TSG44: Welcome New Trendsetters!

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Good Morning and a happy Monday to you all!

Today's There She Goes challenge (TSG44) is extra special because today we're introducing the new Junior Trendsetters who'll be with us for the next six months and the challenge is to help us welcome them to TSG by CASEing one of their cards!!

You WON'T BELIEVE who the trendsetters are either! My jaw dropped and stayed that way when I found out! :D I'm soooo excited to be designing along side these wonderful and INSANELY talented women! Pop over to the TSG blog to check out who they are and welcome them to the family!!

I HAD to case my idol; none other thank the UBER talented Kim Teasdale! I am so excited (and a wee bit petrified!) to be designing along side Kim! I chose her Monster Mash card to case because I loved the layout, but sadly, my card doesn't even come close to her beautiful work. I was eager to ink up one of the new TSG stamps for March, the Make A Wish set.

Now it's your turn! Head on over to the TSG blog to check out all the rules on this challenge and once you've finished your card, leave your name and a link to your card in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of the TSG post. You could win yourself a $5 gift certificate to the TSG store! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope your Monday flies by!

Supplies

Stamps: There She Goes 'Make A Wish'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Cool Caribbean, Pretty In Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Certain Celery, Old Olive, Morning Marigold, Ruby Red

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Dream Street, Scenic Route

Access: Ribbon, Button, CuttleBug Embossing Folders, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, EK Success Circle Punch, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Can You Stand Another Sneak Peek!?!

Good Morning and welcome to the third Claudia and Company Blog Hop!

If you've stopped by here from the ever so sweet Miss Lori's blog, then you're A-OK, but if you didn't and would like to hop along with us, then please head over to the Claudia and Company blog to start your journey there.

Today, the girls and I are showing you sneak peeks of the last Puddle Jumper being released by Claudia and Company and I'm soooo excited to show you this one!!

Meet Emma Puddle Jumper!!

I just love her to pieces!!! Those rolled down socks and that gorgeous big bow in her hair! So cute!! Again, she was colored with reinkers and an aquapainter brush and I couldn't help using more of this Girl Friday paper from Cosmo Cricket!

All the Puddle Jumpers you've seen these past three days are made from deeply etched red rubber and stamp like a dream. And you all know how much I love to color, so when I say that these images were really a lot of fun to color, you know I ain't lying!! LOL

Thanks soooo much for stopping by today! Your next stop along this hop is the super sweet Risa's blog!

Supplies
Stamps: Claudia and Company 'Emma Puddle Jumper', MFT 'Essential Sentiments'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Morning Marigold, More Mustard, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean, Old Olive, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Cosmo Cricket 'Girl Friday Collection'
Access: Ribbon Button, PTI Rustic Twine, Martha Stewart Edge Punch, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

Claudia and Company Blog Hop: Day Two!

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Hellooooooo and welcome to Day Two of the Claudia and Company New Release Blog Hop!!

If you have come by my blog from the lovely Lori's blog, then you're on the right track, but if you haven't and would like to play along with us, just head on over to the Claudia and Company blog to start your journey there.

We were so blown away by the response we got from all of you on yesterday's inaugural blog hop and soooooo glad you all love the Puddle Jumpers as much as we do!! And today we get to show you another irresistible Puddle Jumper!

MEET NOAH PUDDLE JUMPER!!

He's such a sweetheart! I love his little side smirk and parted hair! He was a dream to stamp thanks to the deeply etched red rubber too. As always, I colored him up with my reinkers and an aquapainter on Strathmore Bristol Vellum. That gorgeous patterned paper is a small 6x6 stack of glitter paper from My Mind's Eye (which I found at Michaels) and the clouds were done with a Post-it note and a sponge with ink.

Your next stop is the OH SO TALENTED Risa's blog!! Thanks for stopping by today! Enjoy your Saturday and be sure to come back for another sneak peek tomorrow!

Supplies

Stamps: Claudia & Company 'Ethan Puddle Jumper', PTI 'Mixed Messages'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Pretty In Pink, Taken With Teal, Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, Cool Caribbean

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - My Mind's Eye 'Home Glitter Collection'

Access: Ribbon, Button, DMC Thread, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

TSG Hunny Bunny/Bear Hugs Blog Hop!

Friday, February 26, 2010

It's blog hop time at TSG again today!!

(If you're looking for the Claudia and Company Blog Hop post or my FFF card, please just scroll down - it's been a busy morning so far! LOL)

There She Goes has another fabulous blog hop going on today!! We're celebrating the soon to be released Hunny Bunny full set and the Bear Hugs mini set with a ton of sneak peeks and a blog hop!! Just head on over to the TSG blog and start your HIPPITY HOP there! At each hop be sure to leave some love because you automatically go into a drawing to win these FABULOUS new sets!! Woohooo!

FFF: Lets Eat Cake!!

A very happy Friday to you all!

(If you're hopping along on the Claudia and Company blog hop, then please scroll down!! Thank you!)

I, for one, am so looking forward to this weekend! And hopefully it's one of rest! I'm safe and sound back in NH after my trip to NY. We went through the Berkshire Mountains on our way down there during the snow storm and we saw 8 car accidents, two of which involved semi trailers! Then we battled more snow on the drive back home yesterday afternoon and saw six more car accidents! We probably shouldn't have left in the first place, but it was good experience for me, work-wise, so I'm still glad we went.

