CLOSED: Nerd Games - Spring 2020

Welcome to the Nerd Games!

Runs April 1, 2020 - June 30, 2020

This is a craftalong where nerdy crafters all over the world can share our projects and give each other encouragement - that’s really all there is to it! If you feel you might be a nerd, or enjoy some nerdy things of any kind, or if you’re just nerdy about crafting, you’re more than welcome here!

HOW TO JOIN

Simply make any craft, take photos of it, and post them in this group with the following header, which will be explained below:

Prompt: (Write the name of the prompt you are entering your craft for here. Don’t forget to include the month!)
Team: (Choose one of four, listed below)
Project Name: (Name your craft anything you like; fanciful titles or simple labels/descriptions are all fine)
Project Link: (Paste the link to your community post for the bonus points)
Brief Description: (Tell us anything you’d like to about the craft, such as how you made it, and why it fits the prompt .)
Project Photo(s): (Post photos of your awesome craft here, so we can ooh and aah over it!)

THE TEAMS

There are four teams to choose from, and no requirements for joining any of them; simply choose one that speaks to you, put the team name in your first project header, and presto - you’re a member! You will remain on the same team for the entire season. You may change teams in future seasons.

  • Team Running with Scissors: Maybe you like to craft with fabric or paper.
  • Team Knotty by Nature: Maybe you like to knit, crochet, or macramé.
  • Team Palettable Art: Maybe you like to draw or paint. Or just love color.
  • Team Bits and Bobs: Maybe you like working with various notions, or have varied crafting interests.

THE PROMPTS

Prompts will be posted on a monthly basis in the post below. Please choose a prompt. Monthly battles are the only time sensitive prompts. The non-battle prompts are open for the entire season. See THE POINTS section below for point values and several additional crafting opportunities for each of your crafts. You can craft specifically to fit the prompts, or you can craft first and then find a prompt to fit it into. We’re pretty lax about slightly stretched interpretations of the prompts; just explain in your description how it fits!

  • Monthly prompts will close at 11:59pm Central Time on the last day of the current month.

BONUS POINTS

We are trying to keep things simple, so there will only be one type of bonus point available. COMMUNITY POINTS will be given when you post a link to a post you’ve made within the Lettuce Craft community, and will be worth 20 bonus points for each project shared. Please be sure to participate in the entire community and not just in the craftalong!

THE POINTS

This competition is just for fun and the points are for nothing more than motivation and bragging rights, but go ahead and rack up points by posting projects for you team! Points break down as follows:

  • Monthly battles and prompts: 20 points each (must take at least 30 minutes of crafting time)
  • Free Range: 20 points each (must take at least 30 minutes of crafting time. Up to two allowed per season)
  • Big Time projects: 50 points each (must take at least 5 hours of crafting time. Up to three allowed per season)
  • Zaps: 5 points each (any craft that takes less than 30 minutes to make. Up to five allowed per season)
  • Research Projects: 100 points (must take at least 20 hours of crafting time. Up to two per season)
  • Bonus Points: COMMUNITY bonus points (worth 20 extra per project) are the only bonus opportunity available at this time.

THE RULES

  • Players must craft to the best of their abilities and have a minimum of 30 minutes of crafting time per submission, unless otherwise noted.
  • A project can only be submitted for one prompt or crafting opportunity.
  • A project does NOT have to be "nerdy,” it only has to fulfill the prompt as you see fit.
  • Submitted projects must be started and completed during the current season, unless otherwise noted.
  • There is SO MUCH to do in the Nerd Games. Do not feel like you have to craft everything. Do what inspires you.
  • We welcome all players from the Nerdyverse, no matter their Geekdom. We even welcome non-nerds!
  • We are never mean.
  • We never exclude someone.
  • We will keep it clean-ish (PG-13).
  • Never hesitate in contacting the Gamemakers (storerboughtcreation or Smeddley) with your questions, concerns, or ideas.

Raffle

We will be doing a raffle at the end of the spring season. The complete rules, including how tickets are earned and how to submit a raffle prize donation, and dates will be posted in the fourth comment of this thread. You can also click on the raffle header just above, and it will take you directly to the raffle info.

