Sisterhood with the CCEE

 

Liz is our CCEE Stampers' hostess for August.  Here is her challenge for this week.

 

 As many of you know, or perhaps you don’t, Lynn and Liz are sisters. When they were asked to join the CCEE team at the same time, theyboth thought it would be fun to be doing this together. So, for your sister card, find an image of a pair or group of ladies or girls who just might be sisters doing things that sisters like to do.

 

I used an image from Penny Black.  Love the way the two girls are embracing.  Tells of friendship or kinship.  I added a sentiment from Hero Arts.  On the vertical panel I used an old SU bkgd. stamps and then added some brads to the main panel.  I finished it off with a bit of piercing.

 

Be sure to visit the CCEE Stampers Blog to see the fab 'sistahs' creations by the multi-talented and oh so special members of the CCEE team.

 

I am sharing an extra card from when my Blogger wasn't cooperating so I never posted it here.  Enjoy......it was done for a Crazy4Challenges challenge.

 

 

 

 

Late to the Crazies Sketch

 

 

It is sketch week with the Crazy4Challenges DT.  I used a negative die from Memory Box, a flower die from Memory Box, a Martha Stewart punch, and MFT pierced 'flag' die.  I pierced around the edges and added and MFT sentiment.

Be sure to check out the varied way the Crazies used the sketch at the Crazies Blog.

Crazy for Encouragement

 

As the hostess for July's Crazy4Challenges, here is this week's challenge....

 

July 11 is Cheer Up the Lonely Day.  Let’s create cards of encouragement.

 

My card is a true one layer CAS card.  I used stamps from Just Rite.  I colored the frame lightly with Copics.

 

Be sure to stop in at the Crazies Blog to see the cards of encouragement created by the rest of the DT and our guest designer.

CCEE Stampers Mix It Up

This is Vicky's last challenge as our hostess for the CCEE Stampers Challenge for June! Here is her challenge........

I need to practice mixed media so I can join in more challenges.   I   often back off as I think I’m not able to make a good finished product.   Let’s make a mixed  media card.


Quoting Splitcoaststamers: A "medium" can be any of the following:
 
Pencils - wax, oil, watercolour, graphite/charcoal. chalk/pastel
Pastels - Chalk, oil
Markers - watercolor, pigment, water-based acrylic
Pens - ink, glitter
Pigments - Gelatos, watercolor crayons, metallic rubons
Paints - watercolor, acrylic, oil, poster, tempera

Inks - dye, chalk, distress, reinkers, pigment, hybrid

Powders - mica, pigment, chalk

Sprays & airbrushing

Dimensionals - embossing paste, gesso, fabric, found items, papers (collage, piecing) & ephemera, foils
Heated elements - encaustic wax, embossing

Here is my CAS mixed media card......

I used a stencil with two different colors of distress ink which I sponged on.  I used heat embossing for my MFT sentiment.  I then used a Joanna Sheen butterfly die to create my butterfly which, in real life, is dimensional.  I kept it simple as this will go into my holiday stash of gift cards for the upcoming holiday season.

Be sure to stop by the CCEE Stampers Blog to see the fab and extremely creative cards/projects of this 'bestest' DT.
 

The CCEE Stampers Go to the Birds

 

Vicky continues as the June hostess for the CCEE Stampers Challenge.  Here is her challenge for this week.

 

Most of you know I love birds.....birds of any kind!  Let's use birds on our cards this week.....Crazy Birds, real birds, cartoon birds...whatever trips your trigger!  One, two, a flock....it's your choice.  Just show me those birds!

 

I have a trio of funky owls for you today.  I kept the card CAS as these hooters deserve all the focus.  I did add some scoring around the edges in place of my usual piercing.

 

Be sure to stop in to the CCEE Blog to see the 'birds' taking over our gallery today.

Crazy for Sketches

 

It's the third Saturday of the month, so that means we have a Sketch Challenge this week! Karen Aicken is our Crazy4Challenges hostess with an easy sketch for you. Our Guest Designer is Caroline Counsell - Stampin' Caz.

 

 

 

Once again I grabbed my fav hydrangea stamp from SU and die cut that panel with oval Spellbinder dies.  I then stamped the sentie and die cut an Impression Obsession bow.  I stamped two border stamps from JustRite to make my upper panel.  Added a touch of bling to the bow, colored the flower with Copics, and it was done.  I did round off the corners too with my Marvy corner rounder.

 

Be sure to stop in at the Crazy4Challenges Blog to see the various creations made using this same sketch.

CCEEers Go a Little 'Ducky'

 

Vicky, as our June CCEE Stamper Challenge hostess, is back with another challenge.  Here it is......

 

Morning ya'll.  Vicky here to challenge you!!!

Today is Donald Duck Day!!!  Donald has been around since 1934.

Let's celebrate Donald by using a duck..real or imaginary.  Extra points if you use Donald or any other fictional duck on your card.  Let's see what you come up with.

 

The duck stamp that came to mind when I saw this challenge are from Verve.  I have had the set for ages but have only used it once.  I like the idea that I have lots of ducks represented AND that it is a 'ducky' sentiment.  I used Spellbinder dies, Copics, and piercing tools.