Since it is Friday, that means I have another Farm Fresh Friday card and challenge to share with you all! :) This week's FFF challenge is all about CAKE!

Jess is challenging all of us to create a card or project with a cake or dessert theme! There are heaps of TGF images you can use for this FFF challenge! There's the Chibi's, the Chef set, the original Cake sets and the set I used on my card, Sweet Tooth. :) Miss Maggie's expression reminds me of an expression those live characters use at Disney when they act surprised! Doesn't it?! LOL

Miss Maggie was colored with my reinkers and aquapainter brush and I used some of that great Cut-n-Paste paper from K&Company. The flowers are from two different places; the white roses are from 7kidscollegefund and the green ones are from some new stuff I found at my local Michaels store. Beautiful aren't they? If you click on the photo for a larger image, you might see the Stickles I added to the flowers and the glow around the candle, and the glossy accents on Maggie's eyes. The sketch was from last week's Friday Sketchers #90 challenge.

There are new cards up for sale in my shop! There's quite a few TGF ones and some Rileys. I added them last night since my storage box is runneth over and The Man keeps looking at it, then back at me, then back at the box. LOL! So somethings has to give or else there'll be words to go along with those looks! hahaha

BTW, skipping my Etsy Friday Finds this week since I was out of town and already have a few posts today. I promise I'll have some for next week! :D Thanks so much for stopping by today! Hope you all have a fabulous weekend what ever you're doing! *mwah*

Supplies
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Sweet Tooth', sentiment by Stamping Bella
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand, Pretty In Pink, Morning Marigold, Pumpkin Pie, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - K&Company Cut n Paste Collection and a wee bit of MME paper!
Access: Ribbon, Button, PTI Rustic Button Twine, Prima Flowers, Spellbinders Labels One Nesties, Kaisercrafts Adhesive Pearls, Ranger Stickles and Glossy Accents, Paper Piercer, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

Puddle Jumper Blog Hop!!

Helloooooooo and welcome to the VERY FIRST Claudia and Company Blog Hop!!!!

We're soooo excited to be showing you sneak peeks today of a new line of crazy CUTE stamps, called Puddle Jumpers, designed by the super talented Lori Boyd!! They'll be available to everyone Monday March 1st at 12am EST from Die Cuts R Us!

If you've stopped here via Lori's blog and seen the eye candy there, then you're on the right path, but if you haven't and want to hop along with us, then head over to the Claudia and Company blog to start your ride there.

Today the girls and I are showcasing Puddle Jumper 'Daisy' and her kitty cat!

Did I not warn you how cute they were?!?! Daisy is so adorable with her piggy tales, chubby cheeks and bellbottoms! And if that wasn't enough, sweet Miss Daisy comes with her very own kitty friend!! I made her a Siamese cat since my aunt had two of them that I used to play with while growing up. :) I'm not sure if the kitty has a name but for some reason I want to call her Sprinkles! Doesn't really suit a Siamese, but oh well! LOL

When the Puddle Jumpers arrived in my mailbox, I was so impressed with the quality of the rubber! It was red, smooth, deeply etched and stamped so beautifully! And the image is nice and big - perfect for coloring with copics (and reinkers if you're old school and still watercolor like me!).

If you'd LOVE to win your very own Daisy Puddle Jumper then all you have to do is leave a comment on each stop of the blog hop today! The winner will be announced on the Claudia & Company blog on Monday. You'll have another chance to win a different Puddle Jumper during tomorrow's blog hop, so don't forget to hop again then!

Ok, I won't keep you any longer; your next stop along this hop is the amazing Risa's blog! Hold onto your seats folks, this hop gets better and better!! :)

Supplies
Stamps: Claudia And Company 'Daisy Puddle Jumper', Stamping Bella sentiment
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Soft Sky, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Distres Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Frayed Burlap'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Cosmo Cricket 'Girl Friday Collection'
Access: Ribbon, Martha Stewart Edge Punch, EK Success Corner Punch, Spellbinders Large Circle Nestibilities, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Buttons, Taylor's Tiny Twinkles, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

TSG Make A Wish Blog Hop!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

G'day everyone!

Today the There She Goes Trendsetters are showing sneak peeks of the Make A Wish set being released this week and are doing so with a wonderful blog hop! Again, sadly, I can not participate (I'm in NY and my stamps are in NH!) but if you head on over to the TSG blog, you can start your journey there and make sure you leave some love at every stop because you could win this HUGE set!! (I've seen it and it's seriously overflowing with stamps!!)

So don't walk, RUN over to the TSG blog now!!! =)

TSG Dance/Beautiful Spring Blog Hop!!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Today marks the start of the new release blog hops for There She Goes!

(If you're looking for my Diedrich Dare post, please scroll down!! Or better still, hop along and then scroll down! LOL)

*Dance*

This mini set is very near and dear to Jess's heart! It was created in honor of a friend of hers who passed away in early January. Linda was a member of the stamping group that she belonged to. She was so full of life and always had a smile and a kind word for everyone. Linda’s life was taken all to soon because of a disease called Amyloidosis. $4 from every Dance mini set sold will be donated to the Amyloidosis Support Group in Linda’s name. She was such a helpful person in life and this is Jess's way to honor her memory by donate money to an organization that helped her and her family during that difficult time.-Dance is a 3x4 mini set that includes 7 image stamps and 1 large beautiful sentiment stamp that will sell for $7.

