At the start of this year, on the 6th January 2021, I broke my ankle in two places!
I had to have surgery to have a plate & pins put in so that they could put my ankle back together. After about a week, they let me home but that’s where the biggest of my challenges began.
With being an independent, single woman, I found it extremely difficult trying to live a normal life being chair or bed bound as I wasn’t able to put any weight on my foot at all. The wheel chair quickly became my friend as it was difficult to even get around the house without it.
Thankfully, my Mum was able to pop over nearly every day to care for me & help me with meals, showers, etc. Honestly, I do not know how I would have got through it all without her. I am incredibly grateful to her & my Daughter for doing what they could to help me.
During that painful time, I had to put everything else aside, including the design team, our challenge blog & also, you guys. I sincerely apologize for that but seriously, all my focus was 100% on getting better & stronger so that I could walk again.
Now, after 6 months of recovery, although extremely thankful of being able to walk without crutches etc, I still cannot walk further than my own driveway without being in a lot of pain. I’m still hobbling along with a limp & can’t stand up for more than 15 minutes at a time. I also have foot muscle problems on the base of my feet which is also hindering my recovery.
Anyway, since all this time, I of course have had a lot of time to think, to assess particular things that are important to me & therefore, I have re-established a few new goals for myself. It’s for this reason, that I’ve decided to pivot in direction & close down the papercraft challenges.
I truly apologize for any inconvenience caused but I have to do what is right for my own personal health & moving foward.
I’ve had so much fun while we were doing the challenges. I want to thank all of the design team & all of you who participated, from the bottom of my heart. Without you all, the challenges wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you so much 🙂 It’s truly been an awesome journey with you all 🙂
But now, it’s time for me to go on a different path.
Since losing my job, income & not being able to get another job any time soon, I have decided to do what I can by opening up my own little Etsy shop.
At least now I can spread a little bit of joy & inspire smiles with my card designs while also doing something that I love 🙂 Handmade = Heartmade, right? 🙂
It’s obviously not going to make me a fortune, but I feel, that it’s the first step to getting back on my feet & being as independent as I can be till I am recovered enough to get a job & work again.
If you would like to hang out, stay in touch & join me on my journey, you can find me here: (I haven’t posted there in quite some time, but all of that is about to change).
If you have any questions, concerns or just want to say hi, please feel free to message me on Instagram. It would be great to hear from you 🙂
Before I finish this post, I need to tell you who the winner is from the last challenge 🙂
Prize Winner: Congratulations to Linda Mc Enery @ Linda’s Creations (#37) You have been randomly selected to receive the Challenge prize. Please email me (address on rules page) with your postal address by the 1st August 2021 to claim your prize.
Thank you to all of you! I wish you all well for the future & hope to see you around online. I hope I haven’t forgotten anything. I’m going to miss you all.
Hi Papercraft Friends, Welcome to another fun & new Papercraft Business Challenge.
We hope you’ll join us & enjoy our new challenge, but first, let’s see who our November challenge winners are.
November Challenge Winners
Thank you to all of you who were able to participate in our November Christmas themed challenge. We loved checking out all of your projects
Our DT member, Jennifer Kotas, had the wonderful privilege of picking out our winners this month. Remember, if your name isn’t mentioned this time around, don’t be disheartened as we’d love to see you giving it another go this month.
Prize Winner: Congratulations to Yasmin @ Studio Yasmin (#39) You have been randomly selected to receive the November Challenge prize. Please email me (address on rules page) with your postal address by the 15th December 2020 to claim your prize.
Ultimate Designer: Congratulations to Repolainen @ Repolainen Reissaa (#44) You are our Ultimate Designer Winner for the November challenge.
Jennifer’s message to you: The level of detail on these projects is incredible. I love the addition of the tea lights to take this creation over the top!
Top 5 Winners Nominated for the Top 5 Winners in order of placement are:
1st – Congratulations to Pinky (#1) @ Pinky’s World Jennifer’s message to you Pinky: I love that not having a wreath stamp didn’t stop you from creating one. You did a phenomenal job creating it!
2nd – Congratulations to Carol (#14) @ Inky Fingers Jennifer’s message to you Carol: I love the simplicity of the diorama. It’s a gorgeous winter scene!
