April Calendar Challenge

Time to turn the calendar to April, and I'm continuing with my participation in the calendar challenge with my friend, Sue Small-Kreider.  You'll find her April page here.

I know the saying is "April showers bring May flowers;" but I live in Florida, and we have flowers blooming all year long.  So my calendar page is a wheelbarrow full of flowers.  The wheelbarrow was made with a Honey Bee Stamps die set.  I stamped the flowers with one of the stamps in Honey Bee's Loads of Spring stamp set.  This stamp is actually an add-on to Honey Bee's Big Pick-up Tailgate, but it worked perfectly in the wheelbarrow by cutting the colored image in half and stacking the pieces in the wheelbarrow.  The grass was made with Karen Burniston's Nature's Edges die.

 I'm really having fun with this challenge.  I already have May's page done as well!

Poinsettia Christmas Accordion

Karen Burniston has the most informative and detailed classes.  She recently had a virtual class using the Fancy Label Accordion.  With these classes you are able to purchase a kit so that you can create the exact card she is demonstrating, or you can use what you have and follow along with her.  That is what I did for this card.

I love blue Christmas cards, so I searched through my stash of Christmas papers to find something in blue that I thought would work.  I found some pretty blue paper with a splash of red and decided it would work for my card.  The sentiment on the front of my card was made using Karen's Small Sentiments Christmas dies.  The pretty little poinsettias inside the frames are part of Honey Bee Stamps' Loads of Holiday Cheer set.

The Fancy Label Accordion has several Add-on sets, and the candles for the inside are from the Birthday Candle Add-ons set.

If you'd like to make one of these cards for yourself, here is the link to Karen's Youtube video.

Karen Burniston Sept 2024 Virtual Class Day Recording (youtube.com)

Butterfly Landscape Accordion

I was looking through some scraps and found three already cut-out Landscape Accordion panels.  The colors, yellow and black, immediately brought to mind a bee card.  This is the result.

The bee charm in the Flutter Charms was just a little bit big for the cut-out circle in the center panel, so I improvised a little bit.  I cut two of the butterflies included in the Flower Pot Pop-up and a charm holder from one of the charm dies to make my "right-size" butterfly charm.  I was going to have to glue two butterflies together anyway so that it could be seen from either side, so I just slipped that little "charm hole" between the two.

Here are some close-ups of the individual panels.

Those cute little bees on the final panel are from a stamp/die set from Honey Bee Stamps called Busy Bees.  The honey pot is a rather old Stampin' Up image.

This card just proves that you should never throw away usable scraps.  All the stamped and/or die-cut parts of this card came from my scrap folders.

CCEE2239 National Bring Your Bible to School Day

Lynn begins her month-long stint as hostess for the CCEE Stampers by telling us that today is National Bring Your Bible to School Day.  For today's CCEE challenge, we were to use a Bible Scripture as the sentiment on our cards.

I recently purchased several stamp and die sets from Honey Bee Stamps that are rainbow-related.  They worked perfectly for this challenge, reminding us of God's promise to man after the flood.

 Check out the Bible verses that the rest of the team members chose on the CCEE Stampers blog.

CCEE2232 - Pluto Demoted Day

Frances told the CCEE Stampers that, according to the Days of the Year web site, yesterday (August 24th) was Pluto Demoted Day.  This day marks the occasion in 2006 when Pluto was demoted from being a planet to a dwarf planet.  For our challenge today, we were to create a card that has a space theme.

I pulled out some dies from Karen Burniston to make my pop-up card.  On the front are several dies from the Space Charms set, and the friendly alien on the inside was made with her Mini Ball Pop-Up die.  The sentiment is from Honey Bee Stamps.

 Check out the CCEE Stampers blog for more alien fun.

C4C614 - Sketch Challenge

The final Crazy4Challenges challenge of 2021 is a sketch challenge, with a bit of a twist.  We were to select our favorite "crazy" sketch from this year to create our card.   As I had joined the team in the middle of the year, I decided that I would choose a sketch from before I joined.  So I selected C4C580, which was the sketch for April.

My card is another Christmas card using dies from both Honey Bee Stamps (poinsettia and foliage) and Karen Burniston (labels).

Check out the Crazy4Challenges blog to see which sketches the rest of the team chose.  As this is our final challenge for the year, I will wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  See you in 2022.

C4C610 - Die Cuts Only

This week's Crazy4Challenges challenge is one after my own heart -- create a card that is created using dies only, no stamps.  If you must, you can use a stamp for the sentiment; but bonus points if you use dies.  Bonus points for me!

My card for this challenge is a  Christmas slimline, using various dies from Pink & Main, Honey Bee Stamps, and CottageCutz.

Check out the Crazy4Challenges blog for lots of die-cut fun!

CCEE2145 - Tag! You're It!

Kelli continues as hostess for the CCEE Stampers this week and asked us to create some tags to get ready for the holidays.

Last year I bought a set of dies called Winter Bouquet from Honey Bee Stamps.  I used that die set to make these two tags.

Check out the CCEE Stampers blog for some more holiday tag ideas.

CCEE2135 -- Honey Month

I'm the hostess for the CCEE Stampers this month, and for my first challenge I told the team that September is Honey Month.  I asked them to include something related to honey on their cards -- bees, honeycombs, beehives. . . .

