weluv2stamp and scrap

Taking a break for a little while.....

2010-01-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

Hi there.... This is Wednesday and I'm usually posting a Diedrich Dare card - which I really enjoy doing. However, I'm taking a break from posting for a couple months. We've decided to put our house on the market and sell our house. We've been in our home for 12 years, and we're busting at the seams. (It's a ranch with no basement). So, with the mortage rates being low, it's the right time to move.

I'm in the "Get the house ready to sell" mode, not the design team mode. I'm taking a temporary break, and hope to sell our house quickly and be in a bigger home where we can spread out and I'll have LOTS of room to stamp. I can hardly WAIT!

So...until I'm back into the posting mode, have a wonderful winter and spring...and I'll be back!!!
Hugs,
Darla

Whimsical Wednesdays - the Diedrich Dare week 19

2010-01-19T19:47:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone...Happy Wednesday. I'm happy today because I'm feeling better. Last week I had the flu - which I don't recommend, by the way. Thus, I didn't participate in the challenge last week. So...this week we have a great sketch by 7 year old Nikolas. I figured I'd use a new Stampin' Up! set called "Something Sweet" and use some goldfish, since most kids like Goldfish crackers. And I'm always needing kid's birthday cards with lot of nieces and nephews. The colors are Chocolate Chip and Crushed Curry. I had fun with my Big Shot machine and embossing templates. I love adding texture to my cards.

Check out the wonderful creations of the other Dare Devils. Everyone is playing except Kim. Have a fabulous week! Hugs, Darla

Whimsical Wednesdays - the Diedrich Dare Week 17

2010-01-06T05:01:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone - greetings from the COLD midwest. I'm ready for spring! (Guess I'll have to wait though...) But these bright colors are fun anyway...this make-up kit is our source of inspiration this week. Fun idea, Madelynn! Here is my card. Kaite Cotton, over at http://www.papermakeup.com/ has generously donated the digital images for our challenge this week, (Thanks Katie!) so we incorporated the bright fun colors of this make-up kit with the wonderful digital images...and Waa Laa...instant card! Also, starting this year we have sponsers and prizes the first week of each month. The sponser for this month is Katie Cotton over at www.Papermakeup.com. Head on over to the the Whimsical Wednesdays blog to find out all the details, and to play along. You can link your card on Mr. Linky there at Whimsical Wednesdays blog, so we'll know where to find your card.

I've had fun with the Easel Cards the past couple months - as you can tell. I used one of the new "In Colors" from Stampin' Up! - Melon Mambo. And I've also learned firsthand that using blender pens and watercolor pencils on images printed on my printer isn't a good idea - it blends all together when I color it. (UGH!) Also, you can't tell by this picture, but the cute little fairy has Dazzling Diamonds glitter on her wings so she's nice and sparkly in real life.

Have a fabulous week and keep warm! Hugs, Darla

The Diedrich Dare week 16 - DDSC16

2009-12-29T20:23:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody...Happy New Year! I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful holiday season. We had a break last week from our weekly challenge, and we're back this week with a fun sketch from 7 year old Nikolas. Great job Nicky! Here is the sketch.... And here's my card. I attended a baby shower this evening for a young lady who used to babysit my children, years ago. She's having her first...a boy. So, I figured I'd make a card for her and use the sketch challenge from our weekly Diedrich Dare. The paper piercing with the faux stitching got a bit too "thick" at one point, but I didn't have time to re-do it, so I figure...that's part of getting a homemade card (at least from me)....sometimes it's not perfect.

If you'd like to play along, make sure and link your card using Mr. Linky on the Whimsical Wednesday blog, and use the key word DDSC16 so we'll know where to find you. Check out all the other wonderful works of the Diedrich Dare members. A few members can't play this week, many still out of town for Christmas visits, or just super busy - Cassie, Heather, Valerie, Debbie, and Jessica. Oh...and one more thing before I close...Starting in January, the Diedrich Dare will have sponsers and prizes. You can read more at the Whimsical Wednesdays blog...so stay tuned for more fun information.

Have a wonderful beginning of 2010. Hugs, Darla

Whimsical Wednesdays - the Diedrich Dare week 15

2009-12-15T20:32:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone...Happy Wednesday! Another week just FLEW by! Wow...it's going fast before the holidays. This week, 7 year old Jack drew us a cool sketch to work with. I thought I'd make a masculine type card...since I have 2 boys, and since this is Jack's sketch. My sons are very much into skateboarding and "Tech Decking" right now... so this is appropriate for my family scene now. And, it's been another busy week, so it's another "quick and easy" card. (That's what I do most often...sigh....) So, here's the sketch....

