diva sketch challenge

i broke my computer on tuesday, but fortunately already had my pictures posted for this week. hopefully i won't be too long without it.

i hope you enjoy the sketch this week and what the rest of the team has created. you may go to adriana's blog here.

have a great week. i think spring is in the air.

diva inspiration challenge

hi. i wasn't sure i would be able to share a card this week. i broke my computer tuesday and our friend is working on it right now. i thank God for friends that don't care if i go into their house and use their stuff.

check out this week's inspiration on udi here. i love ice cream. for my first eleven years my parents had a soft serve ice cream stand. bet you wish you could say the same. since those years i have become an ice cream snob. i know, not me right? haha. don't even take me near a dairy queen. . . yuck.

anyway, i was in the flower mood so i incorporated the colors versus the actual picture. hope you like it. xoxox

as for the other picture here, that is farkle. he was soooo helpful while i was making my card. he was helping with the bling brads.

diva sketch surprise challenge

for this week's sketch on udi there was a surprise thrown in again. we were to use rub ons on our creation. i didn't have anything current, but did use some of the snowflake rub ons from the holiday mini. since we are still getting snow here in michigan i decided it would be ok.





i used melon mambo, pretty in pink and black to make my card. a little pink bling finishes it off.

now, skip over to adriana's blog to see what she made this week.

have a great weekend.

diva inspiration challenge

this week's card was very difficult for me to do. it had to be perfect!!! because it was for one of my bff's, lori. her mom died earlier this week and her funeral was yesterday. while i wouldn't normally use red on a sympathy card i decided to make the udi inspiration work for me.

you wouldn't think such a simple looking card would be so hard. i must have ripped and re-did several parts of it before i was satisfied with the result.

the flower was inked with red and black and then i used a blender pen to pull some color into the image. i sponged the edges of the ribbon a bit to finish it off.

thanx for stopping by. :)

mermaid or whale?

Recently, in a large city in Australia, a young, thin and tan woman
appeared on a poster in the window of a gym.

The poster said, "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

A non-mermaidish middle-aged woman, responded publicly to the question
posed by the gym.

* * * *

To Whom It May Concern,

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious
humans).

They have an active sex life, get pregnant and have adorable baby
whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves
with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places
like Patagonia, the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia .
Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are
incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans.
They are loved, protected and admired by most people in the world.

Mermaids don't exist…

If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices
of psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don't have
a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how
could they have sex? Just look at them ... where is IT? Therefore, they
don't have kids either. Not to mention, who wants to get close to a girl
who smells like a fish store?

The choice is perfectly clear to me:

I want to be a whale.

P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only
skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy ice cream with my family,
a good dinner with someone who makes me shiver, and good wine and *
chocolate* with my friends. With time, we gain weight because we
accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is
no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't
heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think,

“Good grief, look how smart I am!¨

diva sketch challenge

it is sketch time again on udi. i am posting the sketch because we are trying a new thingy this week. sort of a round robin connecting the next blog from the diva list. hopefully you'll get to see all of the creations this way without jumping back and forth.

i embossed the medallion with versamark and classic bashful blue ink and then cut out. i ran the black through the big shot with the texturz plate inked in white. it gives it a very subtle background. i like how it turned out. i added a bow and some bling and called it good.

you may see what adriana made for the sketch here. have a great weekend.

diva inspiration challenge

i'm totally not into the whole teddy bear thing, but loved the picnic idea and ran with it for my card this week from the udi inspiration challenge. what better way to celebrate and bbq/picnic than with ants. :)

i used my small oval punch and 3/4" circle to make my ant and just criss crossed the red and white for the table cloth. doesn't it just crack you up! i also made my own letters. if ya turn it upside down it says 'bqq.'

have a great day. xox

diva sketch surprise challenge

why would you make the challenge right before valentine's day to be your least favorite color family. yuck. oh wait, i did that over on the diva blog. someone needs to fire me. oh well, we all know that earth elements are my least favorite colors. i love the 'original' colors of nature but to try and duplicate them just doesn't cut it for me.

