Let's Play - Game 5

Hello Card Chain Challenge friends.  
The games continue for our 3000 celebration!  

Yes, an amazing 3000 cards, winging their way around the planet, 

spreading love and friendship, one card at a time.

Don't forget to Hop the hop for your chance to win one of the amazing prizes 
from one of our awesome sponsors.

 Are you ready for another game???
So here we go.... Game 5 - Your Choice

Every year Jo and Gail have to think up eleven sets of sketches,
colours, themes, products and techniques.

Gail loves combining wacky colours for your entertainment.

Jo has a secret stash of sketches

One option is always friendship

But is there a theme, product or technique you would like to see? 

Add your list in the comments below.  As many as you want.   
Sometimes we need a little help too!!!

Follow along so you don't miss the fun!  We have a followers button and the email dingsen is working sporadically.....  After many months of nothing it dumped the whole blog in my email the other day!!!!  Just like buses!  All or nothing.......

You can join in with any of the games or leave blog hop comments until end of play 28th June.  Please remember that we are an international card exchange so Australia and New Zealand will close for business long before the Pacific Northwest.  I am so not working out all the time differences!!!!  I will include all comments that are time stamped 28th June on the chosen blogs.  Congfudsed?  Me too!!!  Hop now........
(I think that typo is going to be in the dictionary next year)

 

Jo and Gail have a few goodies to randomly give away to people who join the fun and a few of the games have real and fabulous sponsors.

Let's Play - Game 4

Hello Card Chain Challenge friends.  
Have you hopped the hop????

 The Blog hop is open to everyone.  There are amazing prizes from three awesome sponsors.  You can comment until the 28th June and prize winners will be announced on the 30th. 

Now onto another game........

Game 4 - Your favourite CCC card or cards that you have received.  
Oooh, bet that's gonna be difficult   I know I have a load of amazing cards I have received over the years.  Look back and share the one(s) you are really love and tell us why???

Jo and Gail have a few goodies to randomly give away to people who join the fun.

If you would like to join the Card Chain Challenge the July Sign Up is open until 6th July.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Let's Play - Game 3

Hello Card Chain Challenge friends.  
We have now exchanged over 3000 cards!  

Yes, an amazing 3000 cards, winging their way around the planet, 

spreading love and friendship, one card at a time.

Hop the hop for your chance to win one of the amazing prizes from

our awesome sponsors.

Now, let's play Game 3 - Ode to a Friend!!!

We have so borrowed this idea from Janet of Her Peaceful Garden.  Thanks Janet!!

We want you to get poetic about friends/friendship. You can use any form of poem that you wish (epics not required, unless you are really in the mood!) Any poetic form allowed; couplets, a Haiku (Haikus follow a 3 line 5-7-5 syllable form), a limerick - whatever floats your poetic boat! It's got to be your own work, new and related to friendship or friends.

Please add your poem as a comment.  This game is open to everyone and you can enter as many times as you want!

All Hop games close 28th June and the lucky winners will be announced 30th June.

Lost Coast Designs have generously supplied a Gardener Gnome and Queen of Everything sentiment for us to give away, so get your poetic hat on and come join the fun!

Here's a little Haiku from Gail to our Card Chain Challenge friends....

Hi Friend, how are you?

Here's a card, across the miles

Filled with love and smiles

I know, I know!!  Don't give up the day job LOL.   Your turn now!  Add your poems in the comments.

Everyone welcome.  Enter as many as you want......... 

If you would like to join the Card Chain Challenge the July Sign Up is open until 6th July

Let's Play - Game 2

Hello Card Chain Challenge friends.  Have you hopped the hop????

Well, get on and do that.  Open to everyone.  There are amazing prizes from three awesome sponsors.  You can comment until the 28th June and prize winners will be announced on the 30th. 

Now onto another game........

Game 2 - your favourite CCC card that you have sent.  OK, maybe you have more than one favourite, so we won't limit you to just one.  Look back and share the ones you are really proud of. There have been so many amazing cards shared over the years, over 3000!!!!  I am so proud to be a part of this amazing card exchange.  You make it so special.  Your beautiful cards share joy and love around the world every month.  Don't be shy, share the ones you are especially proud of.  

Jo and Gail have a few goodies to randomly give away to people who join the fun.

If you would like to join the Card Chain Challenge the July Sign Up is open until 6th July

Please link your posts here!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Let's Play - GAME 1

Hello Card Chain Challenge friends.

Have you hopped the hop??  

So much awesome inspiration... And three amazing sponsors with some fabulous prizes!

We are celebrating 3,000 cards! Yes, 3000 handmade cards winging their way around the planet, spreading joy and love.