And here's what I came up with. I played around with this new Stampin' Up! set I just got...called Extreme Elements, along with the Extreme skateboarder. I think I like the Ballet Blue and white card better than the Certainly Celery and Ballet Blue card at the bottom...what do you think? I played around with some Stickles too, and a star punch. So, quick and simple, but appropriate for a guy.

Make sure to visit the Whimsical Wednesdays blog for the details of a give-away, and to check out our feature Daredevil, Debbie, this week! And check out the wonderful works of the other Daredevils. Everyone is playing this week except Sandra...and we're sending lots of hugs her way. Have a great holiday week everyone!

Whimsical Wednesdays - the Diedrich Dare week 14

2009-12-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone...Happy Wednesday! This week Madelynn gave us an inspiration challenge - this cute plate of The Wizards of Waverly Place. I'm not familiar with the show, but I guess it's popular now, and Madelynn found this fun plate for us to be inspired and create our cards this week. I'm sure all the Dare Devils will come up with fabulous projects (like always). Debbie isn't able to play, but check out everyone else's blogs - links on the right hand column. We have 2 new Dare Devils - Jacquie and Valerie. Welcome to the team gals! If you'd like to play along, make sure and let us know by adding a link to the Whimsical Wednesdays blog so we'll know where to find you. I have had fun making all sorts of Easel Cards since our easel card challenge a couple weeks ago. I used a Stampin' Up! retired set - "Doodle This" because I felt it had a whimsical fun feel - like this plate. I tried using some of the same colors (Lovely Lilac, Gable Green, Pink Passion and Orchid Opulence). I did some paper piercing for Jess (cause I know how much she loves it!!!). And you can't really tell in the picture, but there is stickles glitter on parts of the flower and around the pink edge.

Here is a side view of the Easel cards. They're so much fun! The sentiment inside the card says "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry, and you cry with your girlfriends." True, true!

Have a wonderful week! If you're in the midwest, you're probably enjoying this lovely white stuff on the ground outside. (or not!) Hugs...Darla

Whimsical Wednesdays - the Diedrich Dare week 13

2009-12-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone. Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving, and that you're in the holiday mode for Christmas in just a few weeks. I'm in the holiday mode now...thus, another Chrismtas card. Our sketch this week is from 7 year old Nick, Madelynn's younger brother. Lots of possibilities here...

I used the Big on Christmas set from Stampin' Up! It's a quick easy card, since it's another busy week of classes and a big holiday dinner I'm in charge of. I tend to make quick and easy cards....that's my life it seems. Check out the wonderful works of the other Dare Devils this week. Everyone is playing except Debbie, and we have a new Dare Devil...Kris. Welcome Kris!

Whimsical Wednesdays - The Diedrich Dare week 12

2009-11-24T20:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving! It's a busy week for card making, but we don't want to forget our weekly sketch challenge from the Diedrich kids; this week the sketch is coming from 7 year old Jack. Great sketch Jack! Here it is below: And here's my card. I'm in the finishing up stages of Christmas card making, and we actually have some possible snow in the forecast this week here in Chicagoland (ugh!) so I thought I'd play that up and create a card with a beautiful snowflake. This is the "Serene Snowflake" set from Stampin' Up! embossed in silver, with a litle bit of Stickles added. Check out the other Dare devils and their wonderful creations. Their links are listed on the right hand column. Also, there will be a prize this week, so head on over to the Whimsical Wednesdays blog to check out the details!

Have a fabulous holiday week, and hope you have time this week to count your blessings. I know I certainly have lots to be thankful for.

Hugs, Darla

Whimsical Wednesdays - the Diedrich Dare week 11

2009-11-17T21:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! This week the Diedrich kids have challenged us to make a card using the new "Easel Style" which is the hottest new thing now. This was the first time I ever tried it, and I have to say, it's not hard and it's fun! It's a great way to display a card. I know there are directions somewhere out there - but Jess told me how to make them last week when I was in Tennessee, and I just did it without reading any of the directions.

I used a fun new technique on this card that I'm pretty excited about too: You ink up the flat side of the Cuttlebug embossing folder with a brayer, put your cardstock in and run it through your Big Shot (or Cuttlebug) like usual, and waa laa...you have colored embossed paper with the raised swirl (or whatever design) that isn't colored. (Does that make sense?) I used Stampin' Up!'s "Plenty of Petals" embossing folder for this card. You can't tell by looking at the picture that it's embossed, but in person you can see the flowers raised up white, and the background red. Cool, huh?

If you'd like to play along with us, upload your card to SCS or a personal blog and be sure and drop a note on the Whimsical Wednesdays blog and leave a link to your creation. And don't forget to check out the wonderful works of the other Dare Devils. They always do fantastic work. Their links are on the right hand column.
Have a fabulous week!

