Christmas Countdown Advent Calendar

Hello Friends,

Hope all our American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving.....Now we move onto Christmas projects.  My most favorite time of the year.  :)

I decided to check out a few of our Divas Blogs to post projects and didn't have to look far.  The first blog I went to was ROBIN MERRIMAN, from Barstow, VA.  Robin has made a wonderful "Christmas Countdown Advent Calendar" and here are a few pictures.  Please visit Robin's blog by clicking here.

Be sure to check out Robin's blog to see the other days she has created. 

Do you have fabulous projects for Christmas you would like to share?  If so, email me at utahdivasinternational@gmail.com If your project is featured, you will receive a prize :)

Have a wonderful week!

Max

diva sketch challenge

I hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving. It was nice and laid back at my house this year. Good food and a couple of movies.

This week's sketch is a relatively easy one, so let's see what the team did this week.



Alisa
Elizabeth
Leonie
Lorie
Max
Tammy
Tiffany
Carol.

Finally Friday filled with snow!

Hello all!! How many of my friends are out in the mob of people today shopping???? Not me! Been there, done that and I am in no hurry to do it again! I would rather stay home and stamp!

The card I have for you today is one I made during my peace and quiet yesterday! I certainly wouldn't want to mass produce this as it took me around 2 hours to complete!

I had an idea for this in my head and I think it came pretty close to what I envisioned. Since I was going for the whole snow and cold feeling, I used Night of Navy, Ballet Blue and Whisper White as my color choices.

The Night of Navy layer was swiped with Whisper White craft ink and left to dry. I was going for the look of snow. How did I do?

On the Ballet Blue Top Note piece I stamped some of the snowflakes from the Snow Buddies set (Level 2 hostess - Holiday Mini) in Whisper White craft and heat embossed with white ep. I then overstamped the other other snowflakes and the star in Ballet Blue to create more depth.

My snow was created with Tombow multi glue, Dazzling Diamonds and Chunky clear glitter. Before I applied the glue and glitter I swiped the pieces, which I tore to create hills, with Ballet Blue ink. Since the Tombow dries clear, the ink shows better than I thought it would.

Each of the snowmen were stamped on Whisper White with black staz on and then cut out. Again, I would not want to mass produce this card! What was I thinking??? I then took scraps from the Christmas Cocoa dsp and paper pieced the hats and scarves. The "carrot" noses were stamped on Only Orange and the boots were done in Kraft. I used small pom-poms for the tops of the hats.

I wanted the snowmen to look like they were holding a "sign" and so I used a leftover piece of jute and strung it through the ends and around. Not sure if you can tell in the photos, but I put their hands around the jute. Both of the snowmen are up on dimensionals and the sign is up on double dimensionals.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Diva Inspiration Challenge #71

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I know I for one have so much to be thankful for. I always enjoy gathering with family and friends and reflect on our many blessings.
Today's inspiration picture is very appropriate for today turkey feast. I found this picture from Country Living which shows ideas for Thanksgiving table settings. Someday, my table will look like this!

To see what my creative team came up with, just click on their name:

Maria
Elizabeth
Carol
Katy
Robin

Post a link in the comments section with your blog entry or public gallery showing us what creation you were inspired to come up with!! If you upload to a public gallery, be sure to put DivaIC71 (no spaces) as the keyword. Have fun!!

Inspire Stampin' happiness wherever you go!! :)
~~Maria~~

Wonderful Wednesday!

Happy day before Thanksgiving!  I hope you all have plans to spend time with family and friends and celebrate your blessings!

Today's project comes to us from Brenda Taylor.  Here's what she said about it.

Here is my basement featuring the Decor Elements. I used the Long Stem Silhouettes in chocolate and both large and small sizes.  I made the pattern repeat through the wall. The length of the wall is 24 feet.  My basement also doubles as my stamp class room,  and all my customers love the look of the Decor Elements.

Your wall looks great, Brenda!  Thanks for sharing!

Until next week...

Happy Stampin'!

Let It Snow!

