It’s the VERY LAST Tuesday of the Month! The Challenge, if you choose to accept it,  is to stamp ONE card. Then, from what you have left on your desk, create 2 more cards.

I must say. I realized that used a lot of paper and “stuff” when I created a card. But, I never realized HOW much “stuff” I cut and snipped and stamped, just to get the “perfect card”. I am almost embarrassed to say that I had enough “stuff” on my desk after making the first card, that I had enough to make 6 more cards.

It started innocently enough, with this card I created for my favorite football fan using the Go! Fight! Win! stamp set, the Framed Up and Dots CutUps and the Celebration Toppers. His team is the Calgary Stampeders, so I used their colors. I wanted a masculine card so instead of sewing in the clouds, I drew in Xs and Os and so it was sort of like a play diagram. This one was a hard one for me. I had to put it down a couple of times and really think about it. So, while I was “chewing” on this one, I make this one.

This one was sooooo simple. I pulled out the Simply Holiday set, and layered the sentiments up. Used white pigment ink for a soft chalky look. Those banners are something you will see a lot of. They are the perfect way to use each little scrap. I hid the top of the banners with a bit of Cranberry Seam Binding.

Here is number three in the picture above. I used the Framed Up CutUps and the Holiday Toppers on top of that. It’s a perfect background for the sax playing Snowman from Let the Flakes Fly. And, to pull it all together, the oval from Vintage Holiday done in chalkboard style.

Those are three of the seven cards I created for this challenge. Come back tomorrow and see the other FOUR.

In the meantime, check out these cards from Nancy. She posted them earlier this month, but I thought that they deserved a bit of highlight love from me. They are AMAZINGLY beautiful, don’t you think? She used the Vintage Holiday stamp set as her main set. So very pretty. You must go to her website and take a peek.

Now get stamping and DON’T clean off your desk. Let’s see what you can do.

Here are the Deets.

1. The First Tuesday of the Month I will post a challenge on this blog. That’s right! Here!
   The challenge will also be posted on our Splitcoaststampers forum and on our Facebook page
2. If you want to play along you just upload your design right here on this page using the InLinkz button. (The challenge button will be posted on the right hand column of this blog so you don’t have to search around)
   If you want to display your pretties on Splitcoaststampers using keyword TCPTUESNov13. But, only entries uploaded to the Inlinkz button will be considered for Swanky Stamper
3. The Challenge will be a month-long challenge and you can play as many times as you like during that month.
4. Cards and projects must have at least one Cat’s Pajamas Stamp or CutUps die in the project.
5. On the First Monday of the Month a winner will be chosen from the previous challenge and crowned Swanky Stamper.
6. The Swanky Stamper will not only be acknowledged as the Swankiest Stamper for that month, but will also receive some of the stamps from our next release and get to play along with us at our Pajamas Party and Blog Hop. AND… They’ll even get a special spot in the Gallery highlighting the project that won them the gig AND as snazzy badge to display on their blog.
7. The winner will be announced the First Monday of the month on Splitcoaststampers, Facebook page and this Blog

I hope you were able to join in our blog hop yesterday, and all the festivities of Sneaky Peek Week. Sneaky Peek Week goes by so fast, that I thought that I’d do a recap of some of the special cards and projects that The Cat Pack and our Swanky Stamper, Linda Nicholson created. So, grab a cuppa and let’s get started.

Day #1 was “Peace, Joy & Penguins“. And, though it was the very first set we peeked, it was the very last I drew. The Cat Pack came up with some real beauties. Like, Jessica‘s above and Kelli‘s super graphic card below. I love graphic cards for the holidays, not only are the sophisticated, they are perfect when you have to stamp up crazy numbers.

I don’t know about you, but the Holidays always make me feel a bit nostalgic. So, for Day #2 “Vintage Holiday” was the perfect choice. A nice large set designed to go perfectly with our Framed Up CutUps, this set is a nice mix of old and new.

Wendy‘s sophisticated card using “Vintage Holiday” the Celebration Toppers, and the Heart Swirl, is just a beauty.

Day #3 Brought out the Football fan in us with “Go! Fight! Win!” Lots of fun can be had coloring up the Long-eared bunny in the colors of our favorite team.

Check out Linda’s card and you’ll see what I mean. I’m not a Broncos fan, but I could be if I got this card in the mail. Love the Dots background and the Bitty Banners! So CUTE!

Day #4 we let loose with a little song, and the Flakes Flew! Literally! “Let the Flakes Fly” features not one, but two jazzy snowmen.

They are great to color as much as you like, or as little. Just, have fun with them, like Julie did with her card, mixing the Dots background with the star shape from the Ornaments set.

I don’t know about you, but Fall through Spring, I ALWAYS get a cold of some sort. So far, this season, I’ve been sick twice already. Why not, a Long-Eared bunny to cheer me up?

“Bounce Back” was born. I feel a wee bit like him with the ice bag and tissues, since a box of tissues can always be found around me.

Linda‘s card using the Lacy Floral Doily and “Bounce Back” would certainly cheer me up with its sweet and pretty paper and color scheme.

“Believe” was the offering for Day #6. The Holidays always mean diets for me, and the rotund penguin is no different. I hope he can make it down the chimney.

Lisa believes, methinks. She colors up the sweet penguin and has him layered across the Dots background that she has embossed. Love that look.

Our very last Sneaky Peek is a mix of our Subway Art Lines and Simply Said. There are so many different Holidays and ways to send greetings, I wanted a basic set that could do just that. Like our Simply Said set, I wanted this set, “Simply Holiday” to be a set you reach for year after year.

Nancy uses the “Joyeux Noel” banner for this pretty card that also uses the Ornaments CutUps. Minimal stamping in this card, but oh so pretty.

And gift tags? You got ’em. Lisa uses the Ornaments CutUps with some of the sentiments from this set for some really pretty tags. These wouldn’t end up in the trash at my house.

Want to see more wonderful cards and projects? Just click on the name of the stamp set and it will take you to it’s page where you can see all The Cat Pack has done.

YAY! Thank you for joining our release day Blog Hop!  All seven of the NEW stamp sets and three NEW Cutups dies are available now in The Cat’s Pajamas shop. You are going to love the NEW shop – searching ability, wishlists, new postage options, etc.

If you came from the terrifically talented, Wendy , I am the last person in the hop. There are some mighty fine cards along the way, so if you missed anything, start at the amazingly creative Nancy  and keep hopping. But, if I were you, I would go back and take a second and third look, because The Cat Pack has outdone themselves.

Here is my card for the hop. I used the Dots Background and the Framed Up CutUps with the Vintage Holiday Stamp Set to bring old together with new, and I really love how it turned out. It was a matter of stamping the images onto white cardstock and distressing the image with ink.  Then, I used UTEE to create the cracked ice effect on the tree and Happy Holidays panel.  A simple but elegant card, if I do say so myself.

I hope you had a great time during Sneaky Peek Week. And, thanks to Swanky Stamper, Linda for joining in. Tune in tomorrow and I’ll recap the whole week!

Here is the set I used today