The Diedrich Dare Sketch Challeng, week 10

2009-11-10T18:24:00.000-08:00

This is so cool! I'm writing this post from Jessica's house in TN. We've had a great time together - doing some stamping, enjoying live country music, eating at the famous Loveless Cafe, finding treasures at the local scrapbooking store....we've had a grand time! I LOVE it here in Tennessee - it's BEAUTIFUL! I'm heading back to Chicagoland tomorrow morning.
Last night Jess and I did some stamping - and created our challenge cards for the weekly dare. I didn't spend a lot of time on my card, since I wanted to look through Jess's stamps and stamp a bunch of the images to take home. I was like a kid in the candy store. Hee Hee Hee...
Here is our challenge for the week - an inspiration challenge of mugs.

And here is my card - an actual "mug" card. Check out the cards of all the other Diedrich Dare members - I'm sure they've done excellent work like always. (I am lucky enough to see Jessica creating her awesome card IN PERSON!) Everyone is playing this week except Randi. We'll catch her next time.
Have a great week everyone! Greetings from the lovely state of Tennessee!

Here is a pic of Jessica and I at Good Morning America with Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. It was great music! Nashville is known for it's good country music!

Whimsical Wednesdays - week 9

2009-11-03T20:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! It's another Wednesday, so that means it's time for the Diedrich Dare challenge. This week, 9 year old Madelynn came up with a great sketch (like she always does) and I'm sure the Dare Devils have done some wonderful work with this sketch. Everyone is playing this week except Lisa. The links are in the right hand column. Here is the sketch below:

And here's my card:

I'm in the midst of making Christmas cards, so I thought I'd continue that trend and make a Christmas card for this week's challenge. I used the Stampin' Up! set "Snow Swirled".
And I wanted to add a little bling. So...enjoy! If you want to play along, you can upload your card to a blog or SCS and leave us the link on the Whimsical Wednedsays website so we can check out your card.
Have a great week!

Whimsical Wednesdays - the Diedrich Dare week 8!

2009-10-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! It's another week of fun challenges by the Diedrich kids, and this week Madelynn gave us a GREAT sketch. Here it is below...

And here's my card. I love the beautiful colors of fall, and right now in Chicagoland the autumn colors are pretty much at their peak - maybe even a bit past their peak. So, I tried to capture a little of the autumn beauty in this card. I used the Stampin' Up! set "Autumn Splendor".

This was the first card I made with the set, since I just got the set a couple days ago. I have lots of leaf type sets, so at first I didn't think I needed it. But then I saw a few projects that convinced me that I DID need this set.
Check out the wonderful creations of the other Daredevils - I'm sure there will be some awesome cards this week (like always). Their blog links are listed in the right hand column. Debbie can't play with us this week.
If you'd like to play along, you can upload your card to SCS or a blog, and link it to the Whimsical Wednesdays blog so we can check out your work.

Our Dare Devil friend Cassie challenged us to do this little "Get to know you" quiz....using only one word! Hmmmm...fun and challenging. Thanks Cassie! So, here goes.

This award comes with a survey that I have to fill out, and I can only use one word to answer the questions.

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse

2. Your hair? Short

3. Your mother? Wonderful

4. Your father? Hard-working (I made it into one word!)

5. Your favorite food? Home-made

6. Your dream last night? Forgot

7. Your favorite drink? Water

8. Your dream/goal? Happiness

9. What room are you in? Family-room

10. Your hobby? Stamping (like Jess said...DUH!)

11. Your fear? hmmmmm...the unknown

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Mountains

13. Where were you last night? Scrapbooking (class)

14. Something that you aren’t? Short

15. Muffins? YUM! Homemade

16. Wish list item? Cricket

17. Where did you grow up? Utah

18. Last thing you did? Laundry

19. What are you wearing? Jeans

20. Your TV? Old

21. Your pets? Cats

22. Friends? GREAT!

23. Your life? Happy

24. Your mood? Content

25. Missing someone? Yes

26. Vehicle? Toyota

27. Something you’re not wearing? perfume

28. Your favorite store? Trader Joes

29. Your favorite color? purple

30. When was the last time you laughed? today

31. Last time you cried? Forgot

32. Your best friend? Several

33. One place that I go to over and over? church

34. One person who emails me regularly? Lori

35. Favorite place to eat? Mom's

Whimsical Wednesdays - the Diedrich Dare week 6

2009-10-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday everybody. It's another week and another dare by the Diedrich kids. Madelynn gave us a fun sketch this week, and I decided to do a fall card, since we're right in the thick of fall here in Chicagoland. The sketch almost looked like another round card, but I don't do so well with round cards, so I just decided to round the corners instead...maybe that's cheating a bit...lol.
So, here is the sketch...

