Category Archives: Challenge Chicks

thanks snow much

It’s the first Sunday of the month, which means…it’s time for another Challenge Chicks Challenge!  This month Kelly challenged us with a sketch (see below) and our card also needed to be a “thank you” card.  I had no problem sticking to the theme… my new stamp set coming this Friday in the Sweet ‘n Sassy November release was perfect!  Here’s a sneak peek…

And a close up of the image.  This little bunny decided to share it’s carrot.  Do you see the snowflakes too?  😉

Kelly’s sketch was a fun one!  Here it is so you can play along (we hope you do!).

Join us with Kelly’s sketch and create a Thank You card… then share it on our Facebook page!  Now be sure to click on the links below to check out what the other Chicks created!

  • anna wight
  • diane zechman (me)
  • jeanne streiff
  • kelli hull
  • kelly schirmer
  • lydia fiedler
  • stamps- Sweet ‘n Sassy Snowy Hello; paper- white, black, MME Merry Little Christmas; ink- Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Soft Sky; accessories- Copics, Ovals Nestabilities, foam tape, Stickles, tracing wheel, rhinestones, baker’s twine.

    Oct. 31 ATC

    It’s time for another Challenge Chicks Challenge!  This month Kelli challenged us to make a Halloween card…but without using any orange, purple, or green!  I immediately thought, “Is she crazy or what?”  LOL.  But then I realized that I could still use black, gray and yellow.  whew.

    I am in a little ATC swap with friends so here’s my Oct. 31 ATC…(which also goes with this month’s Ribbon Carousel theme…be sure to play along for a chance to win a carousel!)

    I started with a swirly background which is really sparkly (hard to see that).  Then I added some sparkly ribbon.  The cute owl was paper pieced (one of my fave techniques) and is from the Sweet ‘n Sassy Bookmark Bits & Pieces stamp set.  The moon was cut with a 1″ circle punch and the tag is from the Sweet ‘n Sassy Mini Tags dies.  Oct. 31 was masked and stamped with the SU! date stamp.

    The moon and owl were popped up with foam tape.  Stickles was applied to the moon and the owl’s beak.  If you look closely, I drew a black line from the moon and “hung” a tiny hand drawn spider.  His body is a teeny dot of Black Stickles.

    Want to play along?  Join us in creating a Halloween card and share it on our Facebook page!  Now be sure to click on the links below to check out what the other Chicks created!

  • anna wight
  • diane zechman (me)
  • jeanne streiff
  • kelli hull
  • kelly schirmer
  • lydia fiedler
  • stamps- Sweet ‘n Sassy Bookmark Bits & Pieces, SU! date stamp; paper- K&Company KP Halloween, MME Breeze, black, Daffodil Delight; ink- Versafine Black; accessories- Sweet ‘n Sassy Mini Tags dies, Halloween ribbon (Michael’s), foam tape, Scor-Tape, 1″ circle punch, brads, Stickles.

    gettin’ inky with Inky Antics!

    Eep!  It’s September already!  I am looking forward to cooler days (I love the fall weather) but I am also excited because….I was asked to Guest Design for Inky Antics this month!  Woot!  It has been a lot of fun making some Inky projects and I can’t wait to share them all with you.

    Jackie has my first project in her post on the Inky Antics blog today so be sure to hop on over there to check it out.  There just might be a little BLOG CANDY!  :^)

    It’s a funny coincidence that Jackie chose the project I made with this stamp set to share…we are actually having a family picnic here today and one of my sister-in-laws is bringing cake.  I just wish I had a pretty plaid tablecloth like this one…

    I love to paper piece images and that tablecloth was just perfect to do it with!

    A simple hand cut banner was used for the sentiment.

    And here’s the full card I made with the Garden Party clear stamp set.

    Now go tell Jackie hello and answer her question… you might just win this Garden Party stamp set!

    Today is also the day for our Challenge Chicks challenge!
    This month Jeanne asked us to use diecuts!  When I framed the image with a larger teal diecut, it was just too much teal.  So I opted to use a teal diecut the same size as my image and offset it instead.  Want to play along?  If you are linking to an online gallery use the Keyword CHXSEPT13.
    Now go see what the other Chicks created!

     

    stamps- Inky Antics Garden Party; paper- white, SU! Regal Rose and Bermuda Bay, Simple Stories- Vintage Bliss; ink- Memento Tuxedo Black, brown Marvy LePen; accessories- adhesive pearls, Labels 3 Nestabilities, Copics.

    keep your face to the sun

    It’s time for another Challenge Chicks Challenge!  And this month my challenge is to use FLOWERS.  Stamp a flower, add a paper flower, anything that has some kind of flower on it somewhere!

    On Friday I posted a sneak peek of my new stamp set coming this Friday and today I have another card to share.  Do you like Primitive?  Sunflowers?  (the frame is a new SNSS stamp too!)