 

Now be sure to check out the CCEE Stampers Blog to see the other 'ducky' creations.

CCEEers Celebrate Eiffel Tower Day

 

Frances continues as the CCEE Stampers Challenge hostess.  Here is her last challenge for the month.

 

According to the Days of the Year web site today is Eiffel Tower Day. So for our challenge this week let's celebrate all things Parisian …. It could be the Eiffel Tower, French Poodle; Berets; Champagne; Red, White & Blue Color Combo etc.

As you have probably guessed, I went with the colors of the flag.  I am working on two gift stashes of all occasion type cards, so this is one more for the stashes.

I, once again, forgot to write down the company for the stamped image.  If you want to know just ask in a comment.  The sentiment is from MFT.  I used a MS border punch along with my Copics and piercing tools.

Please be sure to stop in at the CCEE Blog to see the fabulous French-inspired creations by this DT.

Crazy for Umbrellas

 

Being a brand new month it is time to introduce our Crazy4Challenges hostess, Frances Byrne. Our Guest Designer for March is Sandy Diller, I am sure you (like me) will enjoy seeing her creations this month.  Here is this week's challenge.......

Did you know that March was National Umbrella Month. This marvelous invention which helps prevent us from getting wet on those rainy days or can keep us sheltered from that sun was invented over four thousand years ago … wow!  Let's celebrate the umbrella this week by including one on our cards this week … it could be an umbrella to stop the rain, parasol or beach umbrella.

 

My umbrella was made with a Spellbinders die set.  The sentiment comes from a Flopsy set by MFT.  I added some piercing and a few polka dotted brads.

 

Be sure to visit the Crazies Blog to see the fabulous umbrella creations by the rest of the DT.

BE HAPPY even when you are BLUE

 

 

Frances is our CCEE Stampers Challenge hostess for the month of March.  Here is this week's challenge.....

 

 

Today is "I want to Be Happy Day" … who doesn't want to be happy :) and tomorrow is Dress in Blue Day (my favorite color). So for our cards this week let's include the word "Happy" somewhere on your card and also include the color blue.

 

 

I used this floral stamp from Flourish and the happy sentiment from My Favorite Things.  I added some piercing and some embossing, but otherwise keeping it pretty simple.

 

Be sure to visit the  CCEE Blog to see the creations by the rest of the tieam.

Crazy for Red and Pink

 

 

It is Saturday and time for a Crazy4Challenges challenge.  Here is the challenge for today in our hostess's own words......Peggy's challenge is......

 

 

Hello Crazy 4 Challenges Fans!! Glad you came by for this week's challenge!

Of course tomorrow is the sweetest of sweetest days of the year. I am sure we will be seeing a lot of pinks and reds. The challenge today is to make a monochromatic card using pinks and/or reds.

 

I went with a much used stamp from SU.  I just love its boldness and simplicity.  the bloom was heat embossed with red embossing powder.  The sentiment was heat embossed in black and is from a JustRite Papercrafts set.  I created the frame with a pierced rectangle die from MFT.

 

Be sure to visit the Crazies Blog to see the red/pink monochromatic creations by the rest of this very talented team and our guest designer, Vicki Dutcher.

The CCEEers Play with Opposites

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Frances continues as our January hostess with the moistest.  This is the challenge she gave the CCEE Stampers this week......

 

Did you know that the 25th January is National Opposite Day?  For our challenge this week make a card/project that has opposites on it. Think opposite colors on the color wheel, stripes and polka dots, black and white, mirror image, etc.

 

Of course, I had to go with black and white (with a tiny touch of RED).  The stamped image is from Penny Black, while the sentiment is from MFT.  I used heat embossing with white embossing powder for the image and the sentiment.  The sentiment panel was die cut with an MFT die.

 

Be sure to visit the Land of Opposites at the CCEE Blog.

Tree Inspiration for the Crazies

Francis is our Crazy4Challenges hostess for December.  Below is the inspiration for the challenge as well as the challenge she has given us.

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!

Use the lyrics above for the inspiration of your card for the challenge this week. Your card can include a Christmas tree, pine branches of a Christmas tree or even a tree in a summer or winter setting.

I have to be honest and say that I really should have made a holiday card as my stash is almost nonexistent, but I had this card already made in my 'extra' cards file.  So I took the easy way out and used this card.  It uses a Stampscape stamp.  I think the sentiment is by MFT, but not sure about that.

Be sure to stop in at the Crazies Blog to see the fabulous tree creations by the rest of the DT.

Sesame Street Influences the CCEE Stampers

Our hostess for November is Frances.  Here iis her challenge for the CCEE Stampers this week.....

The 10th November is Sesame Street Day, this year celebrates 46 years since the show started. Create a card the is inspired by this show … You could feature any of the characters from the show; something related to a character eg garbage bin or cookies; or feature a letter of the alphabet etc.