well, i made the card, but totally screwed up the sketch. i was so focused on the color thing that i didn't pay too much attention to the scallops on the edge. oopsy. too late to change it now.

anyway, enjoy your valentine's weekend. chip and i are spending the weekend in chicago catching up with friends and our son, gordy.

i'll get refocused next week. :)

diva inspiration challenge

isn't this the cutest little house? i love the little heart on the door. this is what inspired me for the challenge on the diva site this week.

it's almost valentine's day and the roses and sprinkled hearts whisper romance. i made the original of this card several weeks ago for a swap and decided to duplicate it for the challenge. the colors were a fit (though i softened them) and the heart qualified as well.

take a look at the inspiration picture and see what ideas pop into your head.

diva sketch challenge

i love this sparkly dsp in the occasions mini. there is so much you can do with it. i love that you can make a whole card using the dsp and not stamp an image. i chose a couple of flowers for the focal point and added a couple of bling brads as well. hope you like it.


of course after i was done and it sat around for a week i decided it needed just s smidge more. let me know which one you like better cuz i'm not sure myself. you can find the original sketch for this card here.

diva inspiration challenge

i love this week's picture on udi for the inspiration challenge. i know winter is only half over but i'm ready for a touch of spring and this bouquet does it for me.

i embossed the image with black, sprayed it with water and then floated around some re-inkers to color the image. it is beautiful in real life. i also sprayed it with white shimmer paint mixed with alcohol. my little bumble bee is just about to pop a squat to suck up some necter.

hope ya like it. check out what the rest of the inspiration team did also.

diva sketch surprise challenge

i'm such a bimbo. i didn't even read that we were to use a line image stamp for today's diva challenge and went ahead and made this card. but, i love it and that's all that matters. so for today's sketch you get two cards. ;)










i used 'sense of time' for this second card. the picture really doesn't do it justice. the images are embossed with suede and cut out. don't know why i picked such an intricate image to cut. just possessed i guess. except for the cutting this really is a quick card to make.

blog award

i am honored to be given a blogger award by my dear friend, elizabeth. though she lives in florida, she is close to my heart in many ways and i cherish her friendship.

of course, if you receive these awards there are always rules to go with them, so:

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

2. List who gave the award to you and link to her blog.

3. List 10 things that make you happy.

4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know!


1. my family ~ genetic, environmental and community - you know who you are. :)
2. my church ~ another kind of family that i couldn't live without.
3. my friends ~ near and far. you have been there for me so many times, in so many different ways.
4. my cats ~ an endless source of entertainment for me.
5. my books ~ nothing further needs to be said here.
6. my health ~ despite my body starting to fall apart, i am otherwise healthy
7. stamping ~ without which i probably wouldn't have this blog or the friends that come with it.
8. photography ~ though i'm not that talented i have taken a few good shots.
9. dove chocolate ~ here's hoping that i can spread the happiness and make some $$$.
10. my God ~ i have so many blessing in my life and He is always there to catch me when i'm down and cheer me on when i'm up.

Here are just a few of my favorite blogs:

Janine Tinklenberg ~ stamps, paper, scissors
Alisa Tilsner
Jeannette Siciliani ~ scraps of my life
Selene Kempton ~ stamp a little fun
Brenda Weaver ~ sweet paper treats
Tammy Fite ~ stamp with tammy

diva inspiration challenge

it's inspiration thursday over at udi. those chocolate cupcakes look so yummy. i wish i had some. :)

instead of making a cupcake i chose to use the colors of the picture to make my upsy daisy card. after i stamped the image i moved it over just a smidge to give it a shadow effect. even with the browns used, i think this card comes across as feminine because of the ribbon and eyelet border accents. this could also be used as a masculine card by changing the eyelet punch to the scallop punch or tear the edges and replace the bow with some eyelets.

be sure to take a look at the rest of the team's creations. have a great day.

diva sketch challenge

today there is a very simple sketch on udi. i used some of our new designer series paper and our new felt flowers. aren't they just fun. check out my other team mates' creations too.

