Thursday, April 30, 2009

Diva Inspiration Challenge #41


How yummy does this week's inspiration challenge picture look?!? I found the delicious pic over at Wonderland Bakery. For some reason, I feel the need for a sweet yummy snack..........

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

To view the submissions on SCS click here.

Post a link in the comments section with your blog entry or SCS gallery showing us what creation you were inspired to come up with!! If you upload to SCS be sure to put DivaIC41 (no spaces) as the keyword. Have fun!!

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

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Happy Wednesday!

Today's card is another fabulous creation of Jill St. Angelo. She is one of our GA Divas. I have had the pleasure of spending time with Jill on many occasions. Stampin' Up! has brought me so many new friends! If you'd like to join the family, today is the last day to get the fantastic starter kit for 3 easy payments! (The paperwork has to be at SU! by tomorrow!)


Here is Jill's card which was inspired by one in the Occasions Mini catalog. ( I told you it was fabulous!)

Kraft Thank You Card
Stamp Sets: Oval All, Flight of the Butterfly.
Card Stock: Kraft, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Gable Green, Pretty in Pink, Apricot Appeal.
Ink: Pretty in Pink, VersaMark.
Accessories: Bashful Blue 1/2" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Square Punch, Eyelet Border Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Pretty in Pink Stampin' Write Marker, Gable Green Stampin' Write Marker, Soft Subtles buttons (retired), Mini Glue Dots.


Thanks for sharing with us, Jill!

Until next week...

Happy Stampin'!
Elizabeth

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Bella Bleu

Hi Divas! I'm excited to have something to post today. Take a look at this beautiful card from Jill St. Angelo:


Bella Thank You Card

Stamp Sets: Oval All, Bella's Bloom

Card Stock: Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla

Ink: Not Quite Navy

Accessories: Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper, Very Vanilla 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Oval Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals


I have to say, I love the Scallop Oval Punch! Thanks for sharing Jill!


Monday, April 27, 2009

Mother's Day Idea

Perfect for Mother's Day or any spring occasion is this beautiful Flower Pot Card. This is a bit of a twist on a new variation of watercoloring that was shown recently at the Seattle Regionals by Connie Ingram. I, of course, had to try it my own way so here's what I did!

I stamped the flower images from Fifth Avenue Floral onto Whisper White Cardstock using Versamark Ink (be sure and use your Embossing Buddy first to avoid static cling). I sprinkled on Black Embossing Powder and heat set with the heat tool. Working on just one image at a time and working fairly quickly so it doesn't dry out, spritz one image with water to moisten the paper. On the roses, I used two colors and you want to begin with your lightest color first. I used Pink Pirouette and Regal Rose on the pink flower and Almost Amethyst and Lovely Lilac on the purple rose.

Squeeze a couple of drops of re-inker onto the lid of your corresponding stamp pad. Then, using my Aqua Painter filled with water, I squeezed a drop or two of water into the lightest color ink to dilute it just a bit and then saturated the stamped image with the lighter color. The trick is to make sure the paper stays very moist. Moving quickly to the darker color ink (again putting a couple of drops of re-inker into the lid) I picked up the color with the Aqua Painter and applied it on the ends of flower petals. Squeeze more water from your Aqua Painter when you need to in order to keep everything very moist. Set the stamped image aside to dry (it takes quite a while to dry, you can lightly hit it with the heat tool but you don't want to over-cook the embossing powder).

As it drys, it will continue to blend a bit and the color will lighten slightly. So, when you come back to look at your dried image, it will be slightly different from when you left it. I colored the smaller flowers in a similar fashion using just one color, Taken with Teal.



Hello Everyone!
What a wonderful project as usual from our Design Team Member, Gretchen Barron. I am so thrilled with every thing I see from our creative Diva.
Thanks as always for sharing such wonderful projects with us.
Happy Stampin'
Max






Saturday, April 25, 2009

Sketchy Saturday (#27)

Another Saturday....another sketch. Check it out.

Adriana

Carol

Michelle

Ruthie

Tammy

Join in on the fun. Leave a comment with a link to your blog.

See you next Saturday. :)

Friday, April 24, 2009

Finally Friday - Gift Giving!!


Hello all!! I know it's been a couple of weeks since I had to post anything, but I didn't forget, just nothing to post!! Anywho, I three great samples of altered gift bags to show you from the ever talented Kristine Memmott!!

Her first sample uses the Cheep Talk set with the Good Morning Sunshine dsp!! So, so cute!!

Good Morning Sunshine:
Stamps: Cheep Talk
Ink: Summer Sun, Kiwi Kiss and Chocolate Chip
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun, Kiwi Kiss, Good Morning Sunshine DSP
Accessories: 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Linen Thread, Gift Bag and Tissue Paper

The second sample uses the Just Beachy set in the new Ocassions mini!!! Another adorable gift bag with a card!

