CCEE1305 - Hot, Hot, Hot!

This is Joanne's last CCEE challenge for the month, and she's going out with a bang.  She said, " We in the Northern Hemisphere are in the midst of winter, so let's think HOT."  Of course, winter in Florida is not as cold as winter where Joanne lives . . . but that's another story.  Anyway, I decided to make a hot anniversary card.

I printed off a photo of chili peppers that I found on the internet and used pieces of it for my narrow panels.  I stamped the tied bunch of chili peppers for the center panel of my card, coloring them in both red and yellow.  I have to thank fellow CCEE Stamper and MFP DT member Vicky Gould for the idea of the googlie eyes on the single peppers.  I had seen a card she did that way and thought they were so cute!  The sentiment on the inside is a simple "Happy Anniversary."

If you'd like to make a HOT CARD for our challenge, check out the CCEE Blog and post your card using Mr. Linky at the bottom of the post.

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Hot and Spicy
Paper:  MFP Cherry Slush, Late Afternoon Sun, Spring Leaf, Snow Storm Smooth
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress Bundled Sage
Accessories:  Photo of chili peppers from internet, Oval nesties, Googlie eyes, Copic markers, Sponge applicator

CAS Featured Stamper

This week's CAS challenge on Splitcoaststampers is a Featured Stamper challenge.  The Featured Stamper is mamaxsix (a/k/a Gail).  I looked through her gallery and found many cards that I could CASE but decided on her Thankful Plaque.  As you can see, I changed  her plaque to a card, but I'm sure you can see how I used it as inspiration.

I used a stamp set I received for participating in one of the swaps on Speedy TV a few months ago.  I just love that little scene inside the leaf.  Although Gail's large leaf is brown, my leaf is mainly blue (the sky).  The sentiments are from that same MFP set, Autumn Friendships.  The smaller leaves are from a couple of other MFP sets.   After stamping the large leaf on the cardstock, I also stamped it on a piece of Eclipse tape and cut out a mask so that I could sponge the sky with distress inks.  Gail's plaque has light images throughout the background.  I just stippled in the empty spaces.

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Autumn Friendships, Autumn Glory, Scenic Selections, Love Remains
Paper:  MFP Deepest Mahogany, Favorite Natural
Ink:  Memento Rich Cocoa; Tim Holtz Distress Tumbled Glass, Chipped Sapphire
Accessories:  Copic markers, Twine, Eclipse Tape for the masking, Stipple brush

Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge - Doodle a Frame

This week's Speedy Fox and Friends challenge on the MFP Blog was to doodle a frame on your card.  I confess that doodling is not my forte, but I gave it a shot.   And I'm also not a wine connoisseur, but I learned that cabernet grapes are red (found that on the internet!).  In fact, there are a great many varieties of red grapes.

My card is pretty simple.  I stamped the bunch of grapes and then colored them using Copic markers -- RV32, RV34, and R39 for the grapes; YG91, YG93, YG95, and YG97 for the leaves.  The "frame" was made with a Memento Bamboo Leaves marker and then sponged with Tim Holtz Distress Crushed Olive ink.  If you'd like to try your hand at doodling, we'd love for you to play along with us.  Just remember to link your card up on the MFP Blog for a chance to win a free stamp set.  If you use an MFPaHC set, you get two chances to win!

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - No Sour Grapes
Paper:  MFP Garnet, Snow Storm Smooth
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress Crushed Olive
Accessories:  Memento Bamboo Leaves marker, Sponge applicator, White gel pen

CCEE1304 - Punch the Clock Day

Joanne found an interesting "national day" to celebrate today -- Punch the Clock Day, which is on January 27th.  So her challenge for the CCEE Stampers was to honor this little-known holday by creating a masculine card with some connection to time or clocks.  Here's mine:

I always loved the grandmother clock (smaller than a grandfather clock) my mom had in her living room.  That's one of the reasons I was drawn to this new set from Mark's Finest Papers, a Heinrich Company.  She also had a chair shaped very similar to the one on my card, although it was turquoise, not green.

If you'd like to play along with the CCEE Stampers and celebrate Punch the Clock Day, link your card up to Mr. Linky on the CCEE Blog.

Sketch Challenges

I've always liked sketch challenges because they give you a place to start when making a card.  I think this challenge was the first one I ever participated in when I started visiting Splitcoaststampers.  Speedy TV also has a Sketch with a Twist challenge that is always fun.  

Here is my card for the Sketch with a Twist challenge on Speedy TV.