*Beautiful Spring*

Spring is almost here which means that it won’t be much longer until the flowers start blooming!

If you live in an area that is still cold and snowy like me, have no fear because TSG is bringing spring to you! Beautiful Spring has wonderful Tulip and Daffodil images that are so much fun to color! There are also some wonderful sentiments included in this mini set that will surely add some spring to your life.-Beautiful Spring is a 3x4 mini set that includes 5 image stamps and 4 sentiments stamps that will sell for $7.

We'd love for you to play along with this hop, so head on over to the TSG blog to start your ride there! Unfortunately I am unable to hop along with the other Trendsetters this week because of work commitments, but that doesn't stop you from playing along! Leave a comment on each of the Trendsetters and you could win your very own Dance or Beautiful Spring mini set!!

By the way, on Monday, I read a comment left by Taylor Van Bruggen on my blog saying that my card for last week's TSG's He/She card challenge won her 100th sketch challenge!! Woohooooo!! I had no idea until Taylor left a comment! And I'm still giddy from the fact that Taylor visited my blog! LOL :D

A Whimsical Butterfly

Good Morning all!

Well, we finally have snow on the ground again. It's been falling all night and is expected to stop sometime around 4pm today. Just when it was starting to look like Spring around here! Bugger. LOL! And wouldn't you know it; I'm traveling to Chester, NY this morning for an overnight work related visit. It hasn't snowed for weeks and when it does, I'm on the road, away from home! Good thing is that I'm not driving in it! Which is a good thing really, because who wants an Australian expat driving them in a snow storm?!? I certainly wouldn't! LOL

Today's Whimsical Wednesday challenge is a sketch by the seasoned pro, Madelynn Diedrich! Please pop over to the Whimsical Wednesday blog to check out the sketch, but before you do, here's what I did with it!

A dear friend gave me my first Unity stamps this past Christmas and they have been sitting on my desk, I swear, staring at me this whole time, begging me to use them! LOL So when I saw this week's sketch, I immediately knew what stamps I was going to use. ;)

I sponged around the Label Four nestie with two different colored chalk inks to match some scrap K&Company paper I picked out. Not sure if you can make them out, but I added some tiny adhesive rhinestones in the bottom left and top right hand corners. The butterfly punch I have matches the butterflies in the stamp perfectly, so I punched a few out from the patterned paper and scattered them around the quote. I never used to be a fan of purple on cards, but I think I'm in love with the color now! It's such a classy color!

The Daredevils have some great inspiration for you all, so please check out their blogs:

Cassie Larson
Heather Schlatter
Jacquie Peifer
Jessica Diedrich (a.k.a.Mom ;)
Kim Ross
Kris Palakiko
Randi Wall
Rebecca Ednie
Sara Henton
Val Urtiaga

And please help us welcome our newest Daredevil, Andrea Murdock!!

And now it's your turn to play. Just create your card using Madelynn's sketch and leave a link to it in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this week's Whimsical Wednesday post!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company 'Quote Bundle Pack'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Color Box Fluid Chalk Ink 'Dusty Plum and Warm Wisteria'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - K&Company 'Que Sera Sera'
Access: Spellbinders Labels 4 Nestibilities, EK Success Butterfly Punch, Taylor's Tiny Twinkles, Sponges, Dimensionals

TSG43: Sparkly Birthday

Monday, February 22, 2010

Good Morning!


We had such great weather this weekend! Oh my, they were such beautiful days! It almost felt like Spring here! But I hear it will be short-lived because we're expecting snow again this week. :( Oh well. It was nice while it lasted.


This week's There She Goes (TSC43) challenge is all about birthday SPARKLE!! We want to see you create a birthday card with all the sparkle and bling that should be on a birthday card!



I just purchased this yummy (and sparkly) paper from a My Mind's Eye paper stack I found at Michaels recently. It's soooo sparkly and colorful! Such beautiful paper needed an equally stunning image, so I used Miss Cow from the ROFL Taglines set. She's so sassy lying there in her birthday suit! I forgot to photograph the inside of the card, but there's a Happy Birthday sentiment on the inside just to confirm that it's really a birthday card. :)


Miss Cow was colored with reinkers and an aquapainter brush on Strathmore Bristol Vellum and the designer paper was cut in a back gammon board style of pattern and machine stitched in place.


If you'd like to have a go creating your own sparkly birthday card, then all you have to do is leave a like to where ever it is you've uploaded it on the challenge post in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of the post. You'll be in the running to win a $5 gift certificate to the TSG store!


Before you go, I just want to wish my sweet friend Kadie a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY today!! She's such an inspirational and dear friend to me and I hope she has a wonderful day! :) Also, here's a picture of my little girl at the mountain while we were tubing yesterday. She's such a ham! :D




Supplies
Stamps: There She Goes 'ROFL Taglines', Stamping Bella 'Sit Back, Relax & Enjoy'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Sahara Sand, Pretty In Pink, Melon Mango, Going Gray, Distress Inks 'Black Soot, Antique Linen'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - My Mind's Eye 'Home - 54 Sheet Glitter Book'
Access: Ribbon, Machine Stitching, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Dimensionals

Etsy Friday Finds

Friday, February 19, 2010

Hi again!