Many of our players play every month, and have done so for a long time. Some players are new, some visit just once and sometimes they come back now and again - it's all good!

So please tell us if you have been a link in the chain. This one is for anyone who has ever joined the Card Chain Challenge. You don't have to be a participant this month. As long as you have completed at least one exchange, you can leave a comment. We would love to find anyone who was in on the first challenge that Deborah did way back when... Or maybe you just found us and you're going to play along for the first time. What do you love about CCC?  If you haven't ever played then now is a great time to join the fun.

You can find the July Sign Up HERE.

Why not tell us where you are, when you first participated and whether you are a regular, one off or occasional player. Can you remember who you first sent to - that would be fun to know. Do you have a picture of the first card you sent??? Add a link so we can see. Maybe you want to write a brand new post with all these details, or link to your original CCC outing. 
You can use the linky below!

Jo and I have a few surprises to give out this month, so please leave a comment or link your post to join the fun.

Just to get the party started - who do you think sent this card as their very first CCC creation?

Please link up here if you have a post to share...

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

July 2020 Card Chain Challenge Sign Up

Hello and welcome! 

Before we get started on the July sign up we'd like to say a very big thank you to everyone who played/is playing along in the hop! You guys embraced the idea of the hop in a flash and blew us away with your responses!

Now onto the challenge, we hope you'll sign up and join in the fun! As you know we've now exchanged over 3,000 cards by participants from 38 of the 50 United States and 30 countries.

• This is an international card exchange. Please do not sign up unless you are willing to actually make and send a card.  

• Please email us (craftynomad at gmail dot com) a 100-200k photo of your handmade card by July 31st. 

•  Your card should arrive at its destination by July 31st.
  
  

Challenge Directions 

Make a card using at least one of the following options. (You can actually use two, three, or all of the options, but you are only required to use one of them.)  

Color Palette Option

(Exact matching is not required.)

or

Sketch Option

(Orient as desired.)

or

Theme Options: Under The Sea / Cogs / Friendship

or

Product / Technique Options: Twine / Stencil

Sign Up Deadline  

You have until July 6th, to sign up below.  

Reveal Post

All of the cards with links to their creators' blogs or online photo galleries will be revealed here on August 2nd 2020.

Sign up below (please include a link to your blog/photo gallery). Please sign up using your first name and your state, province or country. EX: Ann in Texas; Betty in Ontario; Cathy in Wales; Darla in Italy.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Thanks for signing up!

Deborah, Gail, and Jo 

*This is an international card exchange - you send a handmade card to the person above you on the list, and you receive one from the person below you on the list. We do a reveal of all the cards with links to the challenge participants' blogs or online photo galleries - which is a great way to increase exposure to your blog or photo gallery! 

Helpful Links

Past CCC Reveal

   

Please read the Rules & FAQs if you want to play along.        

Card Chain Challenge 3000 Cards Blog Hop Sponsors

Hello Card Chain Challenge friends.  

Here are the detail of the very generous sponsors for our 3000 cards blog hop.

We will randomly draw three winners from comment left on the cards in the May 2020 Reveal 

and they will win one of these awesome prizes: 

BLUE KNIGHT RUBBER STAMPS

Blue Knight Rubber Stamps is an American stamp company supplying beautiful and unique high quality rubber stamps and stamping accessories. The owner, Lynn Anderson, has been stamping for about 20 years and her passion for card making is driven by the fact that you don’t need to be an artist to create beautiful cards.   Lynn is a big fan of the “5 minute card”.  She says it is something that can be made while raising children or a last minute need for a quick card.  You can spend a “snow day” doing cards or just a few minutes – what a great craft!

Check out their blog and facebook page.

Blue Knight Rubber Stamps are offering one stamp of the winners choice from their new release.

 

CRAFTY INDIVIDUALS

Crafty Individuals is an exciting web based venture into the creative world of craft and altered art products for long term friends and business partners, Jean Hardy and Malcolm Noble. Jean is a practicing artist, avid crafter and teacher.  Malcolm is a professional photographer.  They live and work in the UK, in the North East of England.  Both of them are fully involved in the design and manufacture of the Crafty Individuals unique brand of popular and top quality art rubber stamps, cutting dies, masks/stencils, and paper craft products. 

Check out the blog and facebook group for masses of inspiration

Crafty Individuals are offering two stamps (value up to £15) of the winners choice.

FUNKY FOSSIL DESIGNS

Sarah is an award winning papercrafter who has been playing with stamps, stencils inks and paints for over a decade.  She has designed for a number of papercrafting magazines and in 2018 opened her online shop selling stencils and MDF shapes that are laser cut onsite.  In 2019 she added stamps to the product range, which she says range from cute to artsy.  In addition Sarah works full time, has two teenage boys, a very cute dog and a very understanding husband Steve, who likes working the laser cutter!!