And here's my card. It's a pretty simple card - it seems I'm always preparing for classes lately - I had a stamp-a-stack class last night, so I haven't done really fancy techniques lately. But...it's done. Hope you have a wonderful autumn day Wednesday! Check out the wonderful works of the other Daredevils. Thier blogs are listed in the right hand column. Debbie isn't able to play this week, so we'll catch up with her another time.

Whimsical Wednesdays - the Diedrich Dare week 5

2009-10-07T05:34:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody...happy Wednesday. Our challenge this week was to make something with frogs since Nicky LOVES frogs. Here's a fun picture of frog cupcakes - our inspiration as it were....
And here is what I came up with. I know there is a name for this type of card - I think it's called a "Swing card". I used my good ol' standard "Unfrogettable" set. This set is quite "spring like" even though we're in the full swing of fall here in Chicagoland. But it's the only frog set I have...

Check out the wonderful creations of the Daredevils - their links are in the right hand column. This week Cassie and Debbie aren't able to play.
Head on over to the Whimsical Wednesdays blog - there is a prize offered this week!
Have a great day.

Whimsical Wednesday - the Diedrich Dare week 4

2009-09-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone. This week, Madelynn's younger brother Jack has given us the sketch for the Diedrich Dare. I think he did a great job! Here's the sketch...

And here's what I came up with. Now, I know it's a little early to think about snowmen, but today was a chilly day here in Chicagoland. And...I've been working on Christmas cards lately (you've gotta start early if you make 150 cards!) and so I've got snowmen and holiday stuff on the brain. I used a retired set called Cold Play to come up with this smore snowman. Looks tasty, huh?

Check out what wonderful works of art the other Daredevils have come up with. The links are in the right hand column. This week Debbie and Sandra are unable to play, so you'll have to wait till next week to see their fabulous creations.

Whimsical Wednesdays - the Diedrich Dare week 3!

2009-09-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

Hello Stamping friends! I hope you are all having a wonderful autumn day. The Diedrich Dare challenge this week was a color challenge. It's another busy week for me - so this is another quick card. I guess I'm a quick card type of gal because I always seem to be busy preparing for classes, projects, etc... So, I decided to use the new "Pumpkin Patch" set from Stampin' Up! I love jack-o-lanterns and this is a great set to build jack-o-lanterns to your heart's content!

The style of card is called a "Buckle card" because you slide the tab into the slot like a buckle and it keeps the card closed. Such a fun style of card. If anyone wants directions, let me know and I'll send them to you. I used just the tiniest bit of the blue, because I wanted this to be a pumpkin-ish card. Check out the fabulous works from the other Daredevils - links listed in the right column.
Have a wonderful week!

Whimsical Wednesdays - Diedrich Dare week 2

2009-09-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

Week 2 of our Diedrich Dare challenge was a little more 'challenging' shall we say. I haven't made many shape cards in my life, so this one stretched me. Combine that with not much time, and you get a quick, simple card. But, it was fun to do something different than the traditional rectangle card. Thanks for helping us grow, Miss Madelynn!

I used Stampin' Up!'s Thoughts and Prayers set. The color combo is Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss, and Always Artichoke.
Check out the other wonderful creations from the Diedrich Daredevils...listed in the right hand column.
Have a fabulous day!

A new start - the Diedrich Dare!

2009-09-08T19:33:00.001-07:00

9 year old Madelynn and her 7 year old brothers Jack and Nick are starting a new Design team called "Whimsical Wednesdays - the Diedrich Dare." Fun, huh?! They will take turns designing sketches for the team to follow and create wonderful works of art. Above is the first sketch from Madelynn, and below is my interpretation of the sketch. This was a fun sketch - great job, Madelynn! Check out the other team members blogs with their creative ideas - the links are in the right hand column.

I used the Stampin' Up! set called Falling Leaves, and some fun fall colors (Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, Old Olive and Really Rust). I love autumn, so this set is a fun one for me to use.
Have a happy autumn day!

Taking a break with the Twinkling Tuesdays...

2009-07-21T10:21:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post here - Madelynn and her mom have decided to take a little break from the weekly Twinkling Tuesday challenges during the summer. Life has been busy for a lot of the team, and Jessica and family are moving to Tennessee tomorrow. I'm happy for them, but will miss seeing Jess here.
So...there won't be too much action on here the next few weeks between my summer vacation, and a break from the weekly challenges. But...we'll be back in the fall! I hope everyone is having a fabulous summer! Hugs, Darla

Twinkling Tuesday MTTSC31

2009-07-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

Wow...check out the challenge sketch that Madelynn gave us this week! This was a tough one for me. I tried a few different cards before I finally came up with this little "cute as a bug" card. I can just imagine her giggling as she was sketching away... wondering how we were all going to handle this sketch.