5 Likes

PROMPT PALACE

Please post your projects with the following header:
Prompt: (Write the name of the prompt you are entering your craft for here. Don’t forget to include the month!)
Team: (Choose one of four, listed below)
Project Name: (Name your craft anything you like; fanciful titles or simple labels/descriptions are all fine)
Project Link: (Paste the link to your community post for the bonus points)
Brief Description: (Tell us anything you’d like to about the craft, such as how you made it, and why it fits the prompt .)
Project Photo(s): (Post photos of your awesome craft here, so we can ooh and aah over it!)

Battle Royale Prompt
Choose a side and craft a project to represent your choice. Must be completed within the month of issue, by 11:59 om, Central US time, on the last day of the month. Players may only submit one project per month/Battle. Battle Royale prompts are worth 20 points each and are eligible for all available Bonus Point opportunities.

  • April Battle: Text vs Phone Call (this might require some creative explaining when you submit it, but I know you’re up to it!) - CLOSED
  • May Battle: Jedi vs Sith (May the Fourth be with you on this one…) - CLOSED
  • June Battle: Fresh Water vs Salt Water

Challenge Prompts
You may complete challenges at any time during the season, but you may only submit each prompt one time. Challenge prompts are worth 20 points each.

April Theme - What else but Social Distancing!
If there’s any silver lining to the social distancing this time (as opposed to 1918) it’s that we have so much social media to keep us connected!

  • Facebook - Craft something that has a face, is/uses a book, or that is dark blue
  • Twitter - Craft something that has a bird, is very “short” (small) or that is light blue
  • Instagram - Craft something that uses/is a picture, or that is pink/purple
  • Snapchat - Craft something ghosty, or that is yellow/white
  • Lettuce Craft - Craft something that is leafy, or that is green

SPRING QUARANTINE BONUS PROMPTS!!!
Extra prompts for the Spring Session, since a lot of us have a bit of extra time on our hands! Weather-themed, what else?

  • Crying in the Rain - want to be outside but the weather’s not cooperating? Craft something to use indoors, or that requires water to complete!
  • Outside in the Sun - enjoying a nice spring (or fall, Southern Hemisphere!) day outside? Craft something nature-themed, or that is bright yellow!
  • Verily, is that a Funnel Cloud? - worst part of spring in the midwest! Craft something that makes a huge mess
  • In a Freak Snowstorm? - April snow happens! Craft something that is unexpected, or cold, or white.
  • Dreary Foggy Day - craft something that is grey, or has translucent qualities.

May Theme - May the 4th

  • Yoda - craft something small, wrinkly, wise, or green.
  • JarJar Binks - craft something floppy, high energy, water-loving, or… annoying
  • Wicket - craft something furry, cute, or brown
  • R2D2 - craft something utilitarian, useful, metal, or blue
  • Rancor - craft something ugly, misunderstood, or sad (I’m still not over the scene in the pit, where the keeper was distraught that his beloved, terrifying ‘pet’ was killed…)

June Theme - June is National Aquarium Month!
And there are new fish to donate to Blathers in Animal Crossing New Horizons, if you’re as addicted to the game as I am… (and yes these are all ACNH fish for the prompts!)

  • Clownfish - craft something funny, or silly (or related to clowns), or that is orange
  • Squid - craft something rubbery, that has 8 pieces, or is grey
  • Horse Mackrel - craft something horsey, or very common, or blue
  • Zebra Turkeyfish - craft something that has frills, or stripes, or is purple
  • Angelfish - craft something sweet, or something nice for someone else, or something yellow
10 Likes

Tracking and Teams

You can view your tracking checklist here.

Please don’t hesitate to message me if you see a project is missing from your checklist after the most recent tracking update is posted.

Teams

1 Like

Hi there; it’s your friendly Raffle Wrangler roler!

How to Earn Tickets
For this raffle, you will earn tickets for every crafting opportunity in the Nerd Games that you’ve turned in for BOTH the winter season and the spring season. That’s right - every prompt, every Big Time, every Zap that you complete from January through June will count - one ticket each! All you have to do is post them here with the appropriate header and a picture.

So with five prompts plus a battle each month (18), 3 Big Times, 5 Zaps, 2 Research Projects, and 2 Free Range projects, you can earn up to 30 tickets per season, or 60 total! That’s a lot of tickets!