have a great day.

diva inspiration challenge

thanx leonie for saving everyone's neck from cramping. you rock!!! xoxo



oh my gosh, i am having some serious issues today and my brain feels like it is falling out the back of my head. i tried numerous times to get this pictures verital and there was no cooperation on the camera's part. so tip you head if ya want a good look at it. so sorry!!!

i made this card for a swap and when i looked for this week's inspiration i was thrilled that it fit the bill as well.

i love this new vintage vogue set. it has so many possibilities.

anyway, hopefully my next post won't have the same photo issues. oopsy.

diva sketch challenge

it feels like forever since i've posted. the last month has included five deaths of friends and family ~ four within twenty four hours ~ two major surgeries for loved ones. and two trips to illinois within days of each other. i'm ready for a bit of down time. wow.

anyway, you can find this week's sketch at udi. this card used the 'charming' set embossed and then covered with one of our window sheets. it looks very elegant in real life. there is also a small embossed butterfly mounted on top of the window sheet. hope you like it.

diva sketch challenge

i love the sketch found on the utah divas international blog. i used puns from the past and the dsp reminded me of old mattress ticking (alot of you might not remember it, so i'm probably aging myself by saying it ~ haha

i added a bit of polka dot ribbon to match and give it an updated look. hope you like it.

thanx for stopping by for a peek at my blog.

diva inspiration challenge

this is my happy new year card to go with the bubbly picture on udi. soft suede, black and gold are used on this card. very simple and very quick. i was also hoping to achieve some elegance, but i'm not sure that happened. this card could also be used as a wedding or shower card for a couple about to get married. just switch out the greeting.

enjoy your new year's celebration.

diva sketch surprise challenge

This is one of my favorite sketches over at udi and i have used in many times. the surprise this week was to use our favorite color. just in case you didn't know, it is purple!!!

did you know that this gorgeous designer series paper matches the pocket silhouettes stamp set? look at the center circle image and then look just to the right at the white image. see? i love how our dsp goes so well with our stamp sets. it makes stamping so easy and fun for everyone.

thanx for stopping by. this time next week we'll be in a new year. have a safe happy new year celebration.

diva inspiration challenge

merry christmas everyone. this week's picture on udi is such a pretty christmas scene. very serene. i used the color scheme and pulled the butterflies from the picture to make my card this week.

i don't use this butterfly set very much cuz it just isn't me, but i thought i'd give it a shot. the small butterfly on the large one and the artichoke accent butterfly are mounted with glue dots for added dimension. i stamped the greeting in gold to tie it in with the strip of gold across the bottom.

have a very merry christmas tomorrow and remember, jesus is the reason for the season. give thanx for his birth. xoxo

diva sketch challenge

i decided to make one last christmas card for this week's sketch on udi. i kept it very simple and quick. a strip of dsp, some bling and a greeting make up this card. i like how the red accents the teal. i was going to texture the background of the card but got sidetracked. oopsy.

have a very merry christmas.

diva inspiration challenge

thanx for stopping by to see this week's inspiration challenge. you may view the inspiration here. this picture reminded me of family and christmas and being thankful. i pulled together the white, gold, and touches of blue and green to make my card this week. i am going to send it to some friends whose husband, father, granpa . . . is dying from cancer. it has gone from bad to worse in an extremely short time and he is not expected to live much longer. they humble me with their faith in God and his plan for their lives. their son died from brain cancer about seven or so years ago and his wife is a survivor as well. please keep my friends in your prayers as they watch this wonderful man leave his broken body to join his son and his God in heaven soon.

diva sketch surprise challenge

happy winter. we had a blizzard this week. look how beautiful it is below.

this week's sketch on udi had a challenge as well ~ watercolor the image. well i had a total 'stuffy head' moment and forgot. go figure. (i've been fighting the flu or a cold for over a week now) but i love the result and i hope you do too.

i used the texturz plate for the base and the ornament punch to make the vase for my 'flowers.'


