Speedy Fox and Friends - Happy New Year!!!

For our final Speedy Fox and Friends challenge of 2013, we are wishing everyone a Happy New Year.  A great way to show off an embossing folder is to color some portions of it.  I have a tutorial on this technique here.  I recently found this Darice fireworks folder at Joann.  I wasn't sure how well it would emboss -- it cost only $3.99.  What a bargain!!!   Using small Memento inkpads, I rubbed the colors onto the raised parts of the embossing folder before running it through my Big Shot.  The champagne bottle, glasses, and cork are colored, cut out and popped up.

Thank you for stopping by my blog during this past year, and I wish you all good luck and happiness in 2014.  I hope you can pop over to the Mark's Finest Papers blog.  The rest of the team wants to wish you Happy New Year, too.  If you'd like to play along with us, link your card at the end of the blog post.  You might just win a free set of stamps.  This is my last week as a member of the Speedy Fox and Friends team.  I am moving over to the Speedy TV Tutorial Time design team in January.  Hope to see you there.

Speedy Fox and Friends - Christmassy Birthday Card

Speedy Fox and Friends figure you've probably got all your Christmas cards in the mail by now.  So, we're doing something a little different this week.  My card has many elements of a Christmas card -- poinsettias, jingle bells, Christmassy designer paper -- but it's really a birthday card.  I like the crispness of the blue and white color combination.

Hop on over to the Mark's Finest Papers blog to see how the rest of the team handled a Christmassy birthday card.  If you'd like to play along with us, link up your card at the end of the blog post.  You might win a free stamp set.

Speedy Fox and Friends - Use Three Christmas Papers

This week Speedy Fox and Friends are making Christmas cards using patterned paper -- specifically three different patterns.  One of the pads of designer paper I bought this year has some really pretty vintage patterns.  I chose three of them for my card -- one of which was musical, with a Christmas carol (A Carol of the Holly) included.  I'm not sure this is an actual Christmas carol -- there might have been copyright issues otherwise.  At any rate, here's my card:

Stop on over to the Mark's Finest Papers blog to see what the rest of the team did with this challenge.  If you'd like to play along, link your card up at the end of the post.  You could win a free stamp set.

MFP Blog Hop Day 3 - Family

CCEE Stampers Challenge one post down

Dec. Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured December 10 - Calm and Wisdom

Featured December 11 - Bow Hunting

 Featured December 12 - Family

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the blogs listed below (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 three winners will be announced on Dec. 14, 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 10 PM EST on 
Friday, December 13, 2013.

Today's set is all about Family.  The images on this set lend themselves to vintage collage.  I created one masculine card and one more feminine card.   Victorian collage is not my strong suit, so be kind in your comments!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog during this month's hop.  Be sure to check out the rest of the cards in today's hop and comment for a chance to win a free stamp set.

Here's the Design Team participating this week:

Lois (that's me)

 Pam

Pat G

Kathy

Toni

Janine

Shirley Q

Gail

Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co.

Card #1

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Family

Ink:  Tim Holtz Distress Vintage Photo

Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Linen Cream, Hazelnut Tan; DCWV Tattered Time DP

Accessories:  Tim Holtz Clock Face, Stipple brush, Sizzix Wavy Layered frame

Card #2

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Family

Ink:  Tim Holtz Distress Vintage Photo

Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Linen Cream; Recollections Lace DP

Accessories:  K & Company butterfly and flower, Spellbinders Timeless Rectangles die

CCEE1350 - O Christmas Tree

Today is the last CCEE Stampers challenge for the year.

Frances brought the CCEE Stampers the lyrics of a song for this week's challenge.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, How lovely are your branches! 

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, How lovely are your branches! 

In beauty green will always grow Through summer sun and winter snow. 

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, How lovely are your branches!

Our challenge was to use the lyrics for inspiration -- include a Christmas tree, pine branches of a Christmas tree, or even a tree in a summer or winter setting.  I always had a soft spot in my heart for Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, and my card sort of reminds me of it.

Check out the cards made by the rest of the CCEE Stampers by visiting our blog.

Card #1

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Bow Hunting

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Deep Scarlet, Snow Storm Smooth; American Crafts Christmas Foil gold;  The Paper Studio Old World Christmas matstack

Accessories:  Copic markers, Petite Oval Nestabilities; Ribbon, Button

MFP Blog Hop Day 2 - Bow Hunting

Dec. Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured December 10 - Calm and Wisdom

Featured December 11 - Bow Hunting

 Featured December 12 - Family

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the blogs listed below (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 three winners will be announced on Dec. 14, 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 10 PM EST 
on Friday, December 13, 2013.