Check out the other Twinkling Tuesday gal's work. It's been a BUSY week for many of our team members, so it may be a day or two before their cards are up. But I'm anxious to see how our talented Twinkling gals handled this one. Have a great week everyone! Hugs, Darla

Twinkling Tuesday MTTSC30

2009-07-07T12:24:00.001-07:00

This week, Madelynn's 7 year old brother Jack is our guest Sketch man. He came up with quite a sketch - so here it is, and here's what I came up with. I wasn't sure what to do along the top, so I just left it out....oops! I wanted to showcase Jessica's awesome stamp set again, Butterfly Wishes. I love the sentiment (which she wrote), so in case you can't read it on the card, here it is: "Life is full of ups and downs, we dance, we laugh, we cry... Yet this I know, in dreams we grow, we spread our wings, we fly...
If you are interested in purchasing this wonderful set, visit Jessica's Whimsical Butterfly blog for further details. (Link on the right hand column).
Check out all the other wonderful talented Twinkling Tuesday gals work. They are a creative bunch! Have a great day. Hugs, Darla

Twinkling Tuesday MTTSC29

2009-06-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone - I'm posting later in the day than normal, and it's a quick card and quick post this week. BUSY week! Madelynn's challenge for us this week is an "inspiration challenge" - with these fun, citrus fruits as our inspiration.

I wanted to use a new set that is being released tomorrow by The Greeting Farm, so I tried to work it into the challenge. This fun new set - "Butterfly Wishes" is created by my good friend Jessica Diedrich - Madelynn's mom. She came up with the sentiments, and even drew the butterfly (with a bit of help). Isn't it awesome? You can click on her Whimsical Butterfly link (in the right hand column under the Twinkling Tuesdays team link) to find out all the details of how to order this awesome new set.

Have a great Tuesday everyone, and enjoy the summer week!

Twinkling Tuesday bling....MTTSC28

2009-06-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

The UPS man finally delivered the new Stampin' Up! "In Colors" goodies (and new hostess set) to my door today. I had fun playing this afternoon - and decided to use these colors for my Twinkling card of the week. Madelynn's challenge for us this week was to use Rhinestones on our card. What a fun challenge! I decided to even add a little bling while I was at it!

These cute cupcakes are from the new Hostess Level 2 set called "The More the Merrier". I used the new "In color" markers (YEAH!!) to color in the cupcakes - and added a little Stickles. The card base is the new "Melon Mambo". The cirlce layers are Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry. Such fun names! The new colors this year are all beautiful!

I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday and that you have a happy summer week.
Hugs,
Darla

Twinkling Tuesday MTTSC27

2009-06-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

Madelynn's back with another fun sketch this week. Here it is... and here's what I came up with.

I figured it's summer weather finally, so we're thinking beaches and fun in the sun. This is nothing fancy - I have a busy week, helping babysit neighbor kids. So, a quick easy card. Enjoy and have a great day! Hugs, Darla

Twinkling Tuesday MTTSC26

2009-06-09T06:26:00.000-07:00

Madelynn's back with a fun sketch for us this week. Great job Madelynn! Here it is.... and here's what I came up with.

I've had this Stampin' Up! set "Branch Out" for a couple weeks now, and just haven't had time to play with it. So I sat down and used it for the first time yesterday. It's a fun set with a variety of possiblities. I used a stipple brush to create the sky and the grass. I used a strip of decorative paper down the side as the dots on the sketch - I couldn't imagine using that many brads there, and was out of creative ideas for what else to do for the dots on the sketch. Anyway, enjoy and happy stamping! Hugs, Darla

MTTSC25 - Twinkling Tuesday time!

2009-06-02T15:48:00.000-07:00

This weeks challenge was an "inspirational challenge" instead of having a sketch to follow. Rebecca's son Jameson is our guest sketch man. Rebecca sent us pictures of a book about a girl with a new Kimono - with the beautiful artwork as our inspiration. The picture above my card is the picture I focused on. The first thing I thought of was origami, so I made this flower using the Dhalia fold. Isn't it fun what you can do with folded paper? Life is a bit hectic right now with the end of school, so I didn't have lots of time to spend on it - so it was quick and simple...always a nice combination! Check out the other creations of the gals on the Twinkling Tuesdays team! Happy stamping!

Twinkling Tuesday - MTTSC24

2009-05-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

Madelynn's back with a super sketch...so here it is!