My Farm Fresh Friday post is below, so please scroll down and enjoy some fun images along the way! :D

I had a ball this week finding some yummy things to share with you all! Hope you enjoy them just as much!


Lucy Snowe Photography

I just about fell out of my chair laughing when I stumbled across this image!! It's HILARIOUS! The chihuahua looks like a little old grandma sitting in her favorite chair for a portrait!! Too funny!




Sineminugur

I mentioned that I love bags?? Oh, I definitely do! And I LOVE the black and white scallops on this bag!! It's made from canvas so it would have a nice, soft feel to it. Perfect for summer!





Remember Me Emily

I have been looking for some of these since I saw someone using them for left over ribbon scraps and now I found a supplier! :)

Hydrangea Hippo

I seen these pins all over blogland lately and I found some on Etsy. This seller has a bunch of different types and lots of colors, I may just have to buy a few for my stash. Love the sparkle, don't you??




Shelley Wallace

I thought this notebook was just too precious! It's all fabric and perfect for little kiddies! And the best part?? It's a PDF with instructions and patterns on how to make it! Now if I could just purchase more hours in the day too! haha

Claudia and Company Sneak Peeks Going On!

SNEAK PEEKS of the new line of stamps from Claudia & Company don't officially start until next Friday, but if you head on over to the blog, you may see some clues as to what you might see a week from today! Lori couldn't help herself! LOL

(Just thought you might want to know. Thats all.)

FFF: A Color Challenge!

A very happy Friday to you all!

I hope you all had a great week and are looking forward to the weekend. Got any plans?? I promised my little girl that we'd go tubing tomorrow tonight. She's pretty excited since she's not been old enough to tube on this mountain until now. Something tells me she's going to LOVE it! LOL Not sure what else we have planned but I'm sure it'll be good whatever it is.

Jess and The Greeting Farm have another great Farm Fresh Friday challenge for you all! It's a color challenge this week and the colors are:

If you're like me and you don't own any SU paper, not to worry; just pull what you have from your stash of Bazzil or Prisma paper that match the colors shown!

After pouring through my stash, I quickly came to the realization that Guava isn't really a color that is commonly used by patterned paper manufacturers. In fact, it's quite rare! (Unless of course you have a lot of SU's Groovy Guava coordinating papers in your stash!) The only paper I found even remotely similar was this piece of scrap I think was made by Daisy Buckets. Phew! And a big phew at that! I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have any patterned paper to play with! LOL

Since these colors are quite subdued and homely (which, by no mentions, is an insult!) I decided that Maggie Cleaning was the perfect companion. And please forgive me for the simple layout. After last week's over the top card, I needed a clean and simple card this week. :) Maggie was colored with reinkers and an aquapainter brush on Georgia Pacific cardstock. If I had a maid, she'd be getting this card....oh, wait! I do have a maid! It's me! LOL ;)

I'm off to check out what the rest of the Critter Crew and Farmer's have done with this challenge, and you should too! Here's the blog list to help you find your way around:

Jessica Diedrich
Cheryl Walker
Cindy Haffner
Kadie Ensley
Kim Nath
Mary Giles
Melyssa Connolly
Randi Wall
Mercy Kerin
Sparkle Smith

Thanks for dropping by today. I have another Etsy Friday Finds a little later on this morning, so keep a look out for some neat stuff! Toodles!


Supplies
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Maggie Cleaning - digi', sentiment from MFT 'Essential Sentiments'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Cool Caribbean, Going Gray, Old Olive, Sahara Sand, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Tea Dye'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Kraft, Bazzil Basics, PP - Daisy Buckets
Access: Ribbon, Button, PTI Rustic Button Twine, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Whimsical Wednesday: Color Challenge!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Good Morning and a happy Hump day to you all!

I love Wednesdays for two reasons; 1. We're on the back end of the week and that much closer to the weekend, and 2. It's payday! :) And that's ALWAYS a good thing! hahaha

Another reason I love Wednesday's is because it's time for another Diedrich Dare! And this week, Mama Diedrich has given her kiddies a bit of a break and is issuing her own dare - a color challenge! The colors are Avocado, Pink, Sky Blue and Raspberry. You can check out the color swatch over at the DD blog post as well as oogle the fabulous creation from this week's featured Daredevil - Randi Wall!

I dear friend of mine is having a birthday next week, so I needed to whip up a birthday card quick. I know how much she loves TGF stamps, so I inked up the sweet Miss Chelsea Wild Sprout and used this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch #56 for the layout. I hope she likes it! :) This paper from Pink Paislee matched the colors in the challenge so well I almost wondered if Mama Diedrich herself used this paper as her inspiration! Can you see the blinged out iPod? I added some Stickles to it to really make it sparkle! And now I want a sparkly iPod!! LOL

While you ponder what you might do for this challenge, here's some more inspiration from the rest of the Daredevils, for you:

Cassie Larson

Heather Schlatter

Jacquie Peifer

Jessica Diedrich

Kris Palakiko
Randi Wall

Rebecca Ednie

Sara Henton

Val Urtiaga

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you have a great Wednesday!

