Buzz, Brag and Bee Happy

Happy Friday!  This is our Buzz, Brag and Bee Happy segment, and will be a glimpse into the things that are happening in the hives of the HoneyBees, Buzz in the Bizz, and today's post will have a BIG announcement!

First:  Congratulations to two of our sweetest bees... June and Court are members of My Pink Stamper's new Design Team!!!  Court is serving her second term, and June is a new member!  We are so very happy for them...

Second: The team will be taking a short summer vacation for the next couple of weeks.  Then , when we come back, we will be having a big party!!!   We look forward to seeing you back here the week of August 15th .....

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Honey Bee Judy Ford here!Judy Ford

This is my Grandson Jackson... he's very active this summer....

swim lessons...

Squirts flag football.... What an ARM!!!!Squirts T Ball.... I'm ready... hit it to me!!!!I was fortunate to acquire this beautiful stamp at a Betty Brett Swarm - Stash Sale.I was also blessed to take some Copic Classes from our very own Queen Bee

Betty Brett.

The classes were great! Very informative and IMHO made to bring out the artist

that lies deep within us all!!!

I submitted this card to City Crafter Challenge Blog - Vintage Garden

It's been very hot and dry here in Michigan. Don has been watering and watering to try to save our beautiful flowers! I feel so sorry for the farmers not hardly any rain since the first of June! Hope you all are staying cool and well hydrated!!!

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Rosemary

Happy Friday!!! Looks like it's a week of 'grandsons'!! I wanted to post this photo of Ian that my daughter-in-law posted with a cute caption, and I see HoneyBee Judy is sharing her little handsome grandson with us too!!

Here is the caption...No more naps for Ian!! He proudly informed me of his decision...I didn't argue with him....

To me, this is one of those priceless photos that just melts my heart.  I wonder at what point he just decided to 'pass out' on his little Toy Story bed...lol.

Can't wait to see him and Nina again!!

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Betty Brett

Well, since the focus seems to be "grandsons" so far, I can't resist this one of Porter as he is riding on the train at the Denver Zoo with me.  He was so interested in all of the mechanics of the train that he had no interest in the animals we passed whatsoever!

I have been blessed to see some of the most magnificent sights that I could ever have imagined on this trip!!  This is the Red Canyon Gorge on the Green River, just up from Flaming Gorge Dam in Utah...

just breathtaking!

And,, how could I resist these HoneyBee Hive storage units also found in Utah?!!!

Tonight we had dinner with a real hero... our niece Jennifer, who is serving in the US Army.  She was injured in Iraq last year, has returned to Iraq to finish that tour, and is slated to deploy to Afghanistan in a few months.  We met her in Kansas, and enjoyed a lovely reunion with her. 

We are continuing on with our travels, and hope to get home in another week or ten days!!!

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There is much going on in our hives, and we are sure there is in yours, too. 

We hope you are going to be participating in our Christmas in July challenge from Wednesday, and will also share anything that you wish to BUZZ, BRAG, or share what you are BEEING HAPPY about!! 

and the HoneyBees 

HoneyBee Showscase ~ Christmas in July

Happy Wednesday!  It's HoneyBee Showcase day, and it's Christmas in July!!  Are you ready for some cooler breezes to blow your way?  Perhaps a fresh idea or two to spark your imagination will be fun, too.  We have some cool ideas for you this week, and hope you will be joining right in with us.

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Hello, Welcome to HoneyBee Showcase.  Wow! Didn't HoneyBee Judy do a great job on Monday!!!!  I've really had lots of fun with Christmas In July!  This week I made this adorable little Pyramage Penguin.  I just love working with Pyramage.  It gives it such new dimensions.  You can find it over on Digital Delights.  The next card is one I did last Christmas.  I just wanted to share it with you.  It's one of my Fav's

Wanda

Have a wonderful week!  Huggles

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Beth Ullman

 It's so nice to post this week... it seems like it has been forever since I have shared here at the hive........Sorry HoneyBees but I think my mojo had flown south for the summer and my grandkids helped me find it today! We have been in my craft room all day creating.

I followed Judy's lead with the snowflake.  Wonderful tut, Judy, and I made mine using the Stampin' Up small and large tag punch and a tutorial from the Technique Junkies newsletter.......the sweet little image is one of Linnie's at Whoopsi Daisy Designs ... love love love snow people.

Now we want to see your Christmas in July....your turn.

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Rosemary

Happy Wednesday!! With the weather in the upper 90s, I guess doing Christmas cards should cool one down a bit..lol..Truth is, living in Florida we can have temps in the 90s even in December. Oh yeah, it's happened and if not, it sure feels like it..lol..

I would like to thank Betty for giving me some really cute Loralie Design fabric that just happen to be Christmas designs! I added a little Stickles to make her 'Christmas Glittery'..!!