3rd – Congratulations to Mandy (#15) @ Made by Mandy Jennifer’s message to you Mandy: I love the window scene. Cutting it twice to add dimension was a great idea!
4th – Congratulations to Sonka (#32) @ Smik Jennifer’s message to you Sonka: The angel wings are absolutely beautiful! Adding gold is perfect!
5th – Congratulations to Jackie (#35) @ Get the JC Look Jennifer’s message to you Jackie: I love the simplicity of this card. The colors against the gray background really pop!
Thank you all SO much for your entries. All winners, please email me (address on rules page) to claim your prize &/or blog badges. Thank you 🙂
I would like to say for those who didn’t get a spot, please be sure to keep trying. Your project could win the challenge this month! Don’t forget to try your hand at the new challenge theme.
Let’s see how many of you can create something using the challenge theme this month.
PAPERCRAFT BUSINESS CHALLENGE #34 – December
Our challenge theme is: Anything Goes Create your challenge entry project using the theme & you will be in the draw to win the prize! PLUS you could also become our Ultimate Designer for the month or one of our Top 5!
Everyone is welcome to play along.
The winning prize: Magnolia Designs – Tilda with Little Rudolf
Our Design Team Challenge Projects Our design team ladies have created some awesome projects to inspire & help get you started with the challenge theme this month.
Please don’t forget to honour their work by visiting their blogs & leaving them some comment love. Also, check out their YouTube videos & channels too.
They would love to hear from you with what you think of their projects & I know they would really appreciate your kindness.
Lisa Walsh – Watch the Christmas Magic Iris Tutorial (TBA) Subscribe so you don’t miss it – Here.
Thank you to my DT ladies. You have all done an outstanding job with your projects! All of your styles, techniques & designs are very inspiring & you should be very proud 🙂
Now it’s your turn. What are you going to share with us so that you have the chance of winning the prize? Remember, if you would like a chance at winning the prize, you need to create a project using this month’s challenge theme: Anything Goes.
Please be sure to check out our challenge rules & guidelines to ensure you have the best possible chance to win. Remember, you can only submit up to 3 projects otherwise you won’t win the prize & your project entries will be disqualified!
Good luck, thank you for stopping by & happy papercrafting We can’t wait to see your creativity.
P.S We are always on the look out for new Design Team members to join us, so if you would like to join our team please check out the DT Call so that you can apply.
Hi Papercraft Friends, Welcome to another fun & new Papercraft Business Challenge.
We hope you’ll join us & enjoy our new challenge, but first, let’s see who our October challenge winners are.
October Challenge Winners
Thank you to all of you who were able to participate in our October interactive themed challenge. We loved checking out all of your projects
Our DT members, Helen & Dawn, have had the wonderful privilege of picking out our winners this month. Remember, if your name isn’t mentioned this time around, don’t be disheartened as we’d love to see you giving it another go this month.
Prize Winner: Congratulations to Kylie @ Makyaibe Crafts (#18) You have been randomly selected to receive the October Challenge prize. Please email me (address on rules page) with your postal address by the 15th November 2020 to claim your prize.
Ultimate Designer: Congratulations to Boryana @ Borys Crafting Place (#19) You are our Ultimate Designer Winner for the October challenge.
Helen & Dawn’s message to you Boryana: Your sweet little Christmas shadow box takes us into the cozy house of the little bears as they prepare for their Christmas celebrations. Your beautiful colouring and design, as well as including so many clever little details, bring this fun scene to life. The shadow box elements allows for a wonderful 3D effect which makes it look as though we are peering in through the window, yet folds down to fit a standard envelope. A wonderful Christmas card full of surprises!
Top 5 Winners Nominated for the Top 5 Winners in order of placement are:
1st – Congratulations to Kylie (#18) @ Makyaibe Crafts Helen’s message to you Kylie: You have created a wonderfully fun reveal wheel card with a cute little beach theme. The changing birthday wishes adds a great surprise and adds to the fun. Your beautifully executed design featuring the sky, sea, sand and grass transports us the beach and the fun to be had making sandcastles and finding the local sea life. A great birthday card!
2nd – Congratulations to Charlotte (#8) @ The Joyful Soul Creates Dawn’s message to you Charlotte: Charlotte, I love this card. You did such an amazing job on this. I would never have thought to put googly eyes in a shaker card. But I will definitely be considering that in the future.