The Prizes
Prizes will be donated by Nerd Games participants. We hope to have quite a few to throw your tickets at! If you would like to donate a prize, please send me a DM! The sooner the better, but we’ll be accepting them almost all season. I’ll ask you to send a photo of your prize and a brief description, as well as whether or not you’re willing to ship internationally to the winner. All donors must be willing to at least ship domestically.

There will also be a prize that only those who have donated prizes can win. One donated prize = one special ticket toward the special prize.

I will be posting the prizes here as they are donated.

Lemonade Tin (donated by @Bunny1kenobi ) - international OK
This adorable altered tin is about 3.5x2.5x1" and contains a family recipe!

Bird Notecards (donated by @Lynx ) - international OK
This set of six 5x7" notecards features beautiful bird photos, and comes with envelopes!

Totoro Biscornu (donated by @storerboughtcreation ) - international OK
This rainy-day Totoro looks right at home on this oddly shaped cushion. It’s just under 4" across.

Set of 3 Crochet-Covered Hangers (donated by @roler ) - international OK
Keep your clothes from slipping to the floor with these cute nostalgic hangers!

Lettuce Kiss Clasp Coin Purse - (donated by @gozer ) - international ok
Celebrate the first season of the Nerd Games at our new home with this lettuce coin purse, which will be stuffed with crafty goodies!

Kitchen Helper Set (donated by @craftADDchick)
This set is sure to come in handy! It includes: 1 Jar Opener, 1 Cotton Dishcloth, 2 Tulle Scrubbies.
09f56a06c4f6135b751da10e913ed3ad2226836e_2_384x500

Set of 2 masks (donated by @roler )
This prize has been removed, because @roler is now offering free masks to anyone who asks! No need to waste your raffle tickets on them!

Set of 6 gelli print cards (donated by @geekgirl ) - international OK
These beautiful little pieces of art are 5x7" and one of a kind!

Special Prize for Donors!
Green with Envy Biscornu (donated by @storerboughtcreation ) - international OK
This amazing biscornu is just for those who have donated a prize to this raffle. One donation = one automatic ticket to win this prize! You may not use your regular raffle tickets to bid on this prize.

How to Use Your Tickets
At the end of the season, I will post a list of how many tickets each member has earned. I will also post a raffle application form. It will have a list of prizes, and a space to put a number.

Copy and paste the application form in a DM to me, and fill it out with your bids. You can bid up to 15 tickets per prize. So for example, if there were six prizes and you had 20 tickets, you could fill it out like this:
Prize A:
Prize B: 10
Prize C: 5
Prize D: 2
Prize E:
Prize F: 3

Send me your application form by 11:59 CT, July 11th, at which point the winners will be chosen by a random number generator. Then I will post the winners of each prize!

Getting Your Prize:
If you’re one of the lucky winners, please contact the donor of your prize (who will be listed in the same post as the winners). Give them your address, and they will send your prize directly to you.

2 Likes

Prompt: April - Zap
Team: Bits and Bobs
Project Name: Best Brownies Ever
Project Link: Best Brownies Ever
Brief Description: This is super quick to whip up - maybe 10 minutes of actual work (20 min in the oven).
Project Photo(s):

7 Likes

Yum, what a good way to start this round :slight_smile:

1 Like

Prompt: Big Time #1
Team: Running With Scissors :running_man:t2: :scissors:
Project Name: Bride of Frankenstein Painting
Project Link: Bride of Frankenstein Painting - Monster Jam
Brief Description: I haven’t really painted in years and forgot how hard it really is. I have a huge blank wall in my house and wanted to start decorating it. I had the hardest time painting. It took me forever. It’s 28" X 22". This lady changed so much during the process. But my cat, Venk “helped” and because it’s now sentimental, I went ahead and put it up despite not really being pleased with her. Follow the link to see it on the wall and to see Venk helping me paint. Made for 2020 Monster Jam - April Craftalong
Project Photo(s):

6 Likes

Prompt: April - Facebook
Team: Bits and Bobs
Project Name: Owlbert
Project Link: Owlbert
Brief Description: owlbert - crochet cutesy monster made for monster jam 2020
Project Photo(s):

5 Likes

Prompt: April- Snapchat
Team: Bits and Bobs
Project Name: Banana Cake w/Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Project Link: Banana Cake w/Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Brief Description: My original plan was to make mini banana loaves. But, I was out of baking soda (I have plenty of baking powder ). While I was looking for it, I realized that I have a large supply of cake mixes (very well past their “best by” date), so I figured I’d give one a try. I chose a yellow cake mix, added in the mashed bananas, and topped it with a peanut butter cream cheese frosting (leftover cream cheese frosting from my Pi Day cake that I added a scoop of peanut butter to). Tastes pretty good!

