Hello everyone and welcome to
Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2.
If you're new to SSW2 a very large warm welcome and if you're one of our regular returning friends thank you so much for coming back and visiting us.
It's Kathie here this fortnight from an autumn's day here in New Zealand.
I live in the North Island which is the warmer of the three islands. We aren't part of Australia nor are we joined onto Australia which I've been asked by followers in the past. I do hope that everyone in the Northern Hemisphere is enjoying your first month of spring and getting ready for summer. If your summer is anything like we've just had it's going to be really sunny and hot. Where our home is situated we need rain really badly and this morning I woke to rain, this is the first rain since Christmas Day.
Thank you for all the lovely entries to our last challenge sponsored by Anne, I just wish that there were entries so we could have a Top 3. Everyone must prefer other challenges than ours as we aren't getting the numbers.
My question to our dedicated followers is what can we do to encourage more entries??? We would love to hear from you as we all have different ideas and views. Thanks so much and we look forward to hearing from you in the comments.
Now onto last fortnights winner from Sketch #156 was.........
#6 Mandy
Congratulations
Sorry ladies no Top 3 this fortnight to the lack of entries maybe next time.
Please email anne_ssw2@aol.co.uk
to claim your prize and don't forget to take your winners badge from the sidebar.
This fortnights Sketch #157 is sponsored by
Sparkle N Sprinkle
Our lucky winner will receive $15.00 store voucher to spend in Sparkle N Sprinkle's online store.
Please drop by the online store, there are so many amazing images and items to choose from.
and the challenge blog
Now for this fortnights sketch
Sketch #157
I do hope you like my sketch and I"m so looking forward to checking out your creations this coming fortnight.
My inspiration for this sketch came to me whilst I was ironing my husbands business shirts. Yes, I was thinking of sketches rather than the ironing. So please forgive me......
Now for some inspiration from our wonderfully talented, dedicated design team.
Brigitte
is Guest Designer for this challenge with
Just Me and My Dog
Judi
is visiting us this fortnight with
Tropical Mermaid Alana
AJ
used Eggs - Traordinary Kindness
Anne
used Friendship Flowers
Kathie
I used Lovely Magnolia
I do hope you liked what we've made you this fortnight? I'm so looking forward to hearing your comments and what you create this week as well.
Don't forget to check out our rules before you post your card.
Happy crafting everyone.
You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Now for some inspiration from our wonderfully talented, dedicated design team.
Brigitte
is Guest Designer for this challenge with
Just Me and My Dog
Judi
is visiting us this fortnight with
Tropical Mermaid Alana
AJ
used Eggs - Traordinary Kindness
Anne
used Friendship Flowers
Kelly
used Across the Miles
Kathie
I used Lovely Magnolia
I do hope you liked what we've made you this fortnight? I'm so looking forward to hearing your comments and what you create this week as well.
Don't forget to check out our rules before you post your card.
Happy crafting everyone.
Hi everyone! I think that maybe having a Facebook page might help getting noticed? A lot of people seems to be going that way. I know it can be a lot of work, but it might be worthwhile? If it's too complicated, maybe the DTs can put their projects on their FB and a link to the SSW2 blog as well as their own? Hope this helps and thanks again for letting me participate as guest DT this time. Hugs
ReplyDeleteHi Brigitte,many thanks for being our guest DT this fortnight it's very much appreciated and I love your card. Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to comment on the question I asked. It's something we would have to think about and also having the time to do it. It's food for thought. Many thanks once again and have a great weekend.
DeleteHugs
Kathie SSW2~DT
Great sketch and design team samples. Thanks for the challenge!
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for choosing my card to be the winner. I have recently come back to making cards after many years away from crafting and it is a massive confidence boost.
ReplyDeleteI used to help run the One Stitch At a Time challenge blog, I was the sponsorship co-ordinator giving the images out for the challenges we sponsored. As part of my role I used to check the number of entries they had to se how effective the sponsorship had been. I found that the challenges that were more 'open' with their themes were the ones that had more entries.
I personally like to use a sketch as the base idea for the layout of a card I am making and then enter it into as many challenges I can find that fit the theme. I think unfortunately the way to increase entrants may be to make using the sketch optional so maybe make it a sketch # optional / Anything Goes.