Supplies

Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Chelsea Wild Sprout', sentiment from There She Goes 'Holiday Tags'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Distress Inks 'Frayed Burlap'

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Pink Paislee

Access: Ribbon, Adhesive Rhinestones, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Spellbinders Large Circle Nestibilities, Stickles, Paper Piercer, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

TSG42: He/She Card

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Good Morning!

I hope you all had a really wonderful Valentines Day. Most of my day was filled with chores and baking cookies for Syd's daycare class, but the evening was perfect! The Man and I had dinner at a very swanky restaurant here in town and he spoiled me rotten with a box of chocolates and a VERY pretty diamond bracelet! Don't worry, he got spoiled too. ;)

This week's There She Goes challenge is a great one! You know how all the stamps we own are so feminine and we can never seem to make cards for the men in our lives? Well, this challenge will get your creative juices flowing and make you see your stamps in a whole new light! Your challenge is to create two identical cards using the same images but change the colors (this can include different DP) and embellishments so that one is a feminine card and the other more masculine!

Awesome challenge right?? I never seem to make any cards that are really masculine, so this challenge was great for me. I decided to use the Loads of Fun set for my two cards and as you can see, just a change of paper and colors, and you've got yourself a card fit for anyone! :) I used Taylor's 100th sketch for the layouts and just rotated the feminine one. Still the identical layout, just rotated.

Now it's your turn! Create your two cards, then come back to the TSG Blog to add your name and a link to your project in the Mr. Linky that is located at the bottom of the challenge post. The challenge is open until the winner has been announced on the following Monday (Feb. 22nd) and the winner will receive a $5 gift certificate to use in the TSG Web store!

I want to apologise to all my friends who's blogs I often leave comments on, but haven't lately. Blogger and Typepad are blocked at my new work so I can't view anyone's blogs to leave some love like I usually do! I feel soooo bad and miss you all! My evenings are tied up (until well after midnight lately!) with card making so I have had almost zero time to visit you all! Please forgive me for this and know that I am trying to find a happy medium between work, home life, my online friends and this hobby we all love. ((hugs))

Supplies

Stamps: There She Goes 'Loads of Fun'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Going Gray, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap'

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - My Mind's Eye 'Penny Lane' collection and Cosmo Cricket's 'Boyfriend' collection

Access: Ribbon, Buttons, Decorative Scissors, Machine Stitching, Sponging, Dimensionals

My Cheeky Valentine Blog Hop!!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

HELLO and welcome to our highly anticipated "My Cheeky Valentine" Blog Hop!

I am so excited to finally celebrate the release of The Greeting Farm's BRAND NEW stamp line, the Cheeky Cherry Sprouts with you all! I think we're all in full agreement that Rockabilly, Shooter, and Glamour have found a home on the Farm and in our hearts!

Today we have a special surprise for you...the ENTIRE TGF DESIGN TEAM, both current and Alum were asked to participate in this event! I can't tell you how exciting it is to be back as one big team!! We are prepared to ROCK THE FARM tonight, so sit back, grab some tea, coffe or a glass of something a little stronger, and ENJOY!

I am seriously CRAZY IN LOVE with these cheeky gals!! Now we can finally make cards for those special men in our lives using our favorite stamps!! And they'll love them just as much as we already do! :D

Now, what would a hop be, especially on Valentine's Day, without PRIZES??? Well, there are PLENTY of them hanging around, and for our overseas friends, fear not, you will have until 9am CST TOMORROW (Monday, 2/15) to enter your comments to WIN the new stamps! ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER will be chosen from the Club Anya & Friends Blog to WIN ALL THREE Cheeky Cherry stamps! In addition, Jessica has hidden SIX Cheeky Cherry singles on certain team member's blogs, both PAST and PRESENT, and those people will be able to CHOOSE which Cheeky they want to take home! That's 9 singles being given away today, everyone! Woohoooooooooooooooo!!

In case you get a little lost, here is the official "My Cheeky Valentine" blog hop order:

Club ANYA & Friends Blog

Randi Wall

Tammy Maxvill

Melyssa Connolly
Mary Giles

Elena Joldersma

Maria Bell

Tori Wild

Sparkle Smith

Traci Porter

Lisa Futch
Cheryl Walker

Cindy Haffner

Kadie Ensley

Kim Nath

Lynda Nielsen

Mercy Kerin

Sandra MacLean
Lysa Rohrer

Kelly Booth
Kim Costello

Pam Varnell

Amy Young

Suzi McKenzie

Janna Hull

Jessica Diedrich
back to CA&F Blog to let us know you've completed the HOP!

THE CHEEKY CHERRY stamps will be released tomorrow, Monday 2/15 at 12AM CST, which is in just a few hours! We anticipate that they will go fast as these sweet and sassy little bombshells have been quite well received from what we've been hearing, so scoop yours up ASAP! All blog hop winners will be posted on the Club Anya blog on Monday morning shortly after the 9am deadline. GOOD LUCK!

Thanks so much for participating and for stopping by today, and be sure to stop by Lisa's blog now...she's the NEXT STOP on the HOP!