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Betty Brett

Sometimes it is said that "necessity is the mother of invention"...

Well, most of you know that I am traveling, and don't have much with me in the way of supplies,

so this shows that even with NO Christmas supplies at all, you can pull off a CAS card :)

I do have my Gypsy with me, so I have cut out a layered ornament from some aluminum foil glued to a piece of cardstock.  The Cuttlebug embossing folder might not be the one I would choose if I were at home, but the idea is there.  The red part of the ornament is colored with a red Copic marker, and there is some sparkly Stickles for bling, and the center is a great silver dome... I wish it showed up as pretty in the photo as it is in person.  Add a strip of silver and red stamped sentiment, and a bit of red cording,,, and it carries a cheerful  Holiday message.

Now it's our turn to be dazzled by your designs!  Link up your cards, layouts, projects and posts below!  We also have an email address if you want to send us info, and we will post for you.  We love hearing from you!!

Happy creating!

and the HoneyBees 

Christmas in July - Monday Motivational

Do you hear Jingle Bells and Silent Night yet?  Well, it's only five months until Christmas!!  We thought it was only right that we celebrate Christmas in July since today is the 25th, and so much of the country is sweltering, and could use a dose of cool, refreshing snowflakes!!

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Welcome to Betty Bee's Buzz Monday Motivational - Christmas in July!

Today I'm going to show you how to make a snowflake out of window tags. Judy Ford

I used my Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More Cartridge on my Cricut Expression.

The cut is set at 2 1/4" you'll need 8 window tags for each snowflake.

I cut a snowflake from each of my "winter" cartridges:

Winter Woodland and Joys of the Season

for the center embellishment, with crystal brads from SU.

I cut my vellum into 4 1/2 x 3 3/4 (6 from an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet).

I folded a pinch fold into the center by folding the vellum in half in both directions.

The tag windows are placed in these axis to start.

First, layer to form the base cross.

Your tags will stick out beyond the edge of the vellum - that's ok!

I used my adhesive only on the top of the tag at this point.

The next layers are at right angles to the first layers.

You can start to see the "points" and with this tag the "inner" snowflake as wellOnce you have all 8 tags in place. Flip over and glue down the points to the vellum. Then you get to cut out the points to make your snowflake.

Ta dah!!! Flakes!!!

Add your inner snowflakes and brad.

I highlighted my flake with glitter glue to make it sparkle like snow.

A Stampin' Up! tag maker (lg and small) will make the window tags as well.

There will not be the inner snowflake as the tag shoulders are different!

Add it to your card base, and add ribbon embellishment to finish.

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Merry Christmas in July! Now you give it a try and see what your flake looks like!!!

Remember even God makes each one look different.

Link your flake project back up with us here at Betty Bee's Buzz on Wednesday.

Buzz, Brag and Bee Happy

Happy Friday!  Welcome to the hive, and our Buzz, Brag, and Bee Happy segment.  This is where we talk about what is the Buzz in the Bizz, what we are doing that we want to brag about, or what we see other doing that we want to brag on, and what is happening that makes us happy.  We also invite you to use this opportunity to leave comments or links to Buzz, Brag, or share what is happy in your hive, too!

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HoneyBee Judy Ford here! How much fun I had with my punches this week!

Judy Ford

I loved this card is I saw on Splitcoaststampers! Here is the link to the tutorial!

I get their Weekly Inkling for lots of great ideas!It is by Carol Hurlock.

And, I'm a great aunt again!

July 21, 2011, (11:58am, 8 lbs 2 oz., 20inches)

Meet EMILY GRACE!

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Betty Brett

This is a quick "sneak peek" at a project that I am doing a video on for Digital Delights for Tuesday.  It features the cork tree, clear embossing on the tree, and flipped images.  I hope you will pop over and check it out.  You can become a follower/subscriber on my personal blog, and I will be posting it there, too.

You girls have got to check out Kathy Files' blog, and see the THREE albums she has posted this week!  The papercraft engineer has been in high gear over at Paper Phenomenon!

On a personal note, I am still traveling, and having a wonderful time.  Sorry the posts are short... lots of folks are at CHA, and many others are on vacations, etc.  In the meantime, we hope you will enjoy "getting pumchy" and share your projects with us through the links on Wednesday's posts.

Happy crafting!

and the HoneyBees

HoneyBee Showcase ~ Punches

Today's HoneyBee Showcase will give you a couple more ideas of ways you can use punches to create great projects.  We hope you are inspired!Happy Wednesday!!!

Rosemary

Thank you, HoneyBee Judy, for your awesome array of 'punch' cards!!! For my card, I used the Martha Stewart anywhere heart punch.  I wanted to try something different and thought I would work with making a flower using hearts.  Now, I must say, I knew in my head what I wanted, put never made this flower before.  I envisioned attaching hearts and folding one half to give it dimension.  As I started gluing the tips together, I saw it coming together and felt so proud that I designed this myself!By not attaching any sentiment on the front, this card can be used for just about any occasion.(Sorry, the Stickles were still wet when I had to take the photo.)