    I love this sentiment…here’s a close up.

    Now come play along and show us your flowers on our Facebook page! And use the keyword CHXAUG13 if you upload to the SCS gallery.  Be sure to click on the links below to check out what the other Chicks created!

  • anna wight
  • diane zechman (me)
  • jeanne streiff
  • kelli hull
  • kelly schirmer
  • lydia fiedler
  • stamps- Sweet ‘n Sassy- Prim Blessings and Decorative Frames; paper- Fancy Pants- Hopscotch, white, brown, SU! Pool Party; ink- Memento Rich Cocoa, SU! Pool Party; accessories- Sweet ‘n Sassy Decorative Plaques dies, Copics, dimensionals, adhesive pearls, Stickles, tracing wheel.

    Christmas JOY

    It’s time again for another Challenge Chicks Challenge!

    This month it’s Anna’s turn and her challenge is… Christmas in July”. Perfect!  I got my monthly Christmas cards done along with the Challenge Chicks Challenge!  😉  This month, Stacy’s challenge is all about JOY.

    I had the Sizzix Movers and Shapers JOY die but I wanted to use it alone, without one of the large dies that it’s supposed to go inside.  So I experimented a bit with shims and plates on my Cuttlebug and found a sandwich that worked just fine.  All machines may be slightly different, but here’s what worked for me:  B plate/cardstock/movers & shapers die/B plate/B plate/cereal box shim/cereal box shim.

    After die cutting the word JOY, I found a Spellbinders die to cut a frame around it.  I used the Spellbinders Floral Ovals.  Then I hand cut a piece of red cardstock in an oval shape using the embossed, dotted line on the frame as a template.  The white diecut was popped up onto the red layer underneath with foam tape.

    Now come play along and show us your Christmas projects on our Facebook page! And use the keyword CHXJULY13 if you upload to the SCS gallery.  Be sure to click on the links below to check out what the other Chicks created!

    And if you incorporate JOY, be sure to also use the keyword for the Dirty Dozen Christmas Card challenge!

    paper- white, SU! Cherry Cobbler; accessories- Sizzix Joy Movers and Shapers die, Spellbinders Floral Ovals, SU! ribbon, foam tape, Sizzix Holly Swirls embossing folder, Prima flowers, glue dots, Stickles.

    what we learn from the eensy weensy spider

    It’s time for another Challenge Chicks Challenge!

    This month it’s Lydia’s turn and her challenge is… “Here Comes the Sun” – use yellow, white and orange with a bonus option of an actual image of the sun!

    Here’s mine.. and somewhat of an explanation for the unusual card…

    OK.. first of all, I stretched a bit with the “brick building” in the Cajun color but isn’t it really a dark orange?  Let’s say it is.  And check out the hand-cut spouting.  :0)

    I was helping a kindergartener at school on the computer and the Eensy Weensy Spider Nursery rhyme song started playing.  Hmmm…the new Sweet ‘n Sassy stamps would be perfect to create the scene.  (and it would fit Lydia’s challenge!)  Hence, the card was born.

    But then I got to thinking.  What sentiment would fit?  What occasion would you give this for?  What is the message in the nursery rhyme?  Do we ever stop and really listen to the words?  For the sentiment, I settled on “Don’t worry”.

    The eensy weensy spider went up the waterspout,

    Down came the rain and washed the spider out,

    Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,

    And the eensy weensy spider went up the spout again.

    We are all eensy weensy spiders from time to time, trying to climb the “spout”.  But inevitably there are days when the rain comes (or pours!) and really “washes us out”.  Life happens.  We get sick, have bills to pay, etc. and feel overwhelmed at times.  But that little spider reminds us that we need to pick ourselves back up because “Out came the sun”.  No matter how difficult or challenging life can be, if we have faith and the right attitude (like the spider) and pick ourselves back up, things will get better!  We can climb that spout again.  So….getting back to my original question…I decided that this is a card of encouragement.  Don’t worry.  Be Happy.    :0)

    Now come play along and show us your projects on our Facebook page! And use the keyword CHXJUNE13 if you upload to the SCS gallery.  Be sure to click on the links below to check out what the other Chicks created!

  • anna wight
  • diane zechman (me)
  • jeanne streiff
  • kelli hull
  • kelly schirmer
  • lydia fiedler
  • stamps- Sweet ‘n Sassy Buggin’ Ya and Head in the Clouds; paper- white, Cajun Craze, Dusty Durango, Simple Stories Snap; ink- white pigment, Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Sahara Sand, Pumpkin Pie, Peach Parfait, Crushed Curry; accessories- Sweet ‘n Sassy Clouds & Raindrops dies, Sizzix Bricked embossing folder, Spellbinders Small Pinking Circles, EK Success circle punch, dimensionals, Copics.

    a color challenge

    It’s time for our Challenge Chicks May challenge! Yay! 