One of my favorite stamp companies is Honey Bee Stamps.  They always put something extra in your order, and recently the insert was a little postcard to color with a honey pot on it.  So I used that on my card . . . not on the front, but on the inside.  The front of my card has a cute Honey Bee Stamps bee.

Inside the card, I used a Karen Burniston mini pop mechanism to make the honey pot stand out.

Check out the CCEE Stampers blog to see how the team handled my challenge.

CCEE2132 - Vinyl Record Day

Frances continues her month as hostess for the CCEE Stampers.  Today is Vinyl Record Day.  For many people vinyl records are a thing of the past, but in recent years they have started to make a big comeback with even new albums being released.  For our challenge this week it's all about music -- bonus points if you included an image of a vinyl record on your card.

One of the very first sets of stamps that I bought from Honey Bee Stamps was a cute set of vintage vinyl record-related images and sentiments.  I pulled it out for today's challenge.  To make the record a little more realistic, I cut it from glossy black cardstock.

Be sure to check out the CCEE Stampers blog to see how the rest of the team handled this challenge.

C4C589 Sketch Challenge

The Crazy4Challenges sketch this month is a tall slimline layout.  

My Honey Bee Stamps For the Record stamp/die set was the perfect choice for these shapes.  These were the first of many Honey Bee Stamps products in my arsenal.  And I found some patterned paper in my stash which worked very well with the theme.

Check out the Crazy4Challenges blog to see how the rest of the team worked around this layout.

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.

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.

CCEE2104 - Warm and Cozy

 Lynn finishes up her month as hostess for the CCEE Stampers with a good challenge.  She said:  Many of us are experiencing very cold days during late January.  Feature on your design something that makes you feel warm and cozy even on the coldest of winter days.  It doesn't get quite as cold in Florida as it does in some parts of the country, but we do get some cold days.  The design on the front of my card was made with stencils (STAMPlorations and Honey Bee Stamps), and the fireplace on the inside is from Honey Bee Stamps as well.  It pops up using a Mini Pop-Up die from Karen Burniston.

A nice fire in the fireplace always makes me feel warm and cozy.  Visit the CCEE Stampers blog to see what warms up the rest of the team.

CCEE2101 - Life Changes

 Happy New Year, everyone (just a little late)!  Lynn McAuley is the hostess for this month's CCEE Stampers' challenges.  The new year usually means New Year's Resolutions.  For today's challenge, Lynn would like for our cards to feature something that you could add to or subtract from your life to improve the quality of your physical or mental health.  This can be tongue-in-cheek or the real deal.

I love to read but don't find enough time to just sit down and do it.  My card reflects this desire.  I've used several different dies on this card.  The front has a book shelf full of books from Elizabeth Craft Designs and the sentiment die from Karen Burniston.

The inside has a little surprise pop-up (the Karen Burniston Bitty Ball Pop-Up die) as well as an old Spellbinders Label Seven die, with the alphabet letters from Honey Bee Stamps.  I don't know if you can see the book lying there or read the text on the background and on the Bitty Ball, but I am a big Lord of the Rings fan.

And this little video shows how the ball pops up upon opening the card.

Check out the CCEE Stampers blog to see how the rest of the team said they could improve their lives this year.

Scor-Pal "More Than One Score" - Christmas Center Step Card

 For the final "More Than One Score" challenge from Scor-Pal, I have created a center-step card using a new stamp set and die from Honey Bee Stamps.

The team will be taking January off, so I hope to see you again for February's challenge.

CCEE2028 - Don't Step on a Bee Day

Tomorrow (7/10) is Don't Step on a Bee Day.  I've got a simple challenge for the CCEE Stampers this week -- use a bee on your card.  Easy-Peasy!

I have been obsessed with slimline cards lately, and today's challenge gave me another opportunity.   That cute little bee girl is a digital stamp from Paper Nest Dolls.

I decided to add some interactive fun on the inside and used the Karen Burniston Katherine Label and a stamp I've had for years.  I stenciled some honeycombs as a background.

Check out the CCEE Stampers blog to see how the rest of the team handled this easy challenge.

CCEE2027 UFO Day

I am hostess for the CCEE Stampers during the month of July.  My first challenge is in honor of World UFO Day, which is today.   I asked the team to make a card with something from space -- the sun, the moon, a planet, a UFO, a rocket ship.  Or, create a galaxy background for their card.  Here is a link to a tutorial for a galaxy background.

Here is my card, which uses a couple of stamped images from Honey Bee Stamps Far Out Friends set and that cute alien & flying saucer from Karen Burniston's Space Charms.

Check out the CCEE Stampers blog for more space fun!

Back to Space!

Hopefully, today is the day that astronauts will again be blasted into space from U.S. soil!  If the weather is cooperative, two astronauts will leave Cape Kennedy in a Space X rocket on the way to the International Space Station.  In honor of this event, I made a card using the Karen Burniston Rocket Pop-Up die and Honey Bee Stamps' Far Out Friends stamp set.

I've been bitten by the slimline card bug and experimenting with some of Karen Burniston's dies.  I'm rather pleased with this one!

When you open the card, the rocket ship pops up out of the card.  Pretty cool, no?

Here's a short video showing the action.

Good luck to Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley!