Things Crafty Monthly Crafty Challenge – April 2012
// April 1st, 2012 // Monthly Challenge
Welcome to the First Official Things Crafty Monthly Crafty Challenge!
Things Crafty is an online community about learning and connecting about, well…things crafty! In an effort to offer opportunities to our members to grow together, all things fun and crafty, we are offering the Things Crafty Monthly Craft Challenge hosted by our Design Team as a way for our community to engage in an artsy-crafty activity together. Furthermore, we are a group of many talents and because of this, challenges are designed to be inclusive of all our artists and crafters - regardless of skill level or media. With this in mind we have worked hard to make this an all inclusive activity – it’s easy peasey to participate so keep reading to learn more about this month’s challenge.
This Month’s Things Crafty Challenge Host:
Your Host for April is Martiel Traczyk Beatty of Sewmantra:
Martiel is the founder and fiber artist of the online shop and blog, Sewmantra; which is where modern, funky and tradition meet upcycled, recycled, and reclaimed materials – the outcome is a tried and true collection of designs… reinvented. She is the writer behind the “Confessions of A Capricious Crafter” and “Crafty Stuff from A to Zymosan” as well as the founder of the South County Artists and Crafters Guild near Annapolis, Maryland. She has also appeared as a guest blogger on several craft sites where she has published her creative ideas on how to use things you already have to make something with utility. As a social media expert, she uses her talent in writing, savvy techy skills and unique perspective to challenge the status quo. Her goals are to introduce the world to sewing their mantra, and in doing so, bringing back tradition wrapped in recycled bits. As she approaches the close of her first year in business, she is excited to share her ideas, funny tales, and untold artsy-crafty project ideas with you. Martiel works out of her home art studio in Shady Side, Maryland. As she explores area thrift stores and estate sales hunting for another great piece – she will never be found without her notebook in hand, waiting for a moment to jot down something that inspires her. Learn more about Martiel’s art on her blog at http://sewmantra.blogspot.com or visit her shops on Zibbet and Etsy.
First Place Prize (Value $100)
This Month’s Challenge Theme & Description: Your theme this month is “April Flowers“. We challenge you to create, craft, draw, knit, build, or otherwise, make something that is representative of, inspired by, or embodies the idea of April flowers. It can be in any media, it can come from any source and anyone of any skill level may participate. The only condition is that it has flowers in it, on it, around it, or the like. Be creative, as we know you love to.
Deadline to Enter: Monday, April 30, 2012 at 11:59 EST
Third Place Prize (Value $18)
Number of Winners: 4
First, Second and Third will be selected by our Design Team panel of Judges. Then the final place is called “People’s Choice Award”. This is where you, our community, can vote on your favorite entry.
How to Enter & Additional Instructions:
- Create your item based on the specification of the monthly challenge theme and description.
- Once your item is complete, you will need to take a photo of your item, then go to April Monthly Challenge Group Page and post your picture and description. (Please keep your description short, no more than 100 words). Your host Martiel will make sure it is posted to this month’s challenge pinterest board CLICK HERE to view the board and current entries.
- Make sure to read the theme, description and instructions in full each month – it will change with each turn of the calendar.
- Have a Question, Concern or Trouble Understanding Something? Post a comment to this post – this way we can offer answers to any questions or concerns AND the whole group benefits from this wisdom.
How Challenges are Judged:
Submissions are judged by a panel from our design team for places 1-3. These design team members cannot participate in the challenge. The four attributes/qualities below will be how each entry is judged and will be ranked from 1 to 5 (1=lowest, 5=highest). The entries with the highest number of points wins.
People's Choice Award Prize (Value $40)
- Quality of the photo
- Attractiveness
- How well related to the theme
- How original of an idea
The final place is the People’s Choice Award which is decided by you! Peoples Choice Voting Rules: Only one vote per person. The selection process will be anonymous except to the host committee who receives the final votes.
To vote, Follow these instructions: May 1, 2012 voting will open up for this challenge. More information coming soon so stay tuned!
What you Win!
First Place: Handmade Nation & 3 Months of Free Ad Space on Sewmantra (Value of $100)
Second Place Prize (Value $40)
Second Place: Printable Fabric Collection (Value of 40.00)
Third Place: Shadetex and Rubber Stamps (Value of $18)
Peoples Choice Award: Kaleidoscope Caning Ilysa’s Way DVD and a Set of 2 Kaleidoscope buttons (Value of $40)
About the Author:
Martiel Traczyk Beatty is the founder and master artist at Sewmantra Studios. Sewmantra is more than just one shop that combines her skills in sewing, crochet, graphic design, drafting, screen printing and green design to bring you something amazing, it is two unique approaches to fiber arts and green design that gives you the best of both worlds in one-of-a-kind wearable art; or as her customers have come to say, "Sewmantra is wearable art and accessories for the new environmentalist movement." Martiel is also a social media expert, avid blogger and drafter. She currently posts the "Friday Crafty Recap" weekly on Things Crafty as well as hosts the monthly show "12 Questions" where she interviews authors about their creative lives and cool books. Learn more about Martiel and her creative adventures @ Things Crafty Profile: http://craftylink.com/profile/MartielTraczykBeatty Website: http://sewmantrastudios.com Blog: http://sewmantra.blogspot.com
martiel – who has written 66 posts on Things Crafty crafting videos tutorials reviews books products demos and Podcast.