3rd – Congratulations to Carole (#2) @ Craftilicious Creations Dawn’s message to you Carole: Carole, this card came out amazing! I love all the detailed work you put into this card and how the owl peeks through!
4th – Congratulations to Chandhini & Subhashini (#10) @ The Creative Twins Helen’s message to you: You have created an eye-catching sky card with a sweet rainbow hidden among the big fluffy clouds! The fun element is the cute little unicorn who moves across the lovely rainbow! This little unicorn’s main and tail perfectly mirror the rainbow. A wonderful happy birthday card which will delight both the young and young at heart!
5th – Congratulations to Karen (#1) @ Misplaced Mojo Dawn’s message to you Karen: Karen, You did a wonderful job on all three of your cards. I am in love with your shaker card. What a great idea to put confetti tubes inside the shaker card. That is so creative of you!
Thank you all SO much for your entries. All winners, please email me (address on rules page) to claim your prize &/or blog badges. Thank you 🙂
I would like to say for those who didn’t get a spot, please be sure to keep trying. Your project could win the challenge this month! Don’t forget to try your hand at the new challenge theme.
Let’s see how many of you can create something using the challenge theme this month 🙂
PAPERCRAFT BUSINESS CHALLENGE #33 – November
Our challenge theme is: Christmas Create your challenge entry project using the theme & you will be in the draw to win the prize! PLUS you could also become our Ultimate Designer for the month or one of our Top 5!
Optional: Anything Goes You can create a project that doesn’t include the challenge theme & you will have the opportunity to be chosen as one of our Top 5. But if you want to be in the running for the prize or our Ultimate Designer position, you will need to follow the challenge theme.
Everyone is welcome to play along.
The winning prize: Magnolia Designs – Santa’s Sleigh Doohickey
Our Design Team Challenge Projects Our design team ladies have created some awesome projects to inspire & help get you started with the challenge theme this month.
Please don’t forget to honour their work by visiting their blogs & leaving them some comment love. Also, check out their YouTube videos & channels too.
They would love to hear from you with what you think of their projects & I know they would really appreciate your kindness.
Thank you to my DT ladies. You have all done an outstanding job with your projects! All of your styles, techniques & designs are very inspiring & you should be very proud
Now it’s your turn. What are you going to share with us so that you have the chance of winning the prize? Remember, if you would like a chance at winning the prize, you need to create a project using this month’s challenge theme: Christmas.
Please be sure to check out our challenge rules & guidelines to ensure you have the best possible chance to win. Remember, you can only submit up to 3 projects otherwise you won’t win the prize & your project entries will be disqualified!
Good luck, thank you for stopping by & happy papercrafting We can’t wait to see your creativity.
P.S We are always on the look out for new Design Team members to join us, so if you would like to join our team please check out the DT Call so that you can apply.
Hi Papercraft Friends, Welcome to another fun & new Papercraft Business challenge.
There are a few things that I need to cover before I give you all the details of the challenge.
Firstly, I want to apologize for our absence over the last two months. Due to unforeseen circumstances we needed to postpone the challenges.
It came to a situation of where family needed to come first & I stopped everything online, including social media, emails etc, so that I could focus 100% on my family that needed my 100% attention. So, my deepest apologies if this has caused you any inconvenience & thank you so much for your patience.
However, all is pretty good now & I’m able to continue with bringing you some awesome new challenges. I just need a little time to play catch up with everything behind the scenes & get back into the swing of things 🙂
I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for participating in our challenges. Without you, there wouldn’t be any point to this blog, nor the challenges. So thank you for encouraging & supporting us so we can bring you new inspiration each month.
Secondly, I want to say thank you to every member in my Design Team. Ladies, you have been brilliantly supportive & helpful throughout this time. I seriously thank you from the bottom of my heart & appreciate all your kindness, understanding & support. Without you, our PB challenges wouldn’t be possible with all the inspiration you offer to all of us & your dedication to create such awesome projects every single month is highly appreciated. Thanks so much xxx
Thirdly, we have some wonderful new Design Team members that have joined us. Introducing: Jennifer Johnston, Dawn Pauley & Helen Finlay. Welcome to the team & thank you so much for joining us. We all look forward to seeing your awesome designs for the upcoming challenges & I hope you enjoy being part of the team.