Just Beachy:
Stamps: Just Beachy

Paper: Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Apricot Appeal, Rainbow Sherbet DSP
Ink: Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Apricot Appeal, Basic Black
Accessories: Apple Green Grosgrain Grain Ribbon (retired), Apricot Appeal Grosgrain Ribbon, Tempting Turquoise Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Gift Bag and Tissue Paper

And the third sample is using the Big Bold Birthday set and Sweet Always dsp!

Big Bold Birthday:
Stamps: Big Bold Birthday, A Little Birthday Cheer

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, Pretty In Pink, Whisper White and Sweet Always DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose
Accessories: 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, Gift Sacks and Tissue Paper


And did you notice that she also stamped on the tissue paper!!!! I did that recently for the first time and I was awed at how my gift bag looked complete!!!


Thank you Kristine for your wonderful samples!!!!



Happy Stamping!!!


~~~Ann~~~

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Diva Inspiration Challenge #40


I hope your day is as sunny as mine is! A beautiful sunny day really "brightens" up my mood! (Get it - brighten, sunny?!? Hehehee...)

Hopefully this week's picture can take you to sunny place! The beach is always a favorite summer destination where there's something to do for the whole family.

The Earth Elements color family hits the colors for this picture right on the head with some Neutral colors as well.


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

To view the submissions on SCS click here.

Post a link in the comments section with your blog entry or SCS gallery showing us what creation you were inspired to come up with!! If you upload to SCS be sure to put DivaIC40 (no spaces) as the keyword. Have fun!!

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

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day!

Today's card is another adorable project from Stephanie Gittins!

Honey Card-
I made this little 3x3 gift card for a friend's birthday. I cut out the images, and I sponged around the patterned paper for a little more definition. My favorite part of this card, though, is the honey! After I had colored the image and put it on the card, I carefully applied Crystal Effects just on the honey. It turned out so darling and realistic - my friend just loved it! Remember when you use Crystal Effects that it will take a little while to dry, so you'll want to set it somewhere safe until it can set to avoid smudges.

Stamps: Just Buzzin' By. Inks: Basic Black and Chocolate Chip Classic Pads. Blush Blossom, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, More Mustard and Close to Cocoa Stampin' Write Markers. Paper: Naturals White, Mellow Moss Cardstock, Delicate Dots Designer Series Paper. Accessories: Bashful Blue Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Sponges, Crystal Effects.


Until next week...

Happy Stampin'!
Elizabeth

Monday, April 20, 2009

Trendy Trees spring card


Happy Monday everyone!

Not so sure about all of you but being here in Utah I am so sick and tired of seeing the snow. I am tired of bundling up and am so ready for SPRING. I especially liked seeing Design Team Member "Stephanie Gittins" card for that very reason. I will always think of Stephanie's son when I use this set from now on. ;)
Here is what Stephanie wrote:
I just adore this fun new stamp set! My little three-year old sings a song called "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree", and he definitely inspired this card!
It's just a simple little 4x4 card that came together very easily. For a little extra "wow", I applied glitter to the flowering tree with 2-Way Glue. My son just loves this card! Every time he sees it he starts singing again!
Stamps: Trendy TreesInks: Close to Cocoa, Certainly Celery, Pretty in PinkPaper: Close to Cocoa, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink and Very Vanilla CardstockAccessories: Scallop Border Punch, Pretty in Pink 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Crafter's Tool Kit, Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter, 2-Way Glue
Thanks as always Stephanie for sharing your creativity with us!
Happy Stampin'
Max

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Sketchy Saturday (#26)

It's time for another sketch. Check out what was created by team members this week.

Adriana

Alicia

Carol

Leonie

Michelle

Ruthie

Tammy

Join in on the fun. Leave a comment with a link to your blog.

I hope you have an amazing weekend. :)

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Diva Inspiration Challenge #39

Happy Thursday everyone! I hope you all had a great Easter weekend. No more little chicks or eggs for the Inspiration Challenge for quite a while - but definitely something Spring! I love the color of this flower and how it just seems to glow, plus how the photographer captured the ladybugs and dew drops!
Right away I am inspired to pull the colors from the picture - maybe Green Galore, Orchid Opulence, and Elegant Eggplant. As far as the main image, I most likely will run with the big flower, but might be tempted to use the ladybugs.

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

To view the submissions on SCS click here.

Post a link in the comments section with your blog entry or SCS gallery showing us what creation you were inspired to come up with!! If you upload to SCS be sure to put DivaIC39 (no spaces) as the keyword. Have fun!!

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