And here's what I made. It's a quick, easy card this week since it's my scrappin' week, and most of my focus is on my scrapbooking class tonight. I figured I'd do a fun "boyish" type card. It's easy for me to come up with girlish cards - but harder to make fun boy cards, which is funny since I HAVE 2 boys.
Check out the other creations of the Twinkling Tuesday team members - and this week Madelynn came up with an AWESOME card. I'm guessing she'll post it on her Twinkling Tuesday blog sometime today. I saw it this morning and it's adorable! Have a great Tuesday! Happy stamping. Hugs, Darla

Twinkling Tuesday MTTSC23

2009-05-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful spring day here in Chicagoland, and it's Twinkling Tuesday time! This week we have another guest Sketch Man - Jacky, Madelynn's younger brother. Here is his sketch, and here's what I came up with. I substituted the circle for a star in the middle. I copied this owl from a card in the June issue of Stampin' Success magazine. So fun! I figured since it's almost graduation time, I would make a graduation type card. I didn't have small words for congratulations graduate, so I substituted "Celebrate" and "One smart cookie" instead. I had to figure out what to do with those little tabs on the sides. This was fun to make. It uses lots of different SU punches and a great way to use up scraps! Enjoy!

Twinkling Tuesday MTTSC22

2009-05-12T06:36:00.001-07:00

Today is beautiful spring Twinkling Tuesday - YEA! We have a guest designer this week - Kimmie Doktor's son Nicky. Instead of a sketch to follow, we had 3 colors to include in our card: orange, purple and blue. Hmmm....what an intereting color combo. I wasn't sure what I thought at first, but I like how it looks! Great job Nicky! So, here's what I came up with.

This is an awesome new technique that apparently someone showed at a Stampin' Up! Seattle Regional, and it has been spreading like wildfire across the country. I watched a video tutorial from Patty Bennett to get the details. I used shimmery white cardstock, and embossed the flowers from Fifth Avenue Floral with white embossing powder. Then use a spray bottle to make water puddles in the flower. Choose a couple colors of re-inkers and add a drop or two of each on a plastic plate. Using an aquapainter (or wet paintbrush) pick up a dab of color from the re-inker dot, and touch each puddle of water in the embossed flower petals, and it instantly fills the whole space with color. COOL! Then you can go back and add coordinating colors to shade the flower as you desire. It doesn't matter if it goes out of the lines, because you'll be cutting it out after it dries. This is a fun and addicting technique. Give it a try!
The colors of re-inkers I used were Pumpkin Pie, Apricot Appeal, Orchid Opulence, and Bashful Blue. (All Stampin' Up!)

If you'd like to play along with this weeks sketch, you can upload your card using the title MTTSC22. It's great fun! And check out all the wonderful creations of the Twinkling Tuesdays team members. Their links are on the sidebar.

Happy and creative stamping!
Darla

Why I didn't make the Twikling Tuesday challenge this week...

2009-05-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry no card this week! My parents are here from Utah, and my son was baptized this weekend. It's been a very busy weekend...hence...no card today! :-( In our church, the children get baptized when they are 8 years old, and my son just turned 8 a couple weeks ago. It was a neat weekend. My husband baptized him. So, here we are..my hubby Jack and my son Brandon (in their white clothes right before he was baptized) and myself. Next week I'll be back on track for the challenge! I'm looking forward to checking out all the Twinkling team members' blogs to see the great creations. (Tomorrow after my parents fly home!)

Twinkling Tuesdays...Ribbit!

2009-04-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

That time of the week again. Our guest sketch man this week is Madelyn's younger brother Nick, who loves frogs. So, it's frog fest this week! No sketch to follow - just frogs or other little critters. This is a quickie-as I have scrapbooking class tonight and that's my focus on the 4th Tuesday and Wednesday of the month. I used the Unfrogettable set - which is a retired Stampin' Up! set. Such a fun set! I realized looking at the picture that the ribbon end is about stabbing the poor frog in the eye!Ouch! Oh well...enjoy! Check out the other Twinkling Tuesday's gals creations - I'm sure there are some fun cards on those blogs!

Twinkling Tuesday again

2009-04-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday everyone. This week's sketch is broght to us by Madelynn's 7 year old brother, Jack. Great sketch Jack! I used one of my new favorite Stampin' Up! sets, Fifth Avenue Floral. Paper is Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black, Glossy white, and Naturals White. Ink is Kiwi Kiss and Basic Black. Also used - Word Window Punch, and mini brads. The sentiment comes from the set "Simply Said".
Check out what the Twinkling Tuesday team gals have come up with. You can also check out the Twinkling Tuesday blog with our featured Stamper, Bonnie. Link is in the right hand column. Enjoy!

A cup of tea...

2009-04-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

I learned how to make these "mug" cards a long time ago, and decided to use my Fifth Avenue Floral set with it and make a more spring-like card. This might be fun for mother's day. I used Baja Breeze Cardstock with matching ink, glossy cardstock and Basic Black for the flower, and it's using 1/2 piece of cardstock. (cut 8 1/2 x 4 1/4 folded in half, and then the remaining cardstock folded and cut into a handle. FUN!

Twinkling Tuesday again...