Project Photo(s):

image
image

4 Likes

Attention! We are seeking raffle prize donors for this year’s Nerd Games raffle! We’ll accept crafted goods, crafting books, craft supplies; whatever you think our participants will enjoy!

Whether you’re thinking of donating or not, please scroll up to the fourth post in this thread to see the raffle rules! :smile:

3 Likes

I’ll donate a prize… have to think about what, but will donate (maybe even more than 1).

2 Likes

Prompt: April - Zap (2)
Team: Bits and Bobs
Project Name: Impossibly Easy Taco Pie
Project Link: Impossibly Easy Taco Pie
Brief Description: I’m all about quick meals. This was very fast to whip up. Maybe 20 minutes tops. Then it baked for 25 but I was off doing something else!
Project Photo(s):

4 Likes

Prompt: April - Twitter
Team: Bits and Bobs
Project Name: ATC Photo Dump
Project Link: ATC Photo Dump
Brief Description: A bunch of ATCs and coins I made. I’m choosing the prompt of Twitter because 2 of them included birds and 2 of them include wings (butterflies)
Project Photo(s):


5 Likes

Prompt- April- Twitter
Team- knotty by nature
project name- Kumihimo Curtain Tie Back
project link- Kumihimo Tie Back
Description- I needed a tie back and wanted to practice a new technique.

6 Likes

Hooray! So happy to hear that! The more prizes there are, the more fun the raffle is for everyone! :slight_smile:
Just a note that I updated the rules to slightly change the due date for ticket application forms, but that’s not til July anyway ;p

2 Likes

The Spring Games took off right out of the gate with awesome projects!
@roler – the hangers are not only neat, but I love that they are useful. Great prize. I am offering up the Lettuce coin purse I made last round. I will get a solo picture of it soon.

@geekgirl girl – Mmmmm. Those brownies look divine. I gave up candy and desserts for Lent and these are testing my will power. The look so gooey and yummy. I also love Owlbert. His expression cracks me up. The more I look at him the cuter he becomes. Funny story too. Your killing me with these yummy looking foods. You make the plate so appealing too. Your ATC’s are amazing, as usual. But you didn’t include the ATC coins like your post says, just letting you know.

@craftADDchick – What a clever way of transforming the cake mix. It looks yummy and peanut creamchees frosting sounds beyond scrumptious!

@ezrib – The curtain tie is so neatly done. Very snazzy.

2 Likes

Prompt: April Instagram
Team: Running With Scissors :running_man:t2: :scissors:
Project Name: Baby Jackalope ATC
Project Link: Challenge chain, post your completed challenges here, and chat about the challenges
Brief Description: I made this ATC for the challenge chain. It’s got lots of pink!
Project Photo(s):

5 Likes

Prompt: April Lettucecraft
Team: Running With Scissors :running_man:t2: :scissors:
Project Name: Paper collage masterboards
Project Link: More masterboards!
Brief Description: @GMPNQ made a masterboard recently that inspired me to do something similar. Mine both have a fair bit of green.
(Hers is here: Masterboard)
Project Photo(s):

5 Likes

Prompt: April - Battle - Phone Call
Team: :yarn:
Project Name: Scalloped potatoes
Project Link: Pre-Easter Dinner - Scalloped Potaotes
Brief Description: I made scalloped potatoes for dinner. Mmmmmm

Everyone says my scalloped potatoes are like the old way Grandma used to make them. We used to talk on the phone all the time, and I miss those calls. I wish she was still alive so I could call her right now to complain about the state of the world. She was the best grandma :heart:
Project Photo(s):

6 Likes

Prompt: April - Snapchat
Team: Bits and Bobs
Project Name: A trio of journal pages
Project Link: Journal pages
Brief Description: Journal pages I made in a 3 hour session. The tutorial had you add all this paint and then cover up the middle with white! She kept saying “trust the process”. I had my doubts but I did and i do like the results.
Project Photo(s):

7 Likes