This layout also uses the Triple Stamping technique.  There's a tutorial on Speedy TV you can check out if you've never made this particular type of card.  After stamping and coloring the grapes, I stippled the background with a stipple brush to tone down the stark white background.  Then I added the ribbon/charm in one corner and the oval with the wine in the other corner.

The layout for the the Sketch Challenge on Splitcoaststampers was actually a square one.  Because square cards cost more to mail, I expanded my card to a regular A2 shape but used the layout as the focal point.  Here's my card:

After stamping the background music, I popped on the punched-out circles, following the sketch layout.  The treble clef is part of the stamp set (Mark's Finest Papers - Just a Note) and the big notes are brads.

Card 1

Stamps: Mark's Finest Papers - No Sour Grapes

Paper:  MFP Spring Leaf, Grandma's Snow Covered Porch

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress Peeled Paint

Accessories:  Copic markers, Stipple brush, Ribbon, Charm, Gold cord, Oval nesties, Pop dots

Card 2

Stamps:  Mark's Finest papers - Just a Note

Paper:  MFP Premium Heavy White, Bang Up Blue, Aqua Light

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories:  Circle punches, Brads, Pop dots

Speedy Fox and Friends - Use Twine

This week's Speedy Fox and Friends challenge on the MFP Blog is to use twine, which made me think of a "western-themed" card because one use for twine is to make a lariat.  Mark's Finest Papers, a Heinrich Company has several western sets, three of which I used on my card -- Hey, Cowboy; A Cowboy Thing; and Cowgirls Rule.

Easel cards are pretty fun to make and receive.  I stamped the bandanna from A Cowboy Thing and the sentiment from Cowgirls Rule and matted it to fit the 4 1/4" base.  After masking and then sponging a 4" square of MFP Natural Vanilla Bean with several colors of distress ink, I stamped the cowboy and sentiment from Hey, Cowboy.  I added the twine to the top piece and the lariat to the base.

I hope you'll play along with the team and post your card to the MFP Blog.  You could win a free set of stamps.  If you use an MFPaHC stamp set on your card, you get two chances to win!

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Hey, Cowboy; A Cowboy Thing; Cowgirls Rule
Paper:  MFP Natural Vanilla Bean, Desert Sand, Dark Chocolate Bar
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Tim Holtz Distress Spun Sugar, Milled Lavender, Chipped Sapphire
Accessories:  Twine, Sponge Applicators, Post-It notes for masking, Circle punch

MFP Blog Hop Day 4 -- Love, Love, Love

   January Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are:

Fantastic Dogs Featured January 15
No Sour Grapes Featured January 16
In My Den Featured January 17
Love, Love, Love Featured January 18

Please hop along with us! You have a chance 
 to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the blogs listed (don't forget this one) each day for more chances to win!  (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!) All four winners will be announced on January 19, 2013, on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win; and comments on the MFP blog count twice!) The deadline for commenting is 11 PM EST on Friday January 18, 2013.


Happy New Year!!! Welcome to the first blog hop of 2013! We are so excited to share the great stamp sets we are releasing this month and the months to come. 

 The special stamp set we have for you this month is:

" OH Baby"

 

The mini stamp set we have for you this month is

"Not So Ugly"

 

I have to admit that the design of my first card today was not my own.  I saw a card on Splitcoaststampers last week made by Mary (jandjccc) which I just loved.  I immediately put it into My Favorites, vowing to CASE it at some time.  Today is the day for the CASE.

Mary's card used a Spellbinders die -- I just cut out the heart.  I stamped the image on a piece of white card stock and then carefully cut it out using a craft knife.  I then drew the line around the edge (in 1/4") and embossed the panel with a Sizzix heart die.  To emphasize the opening, I went around the heart with a black marker, and then glued the script DP to the back.  The rose heart and sentiment shape are popped up on dimensionals.

For my second card I stamped the base with the large rose using Versamark.  I then stamped it again three times with black ink, coloring it and then cutting it out in three sizes, so that I could layer the pieces.

I mounted the tole rose onto a circle, backing it with some leaves.

Be sure to check out the rest of the blog hop, commenting as many times as you want.  Today is the last day of the hop; so, if you missed anything this week, you can always go back and comment.  Maybe you'll win one of the free sets.   Patty P., Lois (that's me), Vicky, Jane C,  Debbie,  Pam,  Pat G,  Thrifty Stamper,  MariLynn,  Karen K,  Bonnie,  Kathy B,  Angela B,  Cathy C,  Toni,  Sue W,  Janine B,  Tammylee,  An'jenic,  Kate Z,  Shirley Q,  Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co