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Cheep Cheep Cheep (Talk)

Here's a card from Kristine Memmott. It's so adorable! I may break down and buy this set yet!
Stamps: Cheep Talk. Ink: Pacific Point, Chocolate Chip and Old Olive.
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Delicate Dots DSP and Creepy Crawly DSP.
Accessories: Pacific Point Double Striped Ribbon, Mock Brads, Dimensionals, Corner Rounder Punch.

Thanks for sharing, Kristine!
Until next Wednesday...
Happy Stampin'!


Elizabeth

Monday, April 13, 2009

Egg-ceptional!


I hope you all had a fabulous Easter. Look at this beautiful card created by one of our Design Team members, Gretchen Barron. Oh so cute.
Here is what Gretchen wrote:
This little guy just looks so proud of himself and the egg-ceptional egg that he's created for Easter! Let's only hope he can make it to his destination without hitting any bumps!

I used Wagon Full of Fun and the Scallop Oval Punch from the Occasions Mini Catalog. I stamped the wagon on Close to Cocoa CS and then cut off the handle and attached it to the other side so the duck could pull it. The duck is colored in with Stampin' Write Markers and then cut out and applied to the card. His wing was stamped again on a scrap and attached with a dimensional so he could hold the wagon handle. The wheels are Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets. The egg is colored in with markers and DD glitter was applied with a 2-way glue pen. The Egg Hunt Wheel is rolled on the Almost Amethyst CS. The DSP is Tea Party and the Certainly Celery Ribbon is from the SAB bundle. The grass and Sky were sponged using Garden Green and Baja Breeze. I used my own homemade Cloud Template (made from Scallop Circle Punches) to give the puffy-cloud effect.
Wishing you a very happy Easter Monday :)
Max

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Sketchy Saturday (#25)

Another Saturday....another sketch.....

Leonie

Tammy

Come and play along. Leave a comment with a link to your blog.

Have a wonderful Easter.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Diva Inspiration Challenge #38

Are you ready for Easter? Ready or not, it's almost here. The weather has been real beautiful all week long and it doesn't show any sign of changing.
Easter will be a family day for us. We'll start off with church and then maybe out to breakfast (haven't decided yet). I have some fun activities planned for my bunch during the day and then we'll gather around the table for a very festive dinner with friends and family - or at least that's what I'm brewing up in my head right now.....heheheee.

This week's inspiration picture is still in the Easter/ Spring spirit. I wish you all a very Happy Easter!!

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

To view the submissions on SCS click here.

Post a link in the comments section with your blog entry or SCS gallery showing us what creation you were inspired to come up with!! If you upload to SCS be sure to put DivaIC38 (no spaces) as the keyword. Have fun!!

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

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Wacky Kitty Wednesday!


Hello! Happy Wednesday!

Today I am sharing a card made by a very special artist...my daughter! :) She made it for her friend's birthday. Her friend loves Hello Kitty! My daughter made the card with only a smidgen of help from me. The only things I did were snip the circle out of the cardstock when she finished using the Coluzzle, round the corners of the card base, and make the little bow. She looked through my punches and chose them all on her own. I am so proud of her. I think she did a great job!

I'm sure she would love to hear what you think!

Until next week...
Happy Stampin'!
Elizabeth

Supplies(all SU!): Stamps- none. Ink- none. Paper- Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black. Accessories- Coluzzle, 3/4" Circle punch, Word Window punch, Horizontal Slot punch, Large Oval punch, Pretty in Pink taffeta, white gel pen.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Did someone say, CHOCOLATE?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have an "Emergency" Chocolate jar hidden away in my dresser drawer where my kids can't get to it!

Check out this adorable project from Stephanie Gittins - this is one jar that you won't be hiding away in your sock drawer!


Stephanie says:

Like lots of stampers, I like to keep treats near my stamping space! I decided I needed a cuter way to store them, so I came up with this little project. I got the jar for just a few dollars at WalMart, but it holds a LOT of chocolate! I applied Decor Elements around the sides, which only took a few seconds. The top of the lid is decorated with paper cut with my new Circle Scissor, and then layered with flowers.



The tag is my favorite part! I layered a tag from the new Matchbox Die for the Big Shot with the new Scalloped Oval Punch and the Large Oval Punch. The "Yummy" comes from one of the Sale-a-bration sets that just retired; I inked only the word I wanted with my Chocolate Chip marker. Finally, you may have noticed that I used a Chocolate Chip brad, which SU! doesn't have. This is a great tip for using your Craft inks! I simply grabbed a Silver brad with the tweezers from my Crafter's Tool Kit, dipped it in my Chocolate Chip Craft Ink Spot, and then dipped it in Clear Embossing Powder. A few seconds with my heat tool, and voila- you can have brads in any color! I attached the tag to the Chocolate Chip ribbon with a scrap of linen thread; I tied it under the knot so it won't show.