Today we have a lovely card from Gretchen Barron to get us in the mood for the upcoming Holidays.  Isn't this gorgeous?

Here's what Gretchen used to make her card:

This stamp set is the absolutely beautiful Serene Snowflakes from the Holiday Mini Catalog! I used the flocked paper from the Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper and I embossed Layer Two with the Finial Press Impressions Folder and the Big Shot. The colors are Old Olive, Real Red and Whisper White (can't get much more traditional than that for Christmas). I used the Scallop Border Punch, Jumbo Snowflake Punch, 3/4" circle and the 1 3/4" Circle Punches, along with the Old Olive Taffeta ribbon from the fabulous Mistletoe Originals Ribbon bundle. The sentiment is from All Holidays. The lovely half-back pearl from the Pretties Kit is glued on using Crystal Effects. And there's a little Dazzling Diamonds applied to the snowflake punch with a 2-way Glue Pen. And of course, you don't want to ignore the inside of your card. I stamped some little dancing snowflakes on the inside. 
More pictures and details can be found at  http://gretchenbarron.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/10/its-weekend-sketch-challenge-time-at-inspiration-in-action-and-a-chance-at-some-blog-candy.html . thank so much for looking -- blessings, Gretchen


It's a beautiful card Gretchen - you always have something to inspire our creativity!

Happy Birthday UTAH DIVAS INTERNATIONAL

Hello Friends,

A special announcement today!  Utah Divas International is 5 years old!!! It is a wonderful moment for me as I created this group as a means for Stampin' Up! Demonstrators to form friendships and share ideas.  It has grown from 6 members and the friendships that have been formed is my greatest pride :)

Pictured above is Michael and Kellie Paxton.  Michael is our only male member (and he needs some male friends.....believe me he has plenty of female ones :) Kellie is our Assistant Manager who also has plenty of friends!! This picture was taken at our annual Stampin' Up! Convention in Salt Lake City, UT.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UDI

Remember last week when I showed you the beautiful Christmas Card and challenged you to find out whose blog it was on.  Lisa Johnson, one of our very creative Divas created it.

Our winner is: "JEN STEWART" from Saratoga Springs, UT.  Way to go Jen.  We had a lot of response for this challenge.  Thank you for joining in.  I will contact you to discuss your prize Jen.  Way to go!

A big THANK YOU to all our Divas for making UDI such a wonderful group. Interested in joining us?  Please e-mail me at utahdivasinternational@gmail.com

Have a wonderful day
Max

diva sketch surprise challenge

I almost forgot to finish the post for today. That wouldn't have been very good. I threw in another surprise today and asked the team to use window sheets on their creations. Let's see what they came up with today.

Adriana
Lorie
Ruthie
Tammy
Tiffany
Max
Elizabeth
Leonie
Alisa


Have a lovely holiday next week and stop back on Saturday for our next sketch challenge.

Finally Friday - Harvest Style!!

Hello all!!!  This week we are being treated to wonderful card from the ever talented Gretchen Barron.  The watercoloring on here is just amazing.  Since this is not one of my talents as a stamper I am always in awe of those who can!

Here's what Gretchen has to say about her creation for this week:

What great colors for fall and Thanksgiving ... which is why I decided to use one of my favorite fall sets -- Harvest Home. The sentiment is from Grateful Greetings and accessories include 5/8" Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, The Eyelet Border Punch, Large Oval and Scallop Oval punches, Stampin' Dimensionals and Blender Pens. I used the Blender Pens and reinkers to do the watercoloring on the stamped image.

Ink colors include Pumpkin Pie, Dusty Durango, Old Olive, Really Rust, More Mustard, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip and Not Quite Navy.

More photos and complete instructions can be found at http://gretchenbarron.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/10/harvest-home-and-two-new-challenges.html. thanks for looking -- blessings, Gretchen

Thanks Gretchen for inspiring us all with a wonderful card!!