……
Now, let’s move onto our new challenge. I hope you’ll join us & find it fun, but first, let’s see who the winners are for the July challenge.
July Challenge Winners
Thank you to all of you who were able to participate in our July challenge. We had so many awesome entries & we loved checking out all of your projects
This month, I have the wonderful privilege of picking out our winners this month. Remember, if your name isn’t mentioned this time around, don’t be disheartened as we’d love to see you giving it another go this month.
Prize Winner: Congratulations to Chris @ And here’s one I made earlier (#2) You have been randomly selected to receive the July Challenge prize. Please email me (address on rules page) with your postal address by the 15th October 2020 to claim your prize.
Ultimate Designer: Congratulations to Cornelia @ Stempel (#1) You are our Ultimate Designer Winner for the July challenge.
My message to you Cornelia: I absolutely love your design with the ink blending & stencil technique you used. The water creatures really are cute & comical in the sense of their funny facial expressions. Such an awesome ocean scene! You did an outstanding job!
Top 5 Winners Nominated for the Top 5 Winners in order of placement are:
1st – Congratulations to Nancy (#12) @ Pink Panoply My message to you Nancy: Absolutely gorgeous design for your tag. The mermaid is simply delightful & you’ve coloured her beautifully. Such a wonderful selection of papers also makes this such a stunning design. Congrats on your new house & wish you well with the packing & moving 🙂
2nd – Congratulations to Debbie (#14) @ Secrets to Stamping My message to you Debbie: Such an amazing card! Your ocean scene is stunning & those whales are so adorable. Awesome paper choices that really bring your scene alive!
3rd – Congratulations to Pam (#15) @ Pam’s Pearls My message to you Pam: What a gorgeous water / beach scene! Such wonderful colouring, loving the colours you used & would love to be the girl right now. Sitting on the floating ring, in the water with the beautiful sunshine, while sipping on a cocktail 🙂 Sounds & looks like the perfect scene to me 🙂
4th – Congratulations to Majda (#16) @ Majdinustvarjalninemir My message to you Majda: Such a wonderful ocean theme card. All of the elements are well thought out & I love all of the beachy items hanging above the ocean 🙂
5th – Congratulations to Reetta (#8) @ A Passion for Crafts My message to you Reetta: I love your easel card, especially with all the different layers. Tilda looks awesome with your beautiful colouring & the flowers look so pretty.
Thank you all SO much for your entries. All winners, please email me (address on rules page) to claim your prize &/or blog badges. Thank you 🙂
I would like to say for those who didn’t get a spot, please be sure to keep trying. Your project could win the challenge this month! Don’t forget to try your hand at the new challenge theme.
Let’s see how many of you can create something using the challenge theme this month 🙂
PAPERCRAFT BUSINESS CHALLENGE #32 – October
Our challenge theme is: Interactive! Create your challenge entry project using the theme & you will be in the draw to win the prize! PLUS you could also become our Ultimate Designer for the month (with a link to your blog) or one of our Top 5!
Optional: Anything Goes You can create a project that doesn’t include the challenge theme & you will have the opportunity to be chosen as one of our Top 5. But if you want to be in the running for the prize or our Ultimate Designer position, you will need to follow the challenge theme.
Everyone is welcome to play along.
The winning prize: Lawn Fawn – Winter Alpaca Stamp Set
Our Design Team Challenge Projects Our design team ladies have created some awesome projects to inspire & help get you started with the challenge theme this month.
Please don’t forget to honour their work by visiting their blogs & leaving them some comment love. Also, check out their YouTube videos & channels too.
They would love to hear from you with what you think of their projects & I know they would really appreciate your kindness.
Thank you to my DT ladies. You have all done an outstanding job with your projects! All of your styles, techniques & designs are very inspiring & you should be very proud 🙂
Now it’s your turn. What are you going to share with us so that you have the chance of winning the prize? Remember, if you would like a chance at winning the prize, you need to create a project using this month’s challenge theme: Interactive.
Please be sure to check out our challenge rules & guidelines to ensure you have the best possible chance to win. Remember, you can only submit up to 3 projects otherwise you won’t win the prize & your project entries will be disqualified!