You can find Sarah on her blog or on Instagram.

One lucky person will win a £15 voucher to her shop!

Wow, isn't that just awesome!!!
Thanks to these wonderful companies for supporting us.

Don't forget to hop over to our sponsors blogs and leave a little love.

And don't forget to hop and comment for your chance to win!!  You can leave one comment on as many of the cards as you like.  Each comment is one chance to win.

You have until June 28th to leave comments.

All winners will be announced here on the blog on the 30th June. 
Good luck and enjoy.

May 2020 - Card Chain Challenge Reveal and Blog Hop

Hello card friends and welcome to the May 2020 Card Chain Challenge Reveal! 
This is a very special post as we have hit a milestone: 

3,000 cards exchanged  

How awesome is that?!!  3,000 times spreading love around the world one card at a time.  

We think this calls for a celebration and we want YOU to come and join the fun!!!!   

We'll be having a series of games on the blog during June and you'll need to follow us and keep checking back to make sure you don't miss anything.  Psssst, don't tell anyone but there will be prizes...   Oh, OK, tell everyone!!  Let's have fun and party like it's 2021.......  

Anyhoo, onward to the May Reveal and we have decided to turn it into a blog hop!!  So enjoy the cards, hop over to the sender's post,  leave a little love and we will be randomly selecting 3 comments left between today and the 28th June to win some prizes.  More info to come soon......

We had 24 participants who exchanged cards across the globe this month and we'd like to thank Kathy in the UK for pushing us to our 3,000 card milestone! There may be a few gaps due to the current postal system difficulties, but feast your eyes on what was sent in this chain:

Our options were:

Colour Palette Option

or

Sketch Option

Orient as required

or 

Theme Options: Repeat (more than one of something)/Fruit/ friendship

or 

Product / Technique Options: Stickers/Brushos

Who Sent What To Whom

Kath in the UK sent Linda in Michigan

Linda in Michigan sent Suze in New Zealand 

Suze in New Zealand sent Dawn in New Zealand

Dawn in New Zealand sent Jeanne in Minnesota

(added 15th June)

Jeanne in Minnesota sent Gail in Norway

Gail in Norway sent Linda W in Minnesota

Linda W in Minnesota sent Robyn in Australia

Robyn in Australia sent Cat in Maryland

Cat in Maryland sent Betty in Nebraska

Betty in Nebraska sent Hilary in the UK

Hilary in the UK sent Mia in Greece

Mia in Greece sent Gundi in Germany

Gundi in Germany sent Tina in Slovenia

 

Tina in Slovenia sent Chris in Illinois

Chris in Illinois sent Suzanne in Pennsylvania

Suzanne in Pennsylvania sent Helen G. in Ohio

Helen G. in Ohio sent GerJanne in the Netherlands

GerJanne in the Netherlands sent Greta in Oregon

Greta in Oregon sent Lucille in Colorado

Lucille in Colorado sent Jo in England

It's on the way!

Jo in England sent Karen in Virginia

Karen in Virginia sent Arlene in California

Arlene in California sent Dee in Kenya

Dee in Kenya sent Kath in the UK

And that brings us full circle.

Thank you, everyone, for sharing your artistic talent and doing your part for global relations! We've now exchanged over 3,000 cards by participants from 30 countries and 38 of the 50 United States!

If you want to see more of these artists' card art, check out their blogs and please leave 'em some love in the comments! (Don't forget to Pin your favorites!)

There are still a few days left to sign up for the June exchange and don't forget to hurry back on June 7th for the July sign up AND all the fun and games too!

Thanks for stopping!

Deborah, Gail, and Jo

W H O'S   B E E N   P L A Y I N G

(If you're reading this and have never participated, please consider doing so. And if you see that your country or state has never been represented, you are honor-bound to sign up and show that y'all are friendly and interested in building global peace - and your stamp collection - one card at a time!)

As of 31st May 2020, we've exchanged over 3,000 cards in this little jaunt - most of which were made by regular participants. And where do they come from? Read on....

Past participants have hailed from: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Holland (aka: The Netherlands), Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya,  Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Norway, The Philippines, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, South Africa. (We only need to get some countries that begin with L, O, Q, R, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z to keep up with our alphabet list! We have 161 countries to go before we have total global participation!!!

As for the USA, past participants come from: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. We're still missing: Connecticut, South Dakota, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

If you're new to the Card Chain Challenge ("CCC") this is an event where everybody wins. Basically, you make a card for the person above you on the chain and you receive a card from the person below you on the chain. It's a personalized swap, sort of, and it's a ton of fun! Go here for past Chains.