Happy Stamping and a Happy Thanksgiving to all who will be celebrating next week!!

~~~Ann~~~

Diva Inspiration Challenge #70

Before we get to today's Inspiration Challenge, I want to take a moment and express my thanks. I want to thank Elizabeth for filling in for me and posting the Thursday challenges! It gave me peace of mind knowing the weekly challenges were covered while I was busy taking care of my husband and family. Thank you Elizabeth for picking up my slack. :)
I also want to thank everyone else for their thoughts and prayers for my family. It really means a lot to me - Thank you!!
Now on to this week's challenge......



Today's challenge picture is rather a relaxing one. I love how the photographer was able to highlight the flower and turn the rest of the picture in sepia tone. This is a great effect I've seen done on many pictures - isn't technology great?!?

To see what my creative team came up with, just click on their name:

Elizabeth
Carol
Katy
Robin
Edie

Post a link in the comments section with your blog entry or public gallery showing us what creation you were inspired to come up with!! If you upload to a public gallery, be sure to put DivaIC70 (no spaces) as the keyword. Have fun!!

Inspire Stampin' happiness wherever you go!! :)
~~Maria~~

Delightful Wednesday

Today's project comes to us courtesy of Brenda Taylor. The Delightful Decorations and matching Ornament punch are my favorites from the Holiday mini.  :)

Here's what Brenda has to say about her card.

Supplies:

Delightful Decorations stamp set

Real Red & Whisper White card stock

Real Red ink pad

Christmas Cocoa Specialty paper

Clear Rhinestone brad, ornament punch, mistletoe ribbon

I punched the top layer of the whisper white cardstock out with the punch, and then hand-cut the punch stamp and placed it inside of the punched out area.  It looks like there is a little layer of red around it.

Thanks for sharing, Brenda!

Until next week...

Happy stampin'!

Christmas Tea

Talk about creativity - check out this Tea Bag holder from Ruthie Burkey!

Here's what she had to say:


I've been making them (tea bags) for a long time but today I figured out how to make text the right size to fit in the Delightful Decorations ornament stamp and punch.  Here's the supplies I used:


Stamps:  Delightful Decorations, Sassy Sparkles Jumbo Wheel

Ink:  Yo Yo Yellow, Real Red
Paper:  Merry Moments DSP, Whisper White, Real Red
Accessories:  Ornament Punch, regular sized envelope (I used self-sealing), 1" Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Hemp Twine

Here's what the poem says:

On Christmas Day

 at half past three

 brew yourself a cup of tea

I'll think of you,

You think of me

Sitting beside the

 Christmas

 Tree

I love the way Ruthie has used the ornament as a flame for her candle!  I never would have thought of it myself :)  Ruthie also sent along the word document that she used to print the poem, but I couldn't figure out how to attach it to this post.  If you'd like a copy of it, just email me at stampincrazed@gmail.com

Thanks for this great design Ruthie!

Monday Challenge

Hello Friends,

Would you like to win a stamp set?  The cute cute card featured today was created by a Diva.  I found it on our Diva's blog and if you can email me at utahdivasinternational@gmail.com and tell me which blog you found it on, you will win the set.*

You do not need to be a member of UDI to enter........All you have to do is check out our Divas blogs on the left hand side panel.  First one to email the correct answer - WINS :)

(The person who made this card cannot enter :)))))

Be quick for the chance to win.
*Stamp set to be arranged.

Good Luck!
Max

diva sketch surprise challenge

Good morning stampin' friends. This week I would once again like to welcome two more members to the sketch team. So put your hands together for Tiffany and Elizabeth. Be sure to visit their blogs and leave them a nice welcoming comment.

There was a punch challenge tossed into the mix this week in addition to the sketch. Give our blogs a peek and please leave a comment. We thrive on hearing what you think of our work.

Have a great weekend.

Alisa
Adriana
Elizabeth
Jeannette
Lorie
Leonie
Max
Ruthie
Tammy
Tiffany
Carol

See you next weekend.

Finally Friday with a Friendly Elephant!