Perhaps make it a rule that only an entrant who uses the sketch can win the prize, but all entrants can be top 3? That way you would be rewarding the entrants who correctly follow the sketch but increasing the number of entrants at the same time.
Good morning Mandy congratulations on your win this week it was a lovely card. Also welcome back to making cards, I know sometimes we just need to take a break and it also lets those creative juices run wild again. I remember One Stitch At A Time challenge blog as I remember entering once or twice. Thank you so much for taking the time out to answer my question as I said to Brigitte it's very much appreciated and we'll take everything on board and have a discussion about everyone's suggestions and where we go from here. In the meantime please keep entering our challenges as we want to see more of your lovely cards, wishing you the remainder of a lovely weekend .
DeleteHugs always
Kathie SSW2~DT
I almost always start my cards with a sketch and always look forward to seeing what new one is posted here. But I don't always play along as the sketch just might not fit ideas in my head. I would really hate to see your challenge turn into anything other than a sketch challenge, but I do realize it could be very discouraging to have low participation numbers week after week. I don't have a suggestion for you, but just wanted to encourage you that I do love this challenge.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for taking the time out to comment on my question. I do love creating the sketches but feel that sometimes people are looking for something else as our numbers are dwindling. I feel having the sketch it perfect for anyone that can't think what to make. It makes me wonder when I see so many other challenges have 200-300 hundred entries most of the time they are Anything Goes. We'll keep on working on this. Many thanks once again.
DeleteHugs
Kathie
But do you really want that many entries, as it doesn't take any thought or effort to enter Anything Goes. And I can say that because I enter those type of challenges. But it is much more fun, in my opinion to actually create for a specific challenge.
DeleteHeather I totally agree with you. I don't want huge number either as I feel that those Anything Goes Challenges get totally out of hand with the numbers and half the time your card doesn't even get commented on. If we got 25-30 entries per fortnight that would be brilliant which we use to get years ago and at that time it was a weekly challenge as I've been with SSW and SSW2 now for 9 years. I wouldn't even enter my card in a challenge that has hundreds of entries. Hugs Kathie
DeleteI haven't been able to participate much in this challenge over the past couple of months due to work pressures. Things are quieter now and I hope to be able to join in again from this challenge on (once I get caught up on things that have been put aside for a while!). I too would hate to see the sketch disappear. I would also hate to see this challenge go to Facebook as so many others have done as I would no longer be able to participate.
ReplyDeleteThanks Suze so much for taking the time out to comment on my question. It's lovely that you're able to participate again as we have missed you. I don't want to see SSW2 disappear either as I've been a DT now for 9 years and now designing the sketches. I don't want to see this challenge go to Facebook either, firstly I don't believe that any of us have the time to run it that way and secondly my Facebook is totally a different part of my life to my crafting and card making. Thanks once again and when and if changes are made they will be posted on the top of the blog.
DeleteHugs
Kathie
Bonjour
ReplyDeleteMerci pour ce sketch !
Je ne sais trop quoi vous conseiller pour avoir plus de participations... mais poursuivez vos jolies propositions
Bonne continuation
xx Cath
Thank you Cath, I do really appreciate your comments and we will continue.
DeleteHugs
Kathie
Thank you for the challenge. Lovely work by the design team. I like working to the sketches when I can. I would not join in if it goes to facebook. Do the design team add their cards to other challenges to get the word around.
ReplyDeleteHi Margaret, many thanks for your comments it's very much appreciated. I'm not in favour I going to Facebook myself and I don't want my cards on FB also someone has to maintain FB and we are all very busy. I always enter other challenges but it's really interesting how very few challenges even comment on your card now days. I feel that some of these challenges have got so big with so many entries that they can't cope. My personal opinion is if it's a weekly challenge they should limit the entries to 100. Not sure what my limits would be for fortnightly and monthly. Many thanks once again for taking the time to comment it's very much appreciated.
DeleteHugs
Kathie SSW2~DT
I am so thrilled that I managed to join in again. I found that I had been MIA since January. Hadn't realised that I had got so swamped with work as early as I had! Loved the sketch and actually followed it fairly closely this time. I hope to be back for every challenge through the winter months.
ReplyDeleteThanks Suze really appreciate you joining us we've missed you.
DeleteHugs
Kathie SSW2~DT
Thank you for the beautiful sketch
ReplyDeleteI love your inspirations and sketch.
ReplyDeletehugs xx
treebug