And remember: Have yourself a VERY CHEEKY evening! ;)

Etsy Friday Finds

Friday, February 12, 2010

Hi again!

This week I found everything from the 'pretty' to the 'funny' to the 'useful' and the very manly!

Freak of Metal

Aren't these great?? I'm sure guys would look at these as a waste of good tools, but can't hooks be aesthetically pleasing too?




Vintage Chic Furniture

My dream home (at the moment) would be a shabby chic, very feminine and full of pillows! And this side table would be in my hallway. I fell in love with the color and the distressed look of it. But the price tag, and lack of beach front property, will keep me dreaming some more! LOL


Love Lee Soaps

When I spied this image, I cracked up laughing!! I don't know that I could actually use the soap, but what a great gag gift for a friend or family member! LOL :)





Herbolutions

I have developed a ganglion cyst on my wrist from all my hours at a computer and the only thing that helps it go away is elevating my wrist off the table, so I think I'm actually going to invest in this. The bonus is that it will smell good too! :)



Fleur Avenue

I am HANGING out to see the new Alice In Wonderland movie in March! So is my little girl and I was thinking this might be a great little gift for her. A teeny, tiny cup on a necklace! So cute!







Hope you enjoyed these as much as I enjoyed finding them!

Cherry Cheeky + Vintage Grunge = FFF Challenge

Good Morning! TGIF!

I am sooo looking forward to this weekend and hopefully getting to sleep in a little bit. :) Usually Syd wakes up around 7am, so either I convince her to snuggle in bed with me or she turns on the TV and watches Sponge Bob for a little bit. It allows me to wake up on my own terms instead of a busy 4 year old! ;)

Anywho! Enough about tomorrow; Today is Friday and that means another Farm Fresh Friday challenge from The Greeting Farm!! And this one is going to get your creativity going for sure! Our sweet Farmer, Randi Wall, has challenged us all to create a "Vintage Grunge" card or project! My style is pretty geometrical and clean lined, but I really love distressing cards because it's the complete opposite of my style and it allows me to push my own boundaries just that little bit further.


I'm soooooo sorry to tease you AGAIN with another Cheeky Wild Sprout, but you'll see when you get yours, you CAN'T HELP but use them all the time!! They're just sooo much fun to color and use and I am just loving Glamour WS's sophisticated hairdo! Marilynn, you've got nothing on this Sproutlet!! :)

Glamour girl was colored with reinkers and an aquapainter brush, and I added some Ranger Glossy Accents to her eyes to make them shiny. I also drew in those fishnet stockings with a Micron pen for some added detail.

To me, "vintage grunge" means old or distressed papers and very girly things like flowers, sparkle and deep, rich colors. So I used these yummy patterned papers I found at Michaels, lots of rhinestones and some Prima flowers, which I added to Stickles to the edges of. The layout is from last week's Friday Sketchers #88 layout.

You'll definitely want to check out what the Farmer's and Critter Crew have created for this challenge because I have a feeling you'll see a few more Cheeky Wild Sprouts along the way! :D

Cheryl Walker
Cindy Haffner
Kadie Ensley
Kim Nath
Mary Giles
Melyssa Connolly
Randi Wall
Mercy Kerin
Sparkle Smith
Jessica Diedrich

I hope everyone has a great weekend and a FABULOUS Valentines Day!! May you be loved and spoiled! *mwah*

Don't forget: Sunday evening, starting at 8pm CST on TGF blog, TGF is having a blog hop to celebrate the release of these new CHA Cheeky Wild Sprouts!! You're going to see some AMAZING stuff from the current Farmers, Team Anya, the Critter Crew and TGF Alumni!!!

Supplies
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Glamor Wild Sprout', sentiment by MFT
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Taken With Teal, Not Quite Navy, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain, Black Soot'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey, Imaginisce
Access: Ribbon, Flowers (unknown), Adhesive Rhinestones, Ranger Stickles, Tim Holtz Edge Distresser, Martha Stewart Edge Punch, Machine Stitching, Sponging, Dimensionals

A Special TGF Sneak Peek!!!!!!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Warning: Serious injuries may occur when viewing the sneak peeks the Farmers and Critter Crew have in store for you today!!!!!

You've seen the photos in the background of CHA .....you've heard some 'buzz' about Blogland...and now I have a little sneak peek for you today!! A little tease if you will...or maybe-a big tease?? Either way, it's all leading up to a special VALENTINE's DAY BLOG HOP that you will NOT want to miss!!!

A new line of Sprouts is coming to The Greeting Farm and the anticipation is at an all-time high! Can you FEEL it in the air?? We are TOTALLY psyched about this special release and can't wait to introduce you to "ROCKABILLY", "SHOOTER", and "GLAMOUR"... the first in our CHA exclusive "CHEEKY CHERRY" release that will FINALLY be available to you February 15th!!
Little Miss Cherry herself will be hanging out this week for Farm Fresh Friday with another appearance, so be sure to stay tuned for that!

Isn't she FABULOUS!?!?! This is Rockabilly Wild Sprout and I just about passed out when I saw her and the other new Cheeky Wild Sprouts!! And I'm willing to bet you all are going CRAZY over them too! I love her 50's hairdo and her little wink - so cheeky! :)

Don't miss out-see you back here on Friday and mark your calendars for a VERY special SURPRISE and our release blog hop on SUNDAY, 2/14/10 at 8pm CST!!!