Stamps: Yummy (retired)
Inks: Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker, Chocolate Chip Craft Ink Spot
Paper: Rose Red, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White Carstock. Sweet Always Designer Series Paper
Accessories: Rose Red Flower Decor Elements, Pretties Kit, Flower Fusion & Flower Fusion Too, Crystal Brads (Square-Fire), Silver Brads, Crystal Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Chocolate Chip Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, Pop-Up Glue Dots


And may I just add my two cents...I made a similar jar to Stephanie's and used it as a prize give-away at one of my classes. My customers loved that I showed them how easy it was to apply the Decor Element and they were even more thrilled when I gave it away. It was quick and inexpensive, but such a big hit!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Trendy Trees and Cheep Talk!

One of my very favorite, creative stampers is Kristine Memmott. I often think of how one of my friends in West Virginia introduced me to Kristine who lived just a few miles away from me in Salt Lake City. I don't think I have seen one thing that Kristine has made that I haven't liked. Here at Utah Divas International, we are lucky to have Kristine as a part of our Design Team.


Lots of pictures to enjoy today!


Stamps: Trendy Trees and Cheep Talk
Ink: Summer Sun, Kiwi Kiss and Chocolate Chip
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun, Kiwi Kiss and Good Morning Sunshine DSP
Accessories: Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon, White Taffeta Ribbon, Dimensionals, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Chocolate Chip Double Stitched Ribbon, Clear Boxes


I am sure you will agree that these are absolutely fabulous. I will be giving away THREE free stamp sets this month. All you have to do is post a link to this blog on yours.Here is our banner.

Email utahdivasinternational@gmail.com to let me know you have done this. All names will go into a basket. If you name is pulled you will win a stamp set. (If you are a member of UDI, you do not need to e-mail to let me know you have done this) If you are interested in joining our Yahoo Group, please e-mail to ask for an application.

Be sure to e-mail me at the above address if you have any questions.

Thanks so much Kristine! You totally ROCK!
Happy Stampin'

Max

Friday, April 3, 2009

Sketchy Saturday (#24)

Time for today's sketch challenge. Check it out....

Here are some creations from the team...

Adriana

Alicia

Leonie

Ruthie

Tammy

Join in on the fun. Leave a comment with a link to your blog.

Have a fantastic weekend.

Finally Friday with Prayers for You!!


Hello all!!! This we have a clean and simple card from the wonderfully talented Courtney Carpenter! I just love the look of clean and simple, yet find it to be one of the hardest cards to make!! I just want to keep adding and adding!

Since I am in need of a sympathy card, I will be caseing this one this weekend!! Look at how she colored the flowers in the Summer Sun and used the piercing tool for an added umph!!!

Here's what Courtney has to say:

This stamp set grabbed my attention right away. I think the words are beautiful and the trees are perfect. I wasn't ready to use this stamp set quite so quick but am glad that I had it on hand.

Stamp Set: Thoughts and Prayers
Paper: chocolate chip, old olive, summer sun, whisper white
Markers: summer sun, close to cocoa
Acces: paper piercer, oval scallop punch

Thanks Courtney for another wonderful creation to inspire us!!

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Diva Inspiration Challenge #37

I don't know about you, but these sugar coated marshmallow Peeps are a FAVORITE of mine! Not only are these cute little treats yummy, but they come in a rainbow of colors too.


Once again, the Bold Bright color family will be my pick of colors for my creation this week.

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

To view the submissions on SCS click here.

Post a link in the comments section with your blog entry or SCS gallery showing us what creation you were inspired to come up with!! If you upload to SCS be sure to put DivaIC37 (no spaces) as the keyword. Have fun!!

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

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

No foolin...they're Big Shot Buddies! ;)

Happy April Fool's Day! I hope your day is full of fun!

Today's projects come from the fabulously talented Gretchen Barron. These little guys are fantastic!



















Gretchen said: These delightful little Big Shot Buddies are all ready to hop into your life bringing Easter cheer! I used A Good Egg Stamp Set and Tea Party Designer Series Paper along with the Big Shot and the Top Note Bigz Die to create these fun projects!















Bunny -- Top Note Bigz Die and Big Shot, Whisper White CS, Regal Rose CS, Almost Amethyst CS, So Saffron CS, sm. and large oval punches, Wide Oval Punch, Sweetest Stem Embosslet, Flower Embosslet, Rhinestone Brad, Heart to Heart Punch, Natural Hemp Twine, 1/4" and 1/2" Circle punches, Black Stampin' Write Marker, Black Gingham Ribbon, 5/8" So Saffron Grosgrain Ribbon (SAB), Stampin' Dimensionals, Sticky Strip and Mini Glue Dots, White Gel Pen.













Chick -- Top Note Bigz Die and Big Shot, So Saffron CS, Pretty in Pink CS, Whisper White CS, Natural Hemp Twine, 3/4" and 1/4" Circle Punches, Scallop Circle Punch, White Gel pen.

Thanks for sharing these, Gretchen! I can't wait to make my own!
Until next week,
Happy Stampin'!
Elizabeth