    This month I chose a color challenge and Lydia made this cool graphic for us…

    If you are using SU! colors.. it’s Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, Crushed Curry, and Tangerine.  If you don’t have those colors, we still want you to play along!  Match as closely as you can with any company’s cardstock/colors you have. 

    I used the Paper Smooches Teen Routine set to make 2 CAS cards…one masculine and one feminine.  The second card also uses the P.S. Duo Die 1.  (Such a cute shape!)

    Come play along and show us your projects with our color combo on our Facebook page! And use the keyword CHXMAY13 if you upload to the SCS gallery. Now be sure to click on the links below to check out what the other Chicks created!

  • anna wight
  • diane zechman (me)
  • jeanne streiff
  • kelli hull
  • kelly schirmer
  • lydia fiedler
  • vicki garrett
  • stamps- Paper Smooches Teen Routine and Alphadot; paper- Tangerine, Soft Sky, white, brown, MME fine and dandy boy; ink- Soft Sky, Curry, Chocolate Chip, Tangerine; accessories- Paper Smooches Duo Die 1, ribbon, Stickles, gemstones.

    dust it off!

    *This is my second post today.  Be sure to scroll down for the Sweet ‘n Sassy blog hop!*

    It’s time for a new Challenge Chicks challenge!  Yay! 

    This month Kelly challenged us to do some Spring Cleaning!  Dig out some old supplies and create something new!  Well, that shouldn’t be hard, right?  I’ve been wanting to use lots of my “older” stuff so this was fun.  Here’s my card… 

    I have to say this is much prettier and softer in person.  My most un-favorite part is editing photos.  😉  I used an old stamp set from SU! called And Everything Nice, an old favorite color of cardstock which is retiring…waaah (Regal Rose) ♥, and some older DCWV paper.  I hope you like it!   

    Come play along and show us your Spring Cleaning projects on our Facebook page! And use the keyword CHXAPR13 if you upload to the SCS gallery. Now be sure to click on the links below to check out what the other Chicks created!

  • anna wight
  • diane zechman (me)
  • jeanne streiff
  • kelli hull
  • kelly schirmer
  • lydia fiedler
  • vicki garrett
  • stamps- SU! And Everything Nice and Tiny Tags; paper- white, Regal Rose, DCWV Garden Party; ink- Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Regal Rose and Cool Caribbean; accessories- Labels 3 Nestabilities and Fleur De Lis Squares, Copics, ribbon, thread, SU! Medium Jewelry Tag punch, adhesive pearls.

    going green

    It’s time for a new Challenge Chicks challenge! 

    This month it’s Anna’s turn and her challenge is “It’s Not Easy Being Green“.  You can choose to use the color green, go green & upcycle, etc.  I chose to upcycle five TGI Friday’s drink coasters (love their Mango Peach Lemonade)…

    and turn them into a box to hold my adhesive pearls…

    A friend of mine, Judy K, made a similar box several years ago which hold my gemstones.  It was holding both gemstones and pearls but I really needed a second box!  Now maybe I’ll find what I’m looking for a bit easier.

    These boxes are very simple to make.  Just cover 5 chipboard coasters with designer paper.  (I like to cut the paper a bit larger and then trim the excess with scissors.)  Then punch holes down two opposite sides on 4 of the coasters with a Crop-A-Dile.  The fifth one is the base and will not be punched.  Tie the sides together with ribbon.  When you have the sides adjusted as you like, fit it over the base, trimming the base slightly if needed.  Remove, then add a bit of glue around each side of the base coaster and attach in place.

    Did you notice the gorgeous flower stamp on the front?  It’s a sneak peek of one of Korin’s new Sweet ‘n Sassy sets being released Friday!  (shhh)   😉

    I cut and layered the center of the flower, shaping the petals a bit…then added some tiny pearls.

    Come play along and show us your Green Projects on our Facebook page! Or use the keyword CHXMAR13 if you upload to the SCS gallery. And be sure to click on the links below to check out what the other Chicks created!

  • anna wight
  • diane zechman (me)
  • jeanne streiff
  • kelli hull
  • kelly schirmer
  • lydia fiedler
  • vicki garrett
  • stamps- Sweet ‘n Sassy Flower Blocks 1; paper- SU! Soft Suede and Everyday Enchantment dsp; ink- SU! Soft Suede, Calypso Coral, Memento Tuxedo Black; accessories- drink coasters, adhesive pearls, dimensionals, Crop-A-Dile.

    be mine

    I have another valentine for our Challenge Chicks challenge today…this time I made some cards.  Had to use my fave image again.

    Come play along and show us your valentines on our Facebook page!  Or use the keyword CHXFEB13 if you upload to the SCS gallery.

    stamps- SU! Love Letters & So Many Sayings; paper- Crumb Cake, K&Company- Lovely; ink- Memento Tuxedo Black, Micron black pen; accessories- Heart Nestabilities, ribbon, button, adhesive pearls.