C4C586 - Give a Gift

This week's Crazy4Challenges challenge was to make a card with space for a gift card on the front!  (So, not inside the card.)  It can be a pocket, some type of interactive mechanism or even part of your main design.  Alternatively, create a gift box or package.

I used one of My Favorite Things' gift card pouches on the front of my card and placed a Starbucks gift card in it, coordinating with the fun patterned paper that has been sitting in a drawer for a very long time.

And you can get to that gift card without ruining the front of the card.  On the inside is a zip strip behind the gift card section.  It's hard to see clearly, but here's a picture of it.

Visit the Crazy4Challenges blog to see some more creative ways to give a gift card.

CCEE2121 -- National Road Trip Day

Liz's final CCEE Stampers challenge is really fun.  She said:  "Wow!  It has finally arrived, and I have had all my vaccines, so maybe this year can mean a road trip.  May 28th is National Road Trip Day.  Your creation might include a map, a wonderful scene, an exhausting shopping spree to out-of-town spots you haven't ventured to in quite some time.  You might want to include a car if you would like on your card.  Have fun; and if a road trip is not on your agenda, take a virtual one in your imagination."

Liz was right -- we sure haven't been anywhere lately.  A road trip sounds like fun.    At her suggestion, I included a map on my card.

I had fun creating the inside of my card -- taking that truck on a virtual road trip.

Be sure to make a stop on your virtual road trip over at the CCEE Stampers blog to see where the rest of the team is going.

C4C585 - Add an Embellishment . . . Tags

Today's Crazy4Challenges challenge is to use a tag as an embellishment or layer on your card.  One thing I like about digital stamps is that you can size them to whatever size you need -- big or small.  This cute little bee girl image from Paper Nest Dolls fits perfectly on my tag.  I added a few bee brads from Eyelet Outlet as well.

Visit the Crazy4Challenges blog to see some more tag creations.

CCEE2120 -- International Tiara Day

Liz continues as hostess for the CCEE Stampers by telling us that today is International Tiara Day and also the birthday of Queen Victoria.  So she asked us to get out our crowns and gemstones and see what kind of creation we can create.  It might be a card for your most favorite little princess in your life; maybe you would like to create a crown for someone you have had regard for; or maybe you love the look of Victorian styled art and decor.  We could go wherever our imagination leads us.

I actually made this card for my daughter-in-law for Mother's Day.  The stamp is an old one I found in my stash, but the background was made with a new (to me) stencil set from Taylored Expressions.  There are three different stencils in the set to create that Bokeh background.  The sentiment is a die-cut from Karen Burniston.

Check out the CCEE Stampers blog for some more bling!

C4C584 Sketch Challenge

I'm pleased to say that Frances Byrne asked me to guest design for the Crazy4Challenges blog again for the summer.  It was a fun gig last year so, of course, I said "yes."  The first challenge I'm participating in is a sketch challenge.  This is the layout for the challenge.

I decided that the large circle on the front was the perfect way to experiment with my recently purchased Wreath Builder template from Creek Bank Creations.  I know I'm late to the wreath building party, but it was fun giving it a try.  Here's my card in various shades of purple.  The large sentiment is one of the new Honey Bee Stamps' Bitty Buzzwords.

Visit the Crazy4Challenges blog to see some more cards using this layout.

CCEE2119 - National Chocolate Chip Day

 Liz has a yummy challenge for the CCEE Stampers today in honor of Chocolate Chip Day!  She asked, "Who is not won over with a chocolate chip cookie in their life?  So on your creation this week, represent this day any way you would like -- from chocolate chip cookies, to chocolate anything, or using brown as your main color focus."

I recently discovered some delicious chocolate chip cookies.  I don't usually like store-bought chocolate chip cookies, but these taste just like homemade!

I made a waterfall card using the new Karen Burniston Waterfall Card die.  This die set makes creating waterfall cards sooooo easy!!!  I've had this chocolate chip patterned paper in my stash for ages and was delighted to use it for today's card.

Check out the CCEE Stampers blog for more chocolate chip goodness!

Karen Burniston/Sassy & Crafty Joint Blog Hop

Welcome to the Karen Burniston (KB Riley) & Sassy and Crafty Blog Hop! Our Design Team members are excited to share their inspiring creations using some of the fabulous products from both these companies.

To celebrate our blog hop we have four great prizes to give away. You will have the chance to win one of two $25 Gift Certificates to use on the Karen Burniston (KB Riley) website or one of two $25 Gift Certificates to use on Sassy and Crafty website.

I have two cards for you today. The first one incorporates another of my loves -- reading.  The Sassy & Crafty stamp set is called Read, Relax, Repeat.  The Karen Burniston die is the Rockin' Rectangle -- one of my favorites.  This is a 6 x 6 card with an acetate front.  I paper-pieced the chair using a pretty plaid.