isn't this a lovely shot? it is out my front door toward the SE as the sun is coming up. it was soooo pretty.

diva inspiration challenge

the weather outside is frightful . . . but it's warm and toasty here in cyberland. michigan is having a blizzard warning. woo hoo. i love snow. bring it on.

this week's challenge on udi is a beautiful softly lit Christmas tree. i wanted to use the colors and thought of the medallion and a kaleidascope idea. of course, what i think and what came out on card stock just didn't jell this week. perhaps next week will be better. i'm going to blame it on the fact that i've been sick (yes, again) since last week and my brain is all stuffed up. haha.

i embossed the medallion and colored it with pastels.
enjoy your day. :)

anyway, here it is.

diva sketch challenge

i turned this week's diva sketch challenge on its side. i think this is a great layout either way though. i actually did this card about two months ago and like it so much that i turned it into one of the sketches for the team. (i know, i kind of feel like i'm cheating, the inspiration has to come from somewhere)

hope you like it. (i think this is the last time i saw my 'lovely as a tree' also)

have a great weekend.

diva inspiration challenge

we are supposed to finally get snow here in sw michigan today and tomorrow. woo hoo. bring it on. i love snow and this week's picture is so pretty on the diva site. though i could not find my 'lovely as a tree' set that i wanted to use, i am happy the way it turned out. slightly different for me, but ok just the same. hope you like it.

the picture doesn't do it enough justice. i used artichoke and night of navy. dasher is embossed in white, the trees are stamped in white and glitter sprinkled over them and then assemebed together. the little red gingham bow finishes off the card.

diva sketch challenge

i hope you had a happy thanksgiving and didn't overstuff yourself. are you one of those psycho shoppers from yesterday? not me. i hate shopping.

anyway, here is the sketch for this week from udi. i've tried to avoid making holiday samples too early, but i had a few scraps to use and the colors just called for holiday. hope you like it. i used real red craft ink and the platinum shimmer paint.

diva inspiration challenge

happy thanksgiving everyone. what a great day. hope you're having fun with family and friends.

when i first saw this week's inspiration on udi i was stumped. it is so pretty and i just didn't have a clue how to do it justice. mind you this was several months ago, so i've had time to think about it. i still didn't want to recreate the beautiful table setting so i decided to to compliment it with my chef from the voila set. i tried to keep with the color scheme somewhat by using the white and rust colors. and yes, i did stamp each piece on the tray individually and cute them out. click on the picture for a bigger view. hope ya like him.

diva inspiration challenge

i got this card done two weeks ago. i'm glad i was on top of it cuz this week i've got a horrendous head cold and sore throat and have no energy to stamp.

i love sepia toned pictures and this one is just spectacular as our inspiration on the divas blog.

i used the big shot texturz plates to duplicate the basket and then added the flowers for the color. i love the simplicity and elegance of the design.

have a great thanksgiving weekend next week if you don't stop by for the next challenge.

diva sketch surprise challenge

great to have you back again this week for another sketch challenge on udi. our sketch team has grown alot in the last couple of weeks, so be sure to check out everyone's blog for their submissions.

we have a punch challenge this week. i love our punches.

circle circus fit the bill for what i wanted to do with the challenge this week. i made about four layers of the circles alternating celery and razzleberry. the top circle is in a build a brad for a little added something.

enjoy your weekend and come on back next week.

diva inspiration challenge

when i saw the inspiration challenge picture on udi i knew i wanted to make a mirror image card.

diva sketch challenge

please check out the sketch on the udi blog here.

i love mixing up colors and i love this coral and suede combination.

i'm thankful for the birth of my son, gordy, 22 years ago today. hard to believe that he's 22. he will graduate from depaul (in chicago) next june. wow, i'll be the mom of a college graduate in seven months.

anyway. i really like this sketch. it has so many possibilities and the ideas are just jumping out of my brain. thanx for stopping by.

diva inspiration challenge

i wasn't crazy about this week's challenge on udi. i just wasn't sure what i could do with it. but, maria came through for me and sent me some stamped images of the tools and i was able to come up with this.