2009-04-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

It's that magical day of the week again - Twinkling Tuesday with Madelynn. This week's sketch was a bit of a challenge for me. I didn't get in the groove and kind of had to force myself with this one. I used Baja Breeze, one of my favorite colors, and Baroque Motifs, a nice classy set. My original visions of this sketch weren't looking as good on paper as they did in my head. Oh well....next week will hopefully flow easier! Check out the other creations by the talented Twinkling Tuesday gals. Thier blog addys are in the right hand column.

Twinkling Tuesday again!

2009-04-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

Our Twinkling Tuesday challenge this week was to use a stamp that we have not used before. You know...the stamp that you just HAD to have, but haven't used yet. So, this is hostess set "God's Beauty" was the first hostess set I picked out in the new Stampin' Up! catalog. However, I hadn't used the Butterfly yet. And I haven't used this sentiment yet from the "Smarty Pants" set. I paired them together in this card. This card is totally CASED (Copy and steal everything)from my friend Julia's card below. I just changed the color combo and the punch, and whaa laa...a new card! Thanks for the idea, Julia!
Check out all the other wonderful cards from the talented Twinkling Tuesday gals in the right hand column.
Recipe: Tangerine Tango and Natural white cardstock, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango and Basic Black Ink, God's Beauty and Smarty Pants stamp sets, watercolor pencils and blender pens, eyelet lace punch, kiwi kiss striped ribbon, leaf wheel

My friend Julia's card...that I copied to make my card!

2009-04-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

Baseball fun...instead of Twinkling Tuesday challenge

2009-03-31T12:51:00.000-07:00

Our Twinkling Tuesday challenge this week was do make a card based on a Mickey (as a park ranger) and Minnie Mouse romance and wedding. I don't have any Disney type stamps, and couldn't think of an original wedding type card based on the challenge. Sorry! Plus, I have scrapbooking class tonight and tomorrow night, so I'm busy getting all ready for that. I'm posting a baseball scrapbook page instead of the card for this week. We made this layout last fall in scrapbook class.
Check out what the other Twinkling Tuesdays team members have come up with - they're a creative bunch and I'm sure there are some awesome cards that rocked the challenge.

Twinkling Tuesday time again...

2009-03-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

It's spring break week here in Chicagoland, so life is a little more hectic this week. My time is not my own for awhile! Here is the sketch and my creation. This is a retired set, but it's fun. I guess it would have to be the right type of person to give this card to. Ha ha ha... Enjoy!

Twinkling Tuesday Color Sketch Challenge

2009-03-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

Here are the colors for our Twinkling Tuesday challenge of the week. Below is my creation, and in the right hand column are links to the other Twinkling Team members, and what they did with this color combo - check it out!

Long Time Friend - Tile Style!

2009-03-17T00:59:00.000-07:00

It's Twinkling Tuesdays time again! And it's St. Patrick's day too - so Happy St. Patty's day! This week's sketch challenge wasn't using a particular sketch, but a color challenge. The colors to use were: Garden Green, Close to Cocoa, and Whisper White.
It was a beautiful spring day yesterday, so I was in the spring mode...and hadn't used this retired Stampin' Up! set for awhile - Long Time Friend. I pulled it out and used a technique I haven't used for awhile - the Tile technique. Enjoy!

Supplies used: Sets; Long Time Friend, Weathered Background, and Linen Background (All Stampin' Up!) Garden Green, Close to Cocoa, Whisper white, and Brocade Blue cs, Basic Brown ink for image, close to cocoa ink for background,(creamy caramel for linen background on top of image) watercolor pencils and blender pens, versamark pad with ultra thick embossing powder for tile effect, grosgrain ribbon, oval punches. The versamark pad with embossing powder makes the cocoa cardstock look much darker.

Twinkling Tuesdays Sketch 13

2009-03-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

So, above is the sketch that Jacky, age 6 1/2 came up with (let's not forget the paper piercing!!!) And below is my card, made using the sketch as a template. I figured, since a guy came up with the sketch, I would make a more "masculine" type card. Fun sketch Jack - good job!

Loves me...loves me not....LOVES ME!

2009-03-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

I wanted to use a bunch of scrap white cardstock, so I stamped the petals on it from "Pick a Petal" Stampin' Up! set. I cut them out and made flowers on a scrapbook page, with one of the flowers being 'picked' with the loves me, loves me not idea. I don't know if my son is that crazy about being on a scrapbook page with flowers on it, (he's all boy!)but I think it turned out fun.

Think Spring...think spring...think spring!!!

2009-03-05T11:50:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you how excited I am that winter is winding down and spring is on the way. So, I pulled out my Inspired by Nature set to play with last night. Here are a couple cards I made. I colored the stamp with markers, then lightly misted it before stamping. I used the linen background stamp on it, to give it a different texture.
Fun! I'm hoping if I stamp with flowers, that I'll be encouraging spring to come a little faster! We can only hope...