The background paper is from a cool "masculine" 12" x 12" paper pad of wood/books/bricks called Recollections Whiskey Barrel that I found in Michaels.   It's not always easy to find this type of patterned paper.

My second card for the hop uses a stencil (Jungle Leaves) from Sassy & Crafty as well as a stamp set (Jungle Fever).  I used several Karen Burniston die sets:  Go Wild, Landscape Scene, Palm Tree Pop-Up, Tropical Scene, Happy Birthday, and Sea Animals.

The Jungle Leaves stencil was the perfect background for the front of this card.  It coordinated so well with the leaves from the Landscape Scene die set.  And that monkey is just too cute!

Can't you just picture him sitting in that palm tree, getting ready to throw some coconuts?

Make sure you join the hop and comment on everyone's blog post for your chance to win one of the  four $25 prizes. Winners will be randomly chosen from the comments left on ALL THE POSTS received by Saturday 15th May 2021.  Here's the list of participants:

Sassy and Crafty

Karen Aicken

Candice 

Frances 

Justin 

Kelly

Alison

Fran

Julissa

Sandy

Mindy

Lois   (that's me)

Karen Burniston (your next stop)

CCEE2118 It's Willie Mays' 90th Birthday

Liz Williams starts her month off as hostess for the CCEE Stampers with a sports-related challenge.  She told us that today is Willie Mays' 90th birthday and asked us to make a card with a baseball theme in his honor.  

As a kid, I played softball and actually continued into my 30's.  I played short field, which is a position in slow-pitch softball but not in baseball.  A short fielder is an outfield position and plays between 2nd and 3rd base, but cover the area behind the where the short stop plays.  

So much for your sports lesson for the day.  Here's my card -- a 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" held together with a belly band.   I think that's the only baseball stamp I own, and I've had it for years.

I needed the belly band because, when you open it up, there's a pop-up baseball.

The "baseball" was made using Karen Burniston's Bitty Ball Pop-Up die set, mounted on a baseball field.

Be sure to stop over at the CCEE Stampers blog to see how the rest of the team honored Willie Mays on his birthday!

Star Wars Day Slimline Waterfall Card

May the 4th be with you!!!  Today is Star Wars Day, and I had to make a card to celebrate.  I used some Kindred stamps and the new Karen Burniston Waterfall Card die.  As the Star Wars logo is yellow and black, I used those colors for my waterfall.  I did have to fudge the construction a little bit.  My images are just a little too large for the smallest of the waterfall panels, so I put them on the middle panel and cut a black mat piece just a little larger -- just enough to set off the photo.

And, when you turn it over to the back, there's R2D2!

Here's a little video showing how this card works.

I couldn't let this day pass without celebrating.  I am a big Star Wars fan!  Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge - New Dies

This month's Karen Burniston Designer Challenge is all about the new dies.  Karen just released 12 new dies, and the challenge is a way to show them off.

I chose to put the spotlight on the Flower Pivot Panels.  However, before I get to that part of my card, I wanted to talk about the front of the card.  I've fallen in love with ink blending with distress oxide inks.  That's what I did on my card -- blended Ranger Squeezed Lemon, Wild Honey, and Kitch Flamingo Distress Oxide inks on the entire front of the card.  I then cut the Pattern Plate - Flowers from white cardstock and glued that on top, allowing the color to show through.

The Happy Mother's Day sentiment is a brand-new die from the newest release.  The shadow is also part of the die set.  The flowers and bee are part of the Flower Pot Pop-Up set.

The inside has the other new die -- the Flower Pivot Panels.    The pivot panels dies have proven to be very popular, this one being the sixth in the series.

I brought the pink, orange and yellow colors from the front onto the inside of my card, adding those two rectangular pieces from the new Slim Flaps and Frames.   I added one of the Border Blends to the front and inside as well.  I love the way you can mix and match pieces from many different die sets on one card.  The "love you" sentiment is from another KB set -- the Pop 'n Swap.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  I hope you come back again.

Scor-Pal "More Than One Score" Challenge -- Handbags and Purses

The theme for this month's Scor-Pal "More than One Score" challenge is Handbags and Purses.  I'm not sure my tote is exactly a handbag or purse, but it's close.  

I recently discovered a cool Youtube series called "A Sheetload of Cards" by Call Me Crafty Al.  Each month Alicia demonstrates how you can get a number of cards (from 6 -12) using a couple of sheets of patterned paper and several sheets of  solid cardstock.  April's sheetload made 10 mini slimline cards made from two sheets of 12 x 12 patterned paper and 10 sheets of solid cardstock.  My Scor-Pal project was a little tote to hold the cards.

I modified a tutorial I found for a smaller 3" x 3" Note Card Tote to hold the 3 1/" x 6" mini slimline cards.

Check out the Scor-Pal blog for some more creativity.