Last month we had Duck Hunting; this month we have Bow Hunting.  I am a big fan of The Hunger Games. I have read all three books and have seen both of the movies which have been released.  Now, I realize that it is Katniss Everdeen who is the famous archer in these movies, but Gale Hawthorne did use a bow and arrow also -- though not so much in Catching Fire, the second book/movie.  But, today's image is a guy using a bow and arrow; so we're going to pretend that it is Gale!  I used my computer to create the "movie title."

For my second card, I used a new die set I recently bought.  It's a Sizzix die for a flip card, which winds up as an A2 card when folded.  What I like about this die set is that it contains dies for the patterned paper as well as the base.  So . . . no measuring!  I used the deer and long sentiment on this card.  Photo clips hold the card closed.  As you can tell, this set was made for masculine cards!

Be sure to check out the rest of the cards in today's hop.  And remember, lots of comments = more chances to win a free stamp set.

Here's the Design Team participating this week:

Lois (that's me)

 Pam

Pat G

Kathy

Toni

Janine

Shirley Q

Gail

Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co.

Card #1

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Bow Hunting

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Summer Sky, Deep Scarlet, Snow Storm Smooth

Accessories:  Copic markers, computer for sentiment

Card #2

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Bow Hunting

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, TH Distress Tea Dye

Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Desert Sand, Flecked Chocolate Cake, Snow Storm Smooth; Colorbok Pine Forest DP; Martha Stewart Winter Parade DP

Accessories:  Sizzix Square Framelit Flip-Its dies, Copic markers, Photo Clips, Brads, EK Success Photo Corner punch

MFP Blog Hop Day 1 - Calm and Wisdom

Dec. Blog Hop! 

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

 Featured December 10 - Calm and Wisdom

Featured December 11 - Bow Hunting

 Featured December 12 - Family

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the blogs listed below (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 three winners will be announced on Dec. 14, 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 10 PM EST 
on Friday, December 13, 2013.

Oriental cards are oftentimes difficult for me.  But I did manage to put together two cards for today's hop. The music scale background paper for my first card is vellum glued to white cardstock.  The obi of my geisha's kimono is paper pieced, as are the flowers in her hair.

I used color blocking on my second card.  I stamped some oriental characters from various MFP sets onto the green pieces.  The geisha is popped up on dimensionals.

Make sure you check out the rest of the blogs in today's hop.  Our designers love to create for you. Remember, more commenting adds up to a bigger chance to win a free stamp set.

Here's the Design Team participating this week:

Lois (that's me)

 Pam

Pat G

Kathy

Toni

Janine

Shirley Q

Gail

Marks Finest Papers, a Heinrich Co.

Card #1
Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Calm and Wisdom
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Snow Storm Heavy, Bang Up Blue; The Paper Studio Music Vellum; unknown DCWV patterned paper
Accessories:  Copic markers, Marvelous Squares Nestabilities, Ribbon, Oriental coin; Octagonal punch

Card #2
Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Calm and Wisdom, Lotus Blossoms, Works of Art
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Black Linen, Snow Storm Smooth; Lime Squeeze; unknown DCWV purple cardstock
Accessories:  Copic markers, Pop dots

Speedy Fox and Friends - Blue Christmas

The challenge on the MFP Blog for Speedy Fox and Friends this week is to make a Blue Christmas Card.  I especially like blue Christmas cards; they always look so fresh and crisp.  On my card I used several pieces of DP from a DCWV Holiday Collection matstack I bought last year.  One of the sheets had snowflakes of varying sizes, which I punched out and matted with blue.  I added a pop of red on the bird and birdhouse.

Stop over at the Mark's Finest Papers blog to see what the rest of Speedy Fox's friends did with the color BLUE.  If you'd like to play along, link you card at the end of the post; and you might win a free stamp set.

CCEE1349 - Stocking

As the end of the month is very busy, the CCEE Stampers will have only two challenges this month -- this week and next week.  Frances Byrne has brought us this week's challenge, inspired by the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas.

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house 

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; 

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, 

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

Our challenge was to make a project which includes a stocking.  I used a Sizzix die and embossing folder, as well as a couple of stamped images.  

If you want to see the rest of our stockings, visit the CCEE Stampers Blog.

Stamps:  Mark's Finest Papers - Holiday Tag

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Rhubarb Stalk, London Fog

Paper:  Mark's Finest Papers - Premium Heavy White, Deep Scarlet, Snow Storm Smooth; Marco's Papers White Suede Paper; MME Dolled Up DP

Accessories:  Sizzix Christmas Ornament, Light & Stocking die, Bricked embossing folder; Spica gold glitter pen; Gold brad