Well..... I had nothing I could relate to Sesame Street, so I went with a sentiment that I think relays the 'attitude' of the Sesame Street community.  The color yellow also reminds me of Big Bird.  The actor who plays Big Bird lives in a town nearby, so that is the character we know the most about as he has been active in local events through the years.

Be sure to stop in and visit the CCEE Blog as I have a feeling that the other team members were able to do this challenge in a more literal way.

The CCEEers Get Reflective

Maryann continues as the CCEE Stampers Challenge hostess.  This is her challenge.

Hi ,
It's Maryann here with today's challenge. This week I have chosen to create something with reflections, with the suggestion that  it could be in a mirror or on water or a verse that looks into the past.

 I used a stamp by Stampscape and a rock formation that I think is also Stampscape.  The tree/rocks stamp already had some shading on it, but I added the tree reflections.  I did it by stamping on acetate and then 'stamping' it below the original stamped trees.  I colored with Copics and added piercing around the edges.  The sentiment is from MFT.

Be sure to stop by the CCEE Blog to see the reflective creations created by the rest of this talented and friendly team.

Chocolate Goes with Anything, Right?????

Maryann is our CCEE Stampers Challenge hostess for October.  This is her challenge for this week.

We couldn't be female without some Chocolate in our lives, make a card using chocolate combination. - Chocolate  & Pink, Chocolate & Green, Chocolate and Vanilla.

I choose to go with Chocolate with Pale Pink,  My sentiment is the only thing that is stamped.  The flowers and the speckles in the background was done with stencils.

Be sure to visit the CCEE Blog to see the fabulous CHOCOLATE creations by this delicious and talented team.

CCEE Stampers Swap Ideas

 

 

 

Lois continues as our CCEE Stampers Challenge hostess for September.  This is her challenge for this week.....

It's Thursday, CCEE Stampers challenge day.  I, Lois, am continuing as hostess for the month of September.    In honor of today's weird holiday (Swap Ideas Day), I'm asking you to make a card using a technique you've learned and want to share.  Either describe the details of the technique or link to a tutorial on the web.

I decided to share a technique that was a challenge at Splitcoast long ago.  I always loved the results, especially when used as a background for a simple card.  It is called Really Groovy Retro. 

Here are the directions given by Beate at Splitcoast.

Beate's Directions:
Retro technique is super easy and way fun. Take three colors from the same
color group (e.g. here blues) one light, one medium and one dark. Take a piece
of glossy white CS and use post it notes to cover up areas at random. It looks
better if you keep the them straight. Take your darkest color and brayer over
the entire CS. Next take some of your post it notes of and brayer over with
your medium color. Then take the rest of the notes of and brayer again with
 your lightest color. Done. You have a cool background. Stamp however you
like.

HERE are the directions I used on my card.

 I must admit though that I do it the OPPOSITE of Beate's directions.  I cover my glossy white cardstock with post it tape any areas I want left white.  I then sponge my first color over the entire area left open.  After that I cover larger areas with post it tape, sometimes covering areas already taped.  I then sponge on my second darker color.  I then repeat the process with a third and darkest color.  After you are sure it is all dry, you then remove all post it tape and.....voila....you have a retro design to play with.

I think my directions work best for me as it uses the same coloring technique that I use in Ukrainian/Polish egg decorating, known as pysanky.  You build up to the darkest.  So that is the way I go with this technique.

So....you can try Beate's directions or mine, but I look forward to seeing your creations using this technique.  Play along with us and be sure to check out the techniques used by the other fabulous CCEE Stampers at the CCEE Blog.

Crazies 4 Critters

I am very happy to be back with a card for ths week's Crazy4Challenges DT.  I was absent one week as I was away in Maine, and then, when I came home, I brought a terrible cough and ailment home with me so I missed the next week.  I am happy to say that most of the coughing is done and that ailment is just a lingering memory.  However, I also visited a surgeon this week for my sciatica/cyst problems and unfortunately surgery is in my future.  Have to admit to a bit of trepidation about that......oh well....life goes on.

ANYHOOOOOO.......Our challenge this week was to include one or more 'critter' on our cards/projects.  I used an old Penny Black stamp for my critters.  The sentiment is from a SU set.  I added some designer paper panels and some piercing and that's about it.

Be sure to visit the Crazies Blog to see all the 'critters' used by this talented team.

The CCEE Stampers Cheer Up Others

Tomorrow is national Cheer Up the Lonely Day so Lynn is challenging the CCEE Stampers  this week to create a card of friendship and encouragement to mail to someone you know who lives alone. She says she knows it will bring them joy to hear that you are thinking of them!

I used a new (to me) die from MFT to create my quilt element.  I used an SU oval punch for my sentiment oval.  The sentiment is from ????  (forgot to write it down...sorry).  I also used my paper piercing tools on this card.

Be sure to visit the CCEE Blog to see the fab creations by the DT.

The CCEEers Celebrate the 4th in Their Own Way

For the 4th of July I am hoping for BLUE SKIES and SUNSHINE......a day that simple will make me very happy.

Be sure to visit the CCEE Blog to see the plans of the rest of the DT.  Sorry about the short post.