May Challenge

This month is a recipe challenge. Your project should include at least 4 of the ingredients from

Flowers
Buttons
Ribbon
Patterned paper
Paint/mist
Yarn
The colour pink
White background

The prize is a guest dt place for our July challenge.

Helen

For this months challenge I decided to make flowers using buttons, ribbon, patterned paper, mists, pink and a white background! The only item from the recipe I didnt use was yarn, this is one item that is not in my craft room.

Kelly

For my project I used flowers, ribbon, patterned paper, mist and the colour pink:

Eleni 

Hello everyone ... this was a lot of fun ... 

I used white background, pattern paper, flowers [chipboard ones], buttons, and mists ... I also have quite a few pink items in the layout!

Chris / CS Designs

This is my very first project as a member of The Craft Garden Design Team and I am so excited and looking forward to getting to know the rest of the team and everyone that shares their wonderful projects here. Thank you Kerry for the opportunity to play on your team.

For my project, I created a book out of mat board. I have used one of my own original designs as the main focal point and from the challenge list I used: Patterned papers with flowers on it, There is pink in my main image as well as the pattered paper. The inside pages are white, and I have added a vintage metal button as an accent on the front cover.

 

The April winner of the dt place will be announced shortly.

Introducing Chris

I'd like to introduce you to Chris Stern our new design team member from the DT call we recently had.

Chris is a digital stamp artist with her own online store and she also edits a free online magazine - Art With No Boundaries

Chris has a personal blog which can be found here.  Her work is strikingly different.  Take a look at this stunning shadow box for example.

I am pleased to welcome her to the team.

Don't forget there is another chance to become a design team member by entering a project into the April challenge (entry open until 23:59 GMT on 30th April 2013) via the inlinkz button on the challenge post.

April Challenge - Design Team Prize

April showers bring lots of rainbows so your challenge is to be inspired by

 R A I N B O W S

This post here has some amazing images of rainbow colours in different ways.

Our challenge this month has a very special prize - a place on our design team until the end of the year.  Simply create a project inspired by a rainbow and link it up at the bottom by 30th April 2013.

 

Here is how our design team were inspired by RAINBOWS:

 

Helen

I decided to use yellows and greens to make this colouful card for this months challenge. The card is 6" x 6" in size. To make this card I used Distress Ink pads in crushed olive and shabby shutters, Dylusions sprays in fresh lime and lemon zest, Distress Markers, pale lemon card stock for the Spellbinder trellis, olive Bazzill card stock, green button, natural rafia, stamps by Stampotique, Paper Artsy and Indigoblu.

 Kelly
For my rainbow project I decided to make a Hello Kitty bookmark! I used my cricut to cut out the rainbow and Hello Kitty and I embossed the edges with silver embossing powder and finished my bookmark with some bling!

Eleni

I've used all my shades of Dylusion mists to create a rainbow background for my layout.
The photo is of myself with my nephew and nieces and the title says it all!

Emma 

I went for CAS inspired this month as there is nothing as simple as a beautiful rainbow against a crisp grey stormy sky

The simplicity of a 'to the point' sentiment and a row of Rainbow buttons........

 

 

 

They have produced some stunning work and if you would like the opportunity to win a place on our design team then please link up below.

 

 

 

and now onto our March winner of the prize sponsored by My Creative Classroom.  The winner was Zoe at The Little Place.  Zoe please can you email me at craftgardenshop@aol.com and I will put you in contact with the sponsor.

A Statement About CE Markings

It came to my attention very recently that toys sold within Europe have to legally have the CE marking on them.  This process involves rigourous tests (and so it should to ensure the safety of children)  on each and every item used during the manufacturing process right down to the thread used for stitching.  I haven't made and sold many toys at all but I have sold a handful and I am making this statement now that I had no idea about the testing process at the point I made the sales (mostly at craft fairs).  I would never have knowingly sold them had I not been so naive and made myself aware of this legal requirement.  If anybody would like a refund then please contact me (craftgardenshop@aol.com) or by the contact us button on the website (www.thecraftgarden.co.uk).

As I like to make my items as unique as possible and as stated above every item used has to be tested rigorously then I have taken the decision that I will no longer be making toys. 

It is an absolute minefield surrounding these rules.  Simply adding a warning that an item isn't suitable for children under a certain age is not enough, neither is adding your contact details or stating that it is not intended to be a toy.  If it looks like a toy then it needs the CE testing.  So many people are potentially putting themselves at risk of a hefty fine or prison sentence for selling soft toys such as sock monkeys, knitted toys etc at fairs.  Even charities need to have the resting.  Like I said - it is a minefield.