Hello all!!!  This Friday I have another card to share with you made by moi!!  I have another creation by one of the design team members, but I was having some technical difficulties!!!  Hopefully, that will be sorted out by next week.

This card uses the new set, Animal Stories.  I wasn't sure about this set at first, but I truly love the elephant, whale and owl.  The giraffee is slowly winning me over!

I also used new dsp, Raspberry Lemonade and Dusty Durango card stock.  My other colors are Summer Sun and More Mustard.

The elephant was stamped twice, once in Summer Sun and then again in Dusty Durango, just for the ear.  I popped up the ear with a dimensional.  The flower is from Flower Fusion and the stem is with linen thread.

My sentiment is from the Level 2 hostess set; Wings of Friendship.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Inspiration Challenge 69

Good Thursday morning!  It's time for Inspiration Challenge #69!  Before we get to the inspiration picture, I have some things to share with you.  First, the Inspiration Challenge Design Team has 2 new members...Edie Bunting and Robin Merriman.  It is a pleasure for me to welcome them to the team!  I can't wait to see your creations, ladies!  The 2nd tidbit is that today is my last Thursday post.  I have enjoyed guest-hostessing, but Maria will be returning to the Inspiration Challenges next Thursday!   David is continuing to recuperate, and she will be able to get back to a little bit of creating now.  Isn't that wonderful news?!  That's the power of prayer!

Now let's get inspired!  Here is the picture Maria chose for us for today.

Check out all the team members' creations then play along with us.  Leave a comment with a link to your project.  If you upload to a public gallery, please use DivaIC69 as a keyword.

Carol

Edie

Elizabeth

Karen

Katy

Robin

Happy Stampin'!

Autumn Days Thanksgiving

Happy Wednesday!  Can you believe Thanksgiving will be here (USA) in just 2 weeks?

Today's card is from Kristine Memmott.  It's so pretty and peaceful.

Stamps:  Autumn Days, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Soft Suede, Always Artichoke, Creamy Caramel

Paper:  Creamy Caramel, Always Artichoke, Whisper White, Autumn Traditions DSP

Accessories:  Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Word Window Punch, Scallop Border Punch

Thanks for sharing with us, Kristine!

Until next week...

Happy stampin'!

Perfect Gift Idea

I'm so excited about today's post - take a look at these adorable Giant Nugget Boxes from Becky Roberts!

I am in love with these and I have to make some of my own ASAP!  And guess what?  Becky has included a free tutorial on her blog :)  So check it out and then get stampin'!

Giant Nugget Boxes Tutorial

Make sure to leave a comment and a link to your own blog so we can see your version of these cute boxes.  Hmmm...I'm thinking stocking stuffers, or neighbor gifts...

Thanks Becky!!

Gobble Gobble

Happy Monday Friends,

This fabulous card was created by Carol Marbach from Hickory Corners, Michigan.  Carol has been a Diva FOREVER and has contributed greatly to our group of fabulous demonstrators.  Carol is our Sketchy Saturday Coordinator and is a wonderful friend to all.  A true asset to Utah Divas International.

Have questions about this card?  Please post your questions/comments and we will be sure to get them answered for you.

Thanks Carol for sharing your creation with us.

Enjoy your day
Max

diva sketch challenge

Welcome to another Saturday sketch challenge. I'm excited to tell you that we have some new team members beginning this week. Please help me to welcome Alisa, Lorie and Max by taking a look at what they've come up with for this week's sketch. While you're looking at their blogs don't forget to leave a comment for our existing team members as well. Thanx for stopping by and enjoy your weekend.


Alisa

Lorie

Max

Adriana

Leonie

Ruthie

Tammy

Jeannette

Carol.

Finally Friday - A Cardinal Hello!

Hello all!!!  Here we are at another Finally Friday and I have a beautiful card to show you from Adriana this week.  She used the fantastic Christmas Cardinal set, but as you can see she made it a generic card - perfect for any ocassion.  Here's what she has to say about this guy!

A note about the cardinal on the card:

I used Watercolor Wonder Crayons (the Earth Elements family) to color in the entire image. I wanted the bird itself it be a little more vibrant, so even though I had already colored him with Ruby Red, I added another layer of Real Red over his head, face and back. For this, I just pulled ink from the lid of my ink pad using my aqua painter and painted directly over the RR color. I used the cross-hatch marks of the stamped image as a guide of where I could add additional color.


Supplies:

Stamps: A Cardinal Christmas (111760)
Ink: StazOn Black, Real Red Classic Ink (103133), Old Olive (102277)
Paper: Ruby Red (102030), Old Olive (100702), Chocolate Chip (102128), Merry Moments Designer Series Paper (116572), Watercolor Paper
Tools: Earth Elements Watercolor Wonder Crayons (106696), Aqua Painter (103954), Big Shot (113439), Impressions Pad (114614), Silicone Rubber(114615)
Embellishments: Earth Elements brads (106966), Stampin' Dimensionals(104430)

Thanks for sharing with us Adriana!  I love your tip on using the classic ink over the watercolor crayons to intensify the colors!  Must give that a try!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Inspiration Challenge 68

It's Thursday again already.  (Where does the time go?)  It's time for another Inspiration Challenge.  Here is today's picture.

Click on the links to see what the design team came up with today.  We'd love for you to play along with us!  Leave a comment with a link to your creation.  If you upload to a public gallery, please use DivaIC68 as a keyword.

Carol

Elizabeth

Katy

Happy Stampin'!

Kind & Caring Thoughts

Good Wednesday morning!  Today's card comes to us from Gretchen Barron.  Make sure you visit her blog to see the tutorial for the scalloped mat.  :)

I love the way this card turned out and the colors are so beautiful together. This card uses Kind & Caring Thoughts (a level 3 Hostess stamp set), Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper and a color scheme of Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive and Whisper White. The edges of the DSP layers and the stamped layer are all sponged, which adds a great deal of depth to the project. The stamped image is simply stamped-off -- ink it up once with Elegant Eggplant ink, and then stamp it off two more times without reinking -- what a lovely effect. I added 3 Old Olive Brads on the left for a perfect finishing touch!

 

For more information on this card and on how to make the Scallop Rectangle mat, visit my blog at http://gretchenbarron.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/09/how-to-create-a-scallop-rectangle-or-square-of-any-size.html .

Thanks for sharing with us, Gretchen!

Until next week...


Happy stampin'!

Falling Leaves

Can you believe Halloween is over?  I changed my calendar over to November and I couldn't believe how fast the year has gone by.  Good thing the fun never stops with Stampin' Up!  I love this card by Kristine Memmott.  It looks like the leaves are actually falling from a tree - beautiful!

Stamps:  Falling Leaves

Paper:  Rich Razzleberry, More Mustard, Old Olive, Dusty Durango, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

Ink:  Rich Razzleberry, More Mustard, Old Olive, Dusty Durango, Chocolate Chip

Accessories:  5/8" Chocolate Chip Ribbon, Dimensionals, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, Vintage Brad

Thanks Kristine!

Happy Monday Friends!

Here is a fabulous project from Stephanie Gittins. What a great idea for an upcoming 'Fall' Workshop. Trendy Trees is such a fun diverse set.
Here is what Stephanie wrote:
I chose the colors for this card thinking about apple picking! Even though there aren't any actual apples on the trees, that's still what I think of every time I see this card. I love the Family Phrases greeting set; I think the handwritten font is fun and playful, and looks great with lots of different images.

Stamps: Trendy Trees, Family Phrases
Inks: Old Olive, Creamy Caramel and Chocolate Chip Classic Pads
Card Stock: Creamy Caramel, Old Olive, Real Red, and Naturals Ivory
Accessories: Red Gingham Ribbon, Scallop Border, Scallop Oval, Large Oval, and Small Oval punches.




Maxine Conrad made this card for her Card Class this month. 
Stamp Set: Trendy Trees
Classic Inks: Not Quite Navy, Soft Suede, Old Olive
Card Stock: Not Quite Navy, Soft Suede, Old Olive, Whisper White
Accessories: 1 3/8" square punch

Upcoming Contest on UDI: Christmas Cards using the Trendy Trees Card.  Send your submissions to utahdivasinternational@gmail.com Contest closes on Nov 15th .

Have a wonderful day!
Max