorrow night’s chat. I hope you can join me from 7pm(BST) over on Twitter.