Good luck, thank you for stopping by & happy papercrafting 🙂 We can’t wait to see your creativity.
P.S We are always on the look out for new Design Team members to join us, so if you would like to join our team please check out the DT Call so that you can apply.
Hi Papercraft Friends,
Welcome to another fun & new Papercraft Business Challenge.
We hope you’ll enjoy & join us in this months challenge, but first, let’s find out who are our June challenge winners.
June Challenge Winners
Thank you to all of you who were able to participate in our June challenge. We had just over 50 awesome entries & we loved checking out all of your projects 🙂
Our DT member, Jill, has had the wonderful privilege of picking out our winners this month. Remember, if your name isn’t mentioned this time around, don’t be disheartened as we’d love to see you giving it another go this month.
Prize Winner:
Congratulations to Meghan @ Made by Meghan K (#5)
You have been randomly selected to receive the June Challenge prize. Please email me (address on rules page) with your postal address by the 15th July 2020 to claim your prize.
Ultimate Designer:
Congratulations to Marlene @ Cards Made by Marlene (#29)
You are our Ultimate Designer Winner for the June challenge.
Jill’s message to you Marlene: I love all the different layers of the card. The different patterns all work together brilliantly. The coloring of your image was superb, and I really loved the added buttons.
Top 5 Winners
Nominated for the Top 5 Winners in order of placement are:
1st – Congratulations to Linda (#39) @ Linda’s Creations Jill’s message to you Linda: Your coloring is on point. I love your use of the plaids and stripes, along with all the little cooking embellishments really made this card stand out.
2nd – Congratulations to Janice (#51) @ My Craft Room Makes Jill’s message to you Janice: I loved this super simple card for exactly that! The simplicity. Teen boys can be really hard to design for and I think you really nailed it!
3rd – Congratulations to Becca Yahrling (#8) Jill’s message to you Becca: I love this offbeat Father’s Day card. The colors and the ribbon really work well. It’s so whimsical!
4th – Congratulations to Maryann (#24) @ Maryann Scrapbooking Jill’s message to you Maryann: This is such a personal card. Really loved how you took all the things that say Dad to you and incorporated them in. What a great job!
5th – Congratulations to Priya (#52) Jill’s message to you Priya: Super cool steampunk panel. There’s so much cool detail in this. Every time I look at it I see something different!
Thank you all SO much for your entries. All winners, please email me (address on rules page) to claim your prize &/or blog badges. Thank you 🙂
I would like to say for those who didn’t get a spot, please be sure to keep trying. Your project could win the challenge this month! Don’t forget to try your hand at the new challenge theme.
Let’s see how many of you can create something using the challenge theme this month 🙂
PAPERCRAFT BUSINESS CHALLENGE #31 – July
Our challenge theme is: Ocean / Water
Create your challenge entry project using the theme & you will be in the draw to win the prize! PLUS you could also become our Ultimate Designer for the month or one of our Top 5!
Optional: Anything Goes
You can create a project that doesn’t include the challenge theme & you will have the opportunity to be chosen as one of our Top 5. But if you want to be in the running for the prize or our Ultimate Designer position, you will need to follow the challenge theme.
Everyone is welcome to play along 🙂
The winning prize: Jillibean Soup – Hello Sunshine Stamp Set
Our Design Team Challenge Projects
Our design team ladies have created some awesome projects to inspire & help get you started with the challenge theme this month.
Please don’t forget to honour their work by visiting their blogs & leaving them some comment love. Also, check out their YouTube videos & channels too.
They would love to hear from you with what you think of their projects & I know they would really appreciate your kindness.
Thank you to my DT ladies. You have all done an outstanding job with your projects! All of your styles, techniques & designs are very inspiring & you should be very proud 🙂
Now it’s your turn. What are you going to share with us so that you have the chance of winning the prize? Remember, if you would like a chance at winning the prize, you need to create a project using this month’s challenge theme: Ocean / Water.
Please be sure to check out our challenge rules & guidelines to ensure you have the best chance possible to win. Remember, you can only submit up to 3 projects otherwise you won’t win the prize!
Good luck, thank you for stopping by & happy papercrafting 🙂
We can’t wait to see your creativity.
P.S We are always on the look out for new Design Team members to join us, so if you would like to join our team please check out the DT Call so that you can apply.