not too bad for someone that doesn't know how to do "guy" cards.

diva sketch surprise challenge

this sketch challenge at udi had another surprise . . . use the big shot. not too difficult for me. i love the big shot.

i used the top note and texturz plate on my pink holiday card. i kept it very very simple, and i love how the texturz plate mimics the swirls of the ornament. how fun is that! to get a better view, just click on the picture for an enlargement. you will also see my new favorite "bling." giving an image a spritz of shimmer paint (mixed with rubbing alcohol).

have a great day. :)

diva inspiration challenge

happy thursday. this is going to probably be the last "nice" day of the year temperature wise here in sw michigan. hope you enjoy it.

this week's challenge on udi gives us a cheery pumpkin. instead of the pumpkin though, i decided to use the autumn colors found in the picture. dusty durango and crushed curry.

:)

diva sketch challenge

i've tried to avoid it, but everyone else is getting me in the mood . . . the holiday mood. so this week's challenge was completed with one of our simply scrappin' kits and screams festive.

i love the layers, the colors and the ornament. it is just so fun.

til next week. :)

diva inspiration challenge

starry starry night . . . that is the inspiration for this week's challenge on udi.

this is one of my favorite works of art by van gogh. i am not even close to being a master, but i tried to capture the essence of the starry night with card stock instead of oils. i tried to "mute" the colors someone with sponging and i sprayed the whole thing with shimmer paint, except the brown piece, to sparkle like the stars.

the caramel base was run through the big shot and the impression was also lightly sponged.

thanx for taking a look.

diva sketch challenge

it's saturday and that means another sketch challenge on udi. take a look at my card and then hop over to the diva site to check out the sketch for yourself. let me know what you think about my card this week.

a very good friend of mine told me that it's OK to use black and white and not use color all of the time . . . so here's to you S. :)

i used black stazon to stamp the flowers because for some reason my classic black appears more purple-ish. i cut a piece of the night and day dsp for the bottom strip and then a piece of the black striped ribbon for the middle piece. the ends of the ribbon are a bit frayed, though you might not be able to see it very well in the picture.

the flower images were punched out and adhered with dimentionals and sprayed with shimmer paint mixed with alcohol. . . my new favorite WOW! i just love the look it gives an image. a click on the picture will give you a close up of the card.

have a great weekend. xoxo

diva sketch challenge

it's sketch time again at the utah divas. check out this week's sketch and then come back to check out my card.

i love this sketch. for me it was all about texture and color this week, from the texturz plate background on the caramel cardstock to the roughed up edges on all of the layers to the strips of designer series paper. even my turkey got into the action with his multiple colors done with markers. (click on the photo to get up close and personal) i'm really pleased with the way this sketch turned out.

what do ya think?

diva inspiration challenge

i love this time of year . . . the leaves turning colors, the smell of fresh apples and apple cidar, corn getting harvested . . . well, you get the idea. what's not to love!!!

that's why i love this week's utah diva inspiration picture. hop over there and take a look at what inspired my card this week.

i used our watercolor wonder crayons on the pumpkins, added some dsp and kept it very simple. aren't they just happy little guys. :)

diva sketch surprise challenge

as part of this week's sketch challenge on the diva site we were asked to use some hardware. easy . . . in fact, i did this card last week when i did the challenge for the 26th. haven't been ahead in a long, long time. ;)

i was feeling purple when i made this card. i used the new "charming" set in our holiday mini catalog and embossed everything with clear embossing powder and glitter. very blingy. this card looks great "in real life." sometimes the photo just does not capture the essence of the card. hope you like it. to get a better view of the card you may click on the picture to enlarge it.

diva inspiration challenge

it's time for some inspiration!!! autumn is my favorite time of year so how could i not love the picture this week on the diva blog.

this was a quick card to put together. i stamped with versamark and then used the stampin' pastels to color the image. i roughed up the edges a bit, added some ribbon and voila! cute fall card. enjoy.