Have a VERY cheeky day, everyone! ;)

Supplies
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Rockabilly Wild Sprout'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Pink Passion, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - K&Company 'Cut-n-Paste' Collection,
Access: Ribbon, Fiskars Decorative Scissors, Machine Stitching, Gartner Flowers, Sponges, Dimensionals

Claudia and Company is coming!

It's me again!

(Please scroll down for my Whimsical Wednesday post!)

I have some WONDERFUL NEWS that I've been just itching to share with you all!! For the next three months I'll be designing for the BRAND SPANKING NEW rubber stamp company...

Claudia & Company!!

Claudia Harvey is the owner and you might be familiar with her already because she's also the owner of the online store, Die Cuts R Us. She's as sweet as can be and as you can imagine, she's sooooo excited to have her very own rubber stamp company to compliment her online store!

Her first line of adorable rubber stamps, called "Puddle Jumpers" are being released March 1st (sneak peeks begin Feburary 26th) and do you want to know who designed them?? The fabulously talented (and equally as sweet) LORI BOYD!! In fact, it was Lori who asked me to be on Claudia's design team. I must have read Lori's email about 5 or 6 times just to make sure I was reading it right! I was so flattered and floored that she even knew me!

All week long, Claudia will be introducing the rest of the design team, so if you don't want to miss a thing, I suggest you become a follower of the Claudia & Company blog today! And trust me when I say - you WON'T want to miss who's on the team with me! hehe

Thank you for this chance to get to know you both and for this wonderful opportunity! I CAN'T WAIT to get started!! :D

Whimsical Wednesday and Princess Ava!

Good Morning!

Today's sketch is a VERY special one because it's by the youngest Diedrich kidlet, Princess Ava! This is her very first sketch for the Whimsical Wednesday challenge and I have a feeling that Mama is incredibly proud of her little Princess right now! :) Head on over to the WW blog to check out the sketch and this week's featured Daredevil, Kim Ross, but before you do, here's what I created!



I just HAD to use The Greeting Farm's Princess Ava Twinkle Tot for this card since little Miss Ava was the model for it! I hope she gets a kick out of this! :) The horizontal strip screamed "ribbon" to me so I used this beautiful wide ribbon. It makes such a statement doesn't it?? Love wide ribbon!

If you need some inspiration, then check out what the other Daredevils have created with this sketch:

Cassie Larson
Debbie Lee
Heather Schlatter
Jacquie Peifer
Jessica Diedrich (a.k.a.Mom ;)
Kim Ross
Randi Wall
Rebecca Ednie
Sara Henton
Val Urtiaga

And please help me us welcome the newest Daredevil....Sara Henton!! Anyone who stands in line with Jess to meet Tim Holtz, is a friend ours! We're so happy to have you on the team Sara!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Please keep a look out for two other posts from me this morning! :)

TSG41: Valentine Color Challenge

Monday, February 8, 2010

A happy Monday morning to you all!

How was your weekend? Where you one of those in the Mid Atlantic that got snowed in? If you were, I hope you are all safe and warm today. Strangely, here in the North-east, we didn't get a single snowflake! And it looks like we might miss the storm that's supposed to hit mid week too! Considering there's a reason there are weather storms in this area nicknamed 'Nor-easters', the fact that we have no snow on the ground at this time of the year is so weird! (Please note: this is not a complaint. I'm A-OK with this phenomenon.) :D

On to this week's There She Goes challenge! Jess has a color challenge for us all and it's perfect for that card we all need to create this week for our loved ones. The colors are red, pink and brown!

Since Valentines Day is right around the corner, and the color challenge was begging for it, I just had to use the Chemistry set, once again!

You all know by now that I love my patterned paper, so you shouldn't be surprised that I immediately thought of this yummy piece of Basic Grey paper from their Indian Summer collection. It's absolutely GORGEOUS and so perfect for this challenge, don't you think?? I started off thinking that I was going to make this card for my husband, but it kind of evolved a bit and now I'm not so sure it's 'him'. :)

The sentiment is a such a beautiful one, isn't it? I used this week's Taylored Expressions sketch (TESC99) for this layout which, if you see the sketch, you'll see why I cut around the flower detail instead of just mounting it onto the sentiment panel.

Here's a close-up of that detail. It's two stamped images of one of the flowers from the Blooms mini set, stacked on top of each other with pop dots. I think I got a bit ambitious with choosing a flower to cut out rather than a simple circle, but you live and learn, right? I sponged around the sentiment with a combination of Antique Linen, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Inks. Love the look of those inks!

Now it's your turn to create a card with those challenge colors of pink, red and brown! When you're done, head back to the TSG challenge post and leave a link to your creation in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of the post, and you'll then be in with a chance to win a gift certificate to the There She Goes store!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Suppies
Stamps: There She Goes 'Chemistry' and 'Blooms'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain'
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, Basic Grey 'Indian Summer - Cordovan'
Access: Ribbon, Spellbinders Labels Four Nestibilities, KaiserCrafts Adhesive Pearl. EK Success Corner Punch, Sponges, Dimensionals

Etsy Friday Finds!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Hi again!