Here's the sketch challenge....

2009-03-02T12:23:00.000-08:00

This is my first official "Sketch Challenge". So, here's the sketch...and below is the creation!

My first Design team sketch!!!

2009-03-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

This was a fun card to come up with - it's my very first design team sketch challenge. I am now a proud member of Madelynn's Twinkling Tuesday design team, and this is sketch challenge number 12. I couldn't decide if I liked it better with a cupcake in each corner, or a cupcake in 3 of the corners with just the sentiment in the corner instead of a cupcake. What do you think?

I used Stampin' Up! Raspberry Tart DSP, Pink Pirouette and Regal Rose cardstock, Stampin' Up! markers, Dazzling Diamonds on top of Liquid applique for the frosting, Large oval punch for sentiment, 3/4 inch punch for small punched out cupcakes, and 1 inch circle punch for the DSP circles under the cupcakes image. Great sketch Madelynn!

Cute as a bug!

2009-02-28T14:51:00.000-08:00

I used my retired "Build a Bug" set to create this page. I have never gotten rid of it becuase it's such a fun set. I have such cute nieces and nephews that I thought this set would be a fun way to showcase them.

More summer time fun pages

2009-02-28T14:41:00.000-08:00

I saw a popsicle card, and I thought, what the heck...I can put that on a page! So I added the popsicles as part of the title decoration.
The page layout was a little more work than my normal scrapbook class pages - coloring in the images, punching stars and making popsicles...but it all adds to the warmer season theme.

Let's throw a card in here!

2009-02-28T09:51:00.000-08:00

Stampin' Up's annual "Sale-a-bration" sale is in full swing till March 31st. Here is a card made using the Polka Dot punches sale-a-bration set. It's embossed with white, punched with circle punch, and Bella Rose paper accenting it, with a Satin bow around it. Quick and easy - that's how I usually make my cards!

Camping with Grandma and Grandpa

2009-02-28T09:40:00.000-08:00

More SUMMER pictures here! This is kind of a fun layout, but in thinking about how thick the pages are - the hemp that I used to tie the tags on is pretty darn thick hemp, and makes the page pretty bumpy. Note to self: use thinner hemp!

Picnic Fun

2009-02-28T09:34:00.000-08:00

I felt like throwing a few "summer type" pages in here, since I'm so sick of winter! After one of my scrappin friends made this page at class last year and brought it home, her 10 year old son asked, "Why are the ants carrying the chips TO the basket instead of AWAY from the basket?" Hmmmm....good question! So I need to re-create this page with the basket and the tablecloth switching places!

Celebrate your day

2009-02-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

As I'm looking at the pages I've posted so far, I realize I've used a lot of BLUE! Maybe that's because I have 2 boys - 2 very active ALL BOY boys. I'll try and take some pictures of other, more feminie type pages and post them later on. I used my Big Shot with the large Scallop Circle Die. And of course the scallop punch along the bottom. The Crazy for Cupcakes set (Stampin' Up!) is one of my favorite sets right now. So darn cute!

Bundle up Baby....it's COLD outside!

2009-02-28T08:44:00.000-08:00

This winter has been a tough, cold, snowy winter...especially for those of us living in Chicagoland. So the title of the page is especially applicable!
I used 1 1/4 inch squares (punched out using my square punch). I wanted to use a bunch of my scraps of cardstock, so I used my Big Shot and some Cuttlebug embossing templates to give the cardstock some fun texture.

A trip to Nauvoo

2009-02-28T08:19:00.000-08:00

This is a layout that you could use for a variety of themes. Every year, our family goes to Nauvoo, a little town on the Mississippi River that has been restored to the 1840's time period. We learn how they made rope, bricks, candles, horseshoes, wagonwheels, bread in the bustle oven, etc.. We love the oxen pulled wagon ride too - especially when we get to meet and pet the oxen.

They look like such Angels while they're sleeping!

2009-02-28T08:03:00.000-08:00

Nothing is sweeter than the face of a sleeping child. Here we have a sleeping page. There is a bed on the right hand side of the page - but I missed the bedframe when I took the picture. oops!

Lego time~!

2009-02-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

I teach a scrapbooking class, and I've had a few requests to come up with a lego page. In my monthly class, we make 3 double page spreads in a 3 hour class, so the pages have to be relatively simple. Here's an easy idea to make legos. Just use a 3/4inch square punch for the larger legos, and a 1/4 square punch on the small legos. The size of the legos along the bottom is 4 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches tall, using the square punch along the top.

Starting out!

2009-02-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

Okay...I'm making a commitment now...I'm creating a blog dedicated for scrapbooking and stamping. Maybe sometime if I find a great recipe, I'll even post that. I'll use this blog to post pictures of scrapbook pages, as well as cards and maybe even some gift ideas. Here we go!