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I made my card with layers of black and white Cardstock punched with a MS Flower punch.  The large flower is made out of fabic using a Sizzix Die.  I received it at a Swarm (isn't it gorgeous?) 

 The little butterfly is silk.  I can just imagine giving this to one of my BFF's for their BD...

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Betty Brett

My punchy projects are seasonal, and quite fun to build for adding a lot of personality to your card creations.  They were inspired by Dawn Griffith a couple of years ago, and are still favorites of mine.

 This is Frankie-N-Stein, and he is a standard A2 size card, with 1 3/8 and 1 inch circle punch eyes, eyelids, and nose.  Ink generously, and use dimensional for layering.  Hand cut his hair. 

His friend, Snow-E-Mann, is done the same way, only with a few additonal punches with a paper punch for the mouth, and a holly leaf punch for the decoration on his hat.  Lots of glitter or Stickles dress him up nicely.

We hope you have fun with this challenge, and will give a punchy project a try. 

The comment section below would love to hear from you **wink, wink**..

Then link up your card, layout, paper piecing, home decor, altered item, or other punched item to the INLINKZ button below, and we will come and visit your blog!  If you don't have a blog, you can send your project to our email, and we will post it for you.  We LOVE hearing from you!!

Happy creating ~

and the HoneyBees

Getting a little Punchy Around Here! - Monday Motivational

Hello there! This week's Monday Motivational is "Getting A Little Punchy Around HERE!" .These are a few of my punches on the rack my dh Don built for me!

The rest are in plastic storage boxes! Yep, I'm a punchy junky!! Judy Ford

Today I'm going to show you how to make this medallion using a round punch  and some creative folding, then a bunch of punchy cards!!!

This is called a Dahlia Fold.

Two sided paper or card stock works the best.

I usually cut my paper in appropriate size strips then punch away in front of the TV.

I used 1 3/4" round punch for these medallions.

Now think about paper airplanes like when you were a kid!
Start by folding the circle in half.

The next fold is to bring the two cut edges up to the fold.

Then fold the pie shape in half.

Then open and reverse the folds for half of your airplaneOn a base of your choice make two Xs with your tape runner.

Here I used a 3 1/4 inch blue, that I did double loop punch round the corner...
TIP: punch round the corner - start with the corners!!!

(yep, I only did 3 sides you'll see why on the card)
Then apply 4 of your medallion parts so they're squared off on your base

Then take 4 more and fill in between

the first roundNow that my medallion is complete I added a 3/4" round and some bling!

My bling brad has two seperate arms.

(My Crop-o-dile wouldn't reach the center so I dug out my tried and true hole punch.

It's loud but effective!!!)

With punches you are only limited by your imagination,

or what you can scraplift from your favorite blogsites!

The MS Branch punch is very versatile!!!
Use the negative space for a paper ribbon!
Use your tape runner in a circle and make a wreath Make a solid triangle and you've got a Christmas tree!
The strips I cut into 2"x11" then there's room for an extra punch to pretty up the edge!

Do 1 line across and you have a tree branch to hold your favorite ornament!

TIP: If you are sending cards to soldiers - don't use glitter! It gets on their clothes and bodies and shows up in night vision goggles. Don't put them farther into harm's way!!!

If you use pretty pinks and purples etc.

you can make lovely coral for your under the sea cards!!!

There are the specialty punches

like this Birds on a Wire
when you need a card to drop someone a line...

Punches make good challenges for swarms too!

Here's a card I made at a Betty Bee's Buzz swarm last winter

Betty showed us how to make the punches dimensional!
Then we were challenged to use swarm colors hot pink, black, white

I added the double loop punch paper ribbon and the lacey bottoms!!!
Use your scraps of paper and make paper ribbon with your edge punches.

It can be wide for a bee-utiful ribbon...Medium for an accent ribbon...or 1" and be a delicate ribbon to go with this 1" round punch
to accent your coloring or embellishment!

You can use your punch round the corner punches for buggy boy cards...or bee-utiful girl cards...

Or go loopy for roses and put the square on point like a hanky...

and if you give a hoot...

you can use your scraps with the owl punch from Stampin Up...
I used several different colors then mixed and match
them to come up with some cute owls....
wwwwhhhhhooooooo'd a thought.... hahahahaIf you include your Sizzix and Stampin Up die cuts as punches....

Well.... that's another whole Motivational Monday... maybe to die for.... "groan"
So now you go get punchy!!!!

We'll see you Wednesday for HoneyBee Showcase, and
let us see what you can do...
Then link up with us here at Betty Bee's Buzz!
Happy Punching!!!!