I'm sooo glad you're all enjoying the Etsy Friday Finds along with me! I've been having a ball pouring through the pages looking at all these beautiful things all in one place! This week I found some gorgeous things that I can't wait to share with you all!


FrenchPressKnits

Aren't these the most adorable slippers you have ever seen?? I sooooo want to make one of these! I have done a couple of felted handbags and had lots of fun creating them, so I'm dying to try my hand at these slippers! If you aren't able to knit, she does sell premade ones, so you can still own a pair too! :D





Julie Meyer's Shop

I sooooo need this insulated lunch tote for work! I ADORE the newsprint fabric! It reminds me of fish and chips when they used to come wrapped in newspaper! Oooo, now I feel like some for dinner tonight! hahaha Check out the rest of this store because she's used some great fabrics!






Spirals and Spice

This photo caught my attention on Etsy! Isn't it delicious?? It's a freshwater pearl wrapped in brass. Not sure if the brass would hold it's shine on my acidic skin, but I love how this looks, don't you??


Looking Glass House

These colors and soooo dreamy!! And that key is kind of a fun, whimsical touch. It would make a great lanyard too with a bit of tweaking. ;)








Sycamore Street Press

I just HAD to share this note card with you all! How funny is that sentiment?!? I wish it was a rubber stamp! I could see myself using this a lot!




Ok, that's it for today! Thanks so much for all your feedback on these Etsy posts. It makes it more enjoyable finding this stuff to share with you all. :D Have a fabulous weekend!!

Hey Hey, it's Friday!

And I have 8 hours of work standing between me and my weekend! :D

Hi everyone! Hope you've all had a great weekend and some fun things to look forward to this weekend. Not sure what we have planned but the weekends have been much sweeter now that I'm working again. I feel like I've earned them now. KWIM?

It's Farm Fresh Friday time again and this week Miss Mercy has come up with a fabulous sketch for you all! Pop over to TGF blog to check it out and while you're there check out the CHA photos Jess has been posting all week!

I couldn't resist using Basic Grey's 'Nook and Pantry' paper again for this sweet digi from designer Marina Neira! They just go together don't they??

Sweet Ivy Morning was colored up with reinkers and an aquapainter brush on Georgia Pacific cardstock. Not exactly great stuff to watercolor on, but I have no choice at the moment. It's the only paper that goes through the printer. :(

Please check out what the Farmers have created for you. Here are the links to their blogs:

Cheryl Walker
Cindy Haffner
Kadie Ensley
Kim Nath
Mary Giles
Melyssa Connolly
Randi Wall
Mercy Kerin
Sparkle Smith
Jessica Diedrich

Thank you so much for stopping by today and all week! I always appreciate it! Come back later on today for today's Etsy Friday Finds! :D

Supplies
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Ivy Morning - digi', sentiment from Panda Friends - retired'
Inks: Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Really Rust, Morning Marigold, Ruby Red, Pink Passion, Cool Caribbean, Ballet Blue, Old Olive, Sahara Sand, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap'
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Nook and Pantry'
Access: Ribbon, Machine Stitching, Sponging, Circle Punch, Dimensionals

Whimsical Wednesday and a TSG Challenge

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

A happy Wednesday to you all!

It's time for another Whimsical Wednesday challenge! This week's sketch is from little Jack Diedrich and it's a real easy one so you all have no excuses not to play! ;)

And as an incentive, up for grabs is a grab bag of Unity singles sweetly donated by the matriarch of this challenge blog, Mama Jess Diedrich!! Woohooo! You can check out the sketch over at the Whimsical Wednesday blog this morning and leave some love for this week's featured daredevil Heather "No Brown" Schlatter! (Love ya girl!)

The sketch is pretty rectangular and reminded me of an ATC (Artist Trading Card), so I decided to combine two challenges this week. The There She Goes challenge (TSG40) this week is to create an artist trading card, so I created one for the center of my Whimsical Wednesday card. :) Pretty smart of me really.... LOL!

I used the recently released Chemistry set from There She Goes since the images are the perfect size for ATC's. I have never really done an ATC before and didn't really know where to start, but after seeing the amazing examples that Maki and Jessica created, I realised that all you need to do is create a miniature card! :) Really sorry about the bad photo. These dark winter days are seriously detrimental to my card making! Day light savings couldn't come soon enough!

Now check out what the amazing Daredevils have created with this challenge:

Cassie Larson
Heather Schlatter
Jacqueline Nordaune
Jacquie Peifer
Jessica Diedrich (a.k.a.Mom ;)
Kim Ross
Kris Palakiko
Randi Wall
Rebecca Ednie
Sandra MacLean
Val Urtiaga

And then check out what Maki and Jessica did with the TSG ATC challenge!! Amazing stuff!

If you'd like to play along with this week's Whimsical Wednesday sketch challenge, and be in with a chance to win the grab bag of Unity singles, just leave a link to your card in the Mr Linky at the bottom of today's post. And if you want to play along with this week's There She Goes ATC challenge, and possibly win a gift certificate to the TSG store, link your creation at the bottom of this blog post.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I appreciate it!

Supplies
Stamps: There She Goes 'Chemistry'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean, Creamy Caramel
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Fancy Pants
Access: Ribbon, Buttons, Ranger Glossy Accents, Stickles, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals