The Whimsical Butterfly: September 2009

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

A Little Elf told me...

...that she is coming to THE GREETING FARM!

Ohhhhhh my goodness I can't even tell you how much this new little cutie makes me smile! Folks, meet VIVI, our latest addition to the TGF Sprout family and one sneaky little elf! She will be making her debut into your homes and hearts THIS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1st, when she and FIVE other stamps/stamp sets are being released!

Today is also Wednesday....Whimsical Wednesday to be exact. That means it's time for the Diedrich Dare! Have you been to the DARE blog? You'll find the sketches, inspiration, and color challenges of my three older kiddos who are VERY involved and enthusiastic w/ my stamping...so much so that they started their own challenge blog! Be sure to check it out and stay tuned, too because I believe we have a prize to give away, not this week, but next :)

This week, my 7 year old son Jack has a fabulous lil' sketch that we'd love for you to try out! (see it above)

Isn't that fantastic? And a real challenge, too, LOL! SO, onto my card using the ADORABLE new Vivi Elf....I Love, LOVE, LOVE the new Eskimo Kisses paper from Basic Grey so there was no doubt what I'd be using for my card today! That being said, her hair needed to be purple, don't ya think?

Well, our new TGF Fall Gardeners and our wonderful Farmers have been hard at work to bring you some AMAZING previews once again, so be sure to check them out:

While you're leaving them some love, I'd like to remind you that our AWESOME BLOG HOP and release will be taking place tomorrow, OCTOBER 1st, beginning at 8am on the Greeting Farm's blog! BE THERE! We can't wait!

Last but not least, our Daredevils also have some amazing takes on Jacky's sketch for you this week, so be sure to leave them some love as well! They are:

Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you back here tomorrow for one awesome release from The Greeting Farm!

~Jess :)

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Oh, the Possibilities...

....ha ha that reminds me of the Campbell's soup song!

Today, though, I mean the possibilities....of what YOU could do with ALL the amazing products that are available at Die Cuts R Us!

Check out our challenge for more info.... and a peek of the project I have there :)

Have a great evening!

Jess :)

Keepin' Cozy with The Greeting Farm...

Hey everyone!

Some exciting things happening today as I bring you a new sketch by Mercy Kerin for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge and a FANTASTIC preview of a new set by The Greeting Farm!

This all ties in together nicely, you see, as we are also welcoming FOUR new DT members at The Greeting Farm, our Fall Gardeners, and Mercy herself happens to be one of them! How fun is THAT?

I love this sketch and longer-shaped card that we have for you today, a.k.a. MTSC41 :) Last week there were some AMAZING submissions for Mercy's sketch challenge and we are so happy you've been playing along! I loved this week's sketch and I'm sure the rest of the muses have some awesome eye candy for you too! Check them out:

Once again, we have our FABULOUS Guest, Suzy Tyler. This will be Suzy's last week as a Guest Muse and I'm really glad I've gotten to "meet" her through Mercy's blog and FB, she's a really cool chick and I will definitely be keeping in touch with her! Thanks Suzy!

Now, onto my card. OMG! OMG! HOW CUTE ARE THESE SNOWMEN?!?!?!? This BRAND NEW Set, "Keep Cozy", is one of SIX new releases PLUS a paper pack this month at The Greeting Farm! And don't forget, we still have the Anya release on the 15th as well! Can you believe it?!? We are packing on the cuteness this month and you will be FLOORED when you see this and the other sets in their entirety.

In addition to the excitement of these new releases, we have FOUR new Fall Gardeners to welcome! They are:

Mercy Kerin
Sandra MacLean
Lisa Futch
Lynda Neilsen

They and our Farmers have been working HARD on these amazing new additions to the Farm and it will all culminate in a BLOG HOP to celebrate....MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
THIS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1st, beginning at 8am CST and ending at 8PM CST you will have a chance to win TONS of cuteness and we'd love for you to join in on all the fun!

More details on that tomorrow, but for now, enjoy this adorable preview and I'll be back tomorrow with another one!

Til then...check out our FABULOUS Farmers and Gardeners:

CINDY
CHERYL
KADIE
LISA
LYNDA
MERCY
SANDRA

See you tomorrow, everyone!

Monday, September 28, 2009

LPS Monday: A Caroling we Go...

Can you believe it's Monday already??

I sure can't! We had a nice, relaxing weekend at home-didn't do much but at the same time did a TON around the house. You know what kind of weekend I mean, right?! We cleaned and reorganized the boys' room after only living here a month and a half, if that tells you anything, LOL! I baked with the kids, we rented movies, had some takeout, and just kind bummed around the rest of the time. Gotta catch up on that must-see TV now that the Fall lineup is back....yeah!

I DID manage to sneak in some stamping time, too! Made about 6 cards this weekend so that was fun. We are very fortunate to have had our new neighbors move in nextdoor to us and they have 3 kids similar in age...SO nice for the kids. So they spent a fun afternoon playing while Mom snuck in some stamping. Gotta love it, right?

I am REALLY excited to show you my Little Paper Shop card today, and we have a preview from our October release which is early this month! In honor and celebration of World Cardmaking day, our October release is THIS Saturday, the 3rd! So we have some peeks for you today and then later in the week, too :)

There are FOUR Holiday sets being released this month, and the first one I have to show you today is called {Caroler}. How sweet is she?! When I realized that my beloved Cosmo Cricket Jolly by Golly Mini-Deck had music DP, I was sold on what I'd make my card with! I love this new stamp and I think you will, too.

Be sure to check out the LPS Blog for all the info on our Sketch Challenge (shown above)this week and to find out how YOU can win this cute {Caroler} stamp!

We also have some fun announcements to make today. After a FANTASTIC 3 months as our LPS Guest Designer, we just couldn't let Ann Kranitz get away from us! We are thrilled and honored that she has accepted a position as full time Designer starting October 1st. WELCOME ANN!

You know what that means? We have a NEW Guest Designer for LPS and she has already wowed us playing our weekly challenges and I couldn't be more EXCITED to welcome PAM VARNELL as our Guest Designer for the next 3 months! YAY Pam!

Well, with all that excitement, you can only imagine how cute these previews are going to be! Don't forget to stop by the LPS Blog, and if you want to play along with us this week, use keyword LPSC35. Be sure to leave some love for our FANTASTIC DT while you're visiting:

Last but not least, my "Cousin/BFF" as I believe she calls it Kim has a BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!!!! HAPPY , HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM!!!!! She has recently started a blog as I kind of well, infected her w/ the stamping bug a long time ago and I would be tickled if you visited and sent her a birthday shout-out! MISS YOU! ENJOY YOUR DAY!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks SO much for visiting and I'll see you tomorrow with some Greeting Farm peeks as well! This blog is BUSY this week....I'm always glad and grateful to have you here with me on this wild ride! xoxo~
Jess ;)

Saturday, September 26, 2009

There She Goes...Crazy, that is...

...I cannot BELIEVE how fast this week has flown by, can you?

Seems like I have been nothing but crazy busy this week after our crazy girls' weekend which seems like a lifetime ago after one short week...sheesh! DH has been out of town the past few days so it will be nice to get some much needed family time when the plane lands this afternoon...and I'm hoping to sneak in some stamp time too hee hee.

Well, if you're looking for something to do this weekend, it's time for another AWESOME sketch by our own Cindy Haffner over at the Crazy 4 Challenges blog! We had close to 100 people play last week...how fun is THAT? I am SO loving seeing everyone's take on the awesome challenges we've had so far...and we're just getting started!

So, when I first saw this ADORABLE "Fairy Good Day" set on my friend and fellow C4C DT member Jessie's blog, I knew I had to have it. The set is made by There She Goes clear stamps and I have to say I am UBER impressed with not only the quality of these clear stamps but also the shipping. Jessica, the owner, made sure to have my stamps to me with lightening speed-I chose regular mail and got them in 2 days!

This adorable set is SO much fun to color and these little shroomies made me happy-especially when i found this DP from The Green Stack (DCWV) to use with the stamp! My girl Jess herself "lent" me the perfect embellie to go with this card-thanks for the grommet, Jess! Love ya girlie!

Be sure to check out the rest of the CRAZY talented DT that I'm honored to be designing with. My beloved "Crazies" are:

Thanks so much for stopping by and if you play along this week, which I really hope you do, use keyword C4C4 and make sure you use Mr. Linky to enter your submission! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Lots to share on Monday, so see you then! xoxo
Jess ;)

Friday, September 25, 2009

You've Got Mail...and FLAIR!

Heya peeps!

I'm back with another Friends with Flair Friday post, brought to you by the incomparable UNITY STAMP COMPANY!

(***Please scroll down for my Farm Fresh Friday post if you're just getting here, THANKS!***)

When I first saw this adorable mailbox set, I knew I had to have it, and what's even sweeter than that? I got it FREE with the August Kit of the Month when I signed up?

Now, I know I'm a bit late getting on the bandwagon with the Kit of the Month, but OH MY was I ever living under a rock!? LOVE these stamps, and they are super awesome quality so they stamp out perfectly every time, too. I can't tell ya how the little smile inches into pretty much bursting out happy when I know the 15th is getting close...you can check out all the deets HERE.

I used some cute DP I had from October Afternoon-these little houses were calling my name to be used with this set. The sentiment is from BIRDIE INSPIRATION....how PROFOUND is this:
"OTHER things change us....but we START and end with FAMILY"

Be sure to check out the UNITY blog too for a a complete list of today's participants....ONE of us has a blinkie that could win YOU free stamps!

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for scrolling down to see my Farm Fresh Friday card...

Farm Fresh Friday: Amy Paints...

Hey everyone,

It's time for another Farm Fresh Friday over at The Greeting Farm's blog and I hope you'll check it out!

Not only do we have a fabulous sketch by Cindy Haffner, we also have a fond farewell to bid our Summer Gardeners. I can't believe their term is up-seems like just yesterday they were starting and I am just amazed at the remarkable work they've submitted. We are so sorry to see them go!

Please head over to the blog and check out the AWESOME samples from the DT...and stop by their blogs, too:

I used the new "Amy Paints" digital stamp by one of TGF's new artist, Janet McDonnell. This fresh and fun teen image really reminds me of the young lady my DD is becoming...although that Magazine thankfully is more like a good book in her case...still scary! They grow up SO fast!!! I tried a different blending/shading technique on her hair...there's no rhyme or reason to it, but I kind of liked how it turned out. What do you think?

Thank for stickin' with me today for both posts and have a WONDERFUL weekend...I'll be back tomorrow with another Crazy for Challenges post-I'm excited about it! Hope you will be too....thanks again!

Jessica :)

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

A Colorful Fall DARE...

Hey everyone!

It's another Whimsical Wednesday and I'm excited to bring you another challenge over at the Diedrich Dare...the new Challenge Blog that is brought to you by none other than my kiddos who love to draw sketches and do color and inspirational challenges because they just love to share my love of stamping with me!

We are lucky to have a wonderful team of ladies who love to play the sketches too and they are fondly known as the DAREDEVILS! Speaking of which, I am super excited to welcome LISA HJULBERG to the DAREDEVIL TEAM! Lisa has wowed us with her creations for the first few weeks of the Dare challenges and I've also been a fan of hers for SOME time...so I'm really excited to have her on board with us!

This week we have a color challenge designed by Madelynn, my oldest child. I'm going to interpret these colors as Blue, Green and Orange, LOL. I could go into specifics, but she didn't so hey, that gives us all more creative freedom, right?

I only let my Unity Stamps September Kit of the Month sit on my desk for ONE day before I busted it out! I LOVE the new Kit and there are some great images in this kit!!! I don't think I could have decided what image to use first, but this little pumpkin was calling my name and hey, I could color it Orange!!! Perfect!

Be sure to check out the rest of the Daredevils creations this week:

Well that's about it for now....I hope you guys can play along this week, and if you do, be sure to leave a comment on the DARE blog linking your creation. You can use keyword DDSC3.

I am going to go play with more stamps from my Kit of the Month now, hee hee :) Hope you all have a Whimsical Wednesday and that you'll play along with us this week!

Cheers!
Jess :)

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Well, Lord have Mercy-these stamps are CUTE!!!!

Ha, you know I couldn't resist my title for this post today because it's Tuesday, and it's time for Mercy's Tuesday sketch challenge! Yeah! We have another fabulous sketch today and certainly hope you will play along:

Pretty fabby, right? I am SUPER excited about this card today because I also get to preview a BRAND NEW Digital Image that is being brought to us by The Greeting Farm on October 1st! Our brand new artist, Marina Neira has delivered some SERIOUS cuteness....so cute that I can't put these down! These digital images are being released in addition to the three animal stamps of Marina's that were previewed in the TGF Newsletter last week....you guys are going to LOVE them!

Today's sketch was perfect for this image and card. I LOVE my new Basic Grey Eerie paper pack and the BG Eerie brads are just too awesome! I colored this cutie pie up with my Copics and I just cannot wait to show you what else is in store! Make sure you check out the TGF Blog today for more sneak peeks and prepare to be floored w/ the cuteness! I'm serious-you will just LOVE them!

Be sure to check out the other Muses and once again we are graced with the FABULOUS Suzy Tyler as our September Guest Muse! I just LOVE Suzy's work and her blog is definitely worth stopping by! You'll see what I mean! The rest of the Muses have some adorable things in store for you too! Check us out:

Happy Tuesday everyone! Thank you so much for stopping by, as always!

Monday, September 21, 2009

LPSC34: Happy Fall Y'all!...

...Ok, so I can't even begin to compile my thoughts on how AMAZINGLY FUN my weekend was because right now I am deliriously tired. But I will tell you that saying I had a BLAST doesn't even begin to cover it...WOW!

However, I will tell you that I cranked out some cards in addition to splitting my sides open laughing, and today's card is one of them!

Before I get started though, I want to send bday shout outs to one of our own, Bonnie Sharp! It's her birthday and she is FABULOUS and we are all sending you big fuzzy hugs! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BONNIE!

When I first saw this color challenge from Little Paper Shop, I was little skeered :) It totally fits though for a fall challenge and while we are welcoming all the signs of fall-back to school, football, cooler weather, and changing colors...this challenge is pretty darn appropriate!

I used the new {BOO} set, which is still 10% off ONLY THROUGH TODAY at LPS to create my card. As I sat across from my friend and one of my stamping idols, Jessie, I said "what does this card need". You will all be SHOCKED if you know Jess...she said' SPIRAL CLIPS!"

I used my Copics to color in the pumpkins in shades close to Pumpkin Pie and Summer Sun, and found a great piece of Sassafrass DP that matched all 3 of these colors and also carried through some of that Summer Sun color. Finished it off w/ a paper tole on the center pumpkin and went over that one w/ my yellow Spica pen.

Well, I'm off to try and catch up on my life here...but thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to stop by the LPS BLOG for some more AWESOME samples from the LPS DT!

See you soon!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Crazy is an UNDERSTATEMENT....

...ok, so this is seriously the most AMAZING weekend so far! I have to warn y'all that I really am so excited that this post might sound a little frazzled...I really kind of can't think at the moment, LOL!

I am writing from a lovely bed and breakfast in Nothern Georgia up at the top of a mountain,
'trapped' in a room with Pam, Mercy, and Jessie and let's just say....there has been some cackling! We are having a BLAST and the time is going too fast already!

Well, CRAZY is a good topic of conversation because it's also Saturday and time for another Crazy for Challenges challenge!

This week we have another FABULOUS sketch from Cindy Haffner! I LOVE IT!

I flipped this week's sketch, and I was so excited to use this ADORABLE birds from the new Gillian Roberts line over at Stampavie! I just adore these little puffles, don't you!?!?! Having finally gotten my hands on the new Jolly by Golly paper from Cosmo Cricket line also made this card exciting to make....I ADORE this paper and these cute, cute stamps! Have you seen the WHOLE new line from Gillian? Head on over to the Stampavie site and check them out! They are SUPER cute and cuddly!

Well, I'm gonna get back to the antics...but head on over to the Crazy 4 Challenges blog and play along with us! We can ALL afford to get a little crazy, right?

See you on Monday!
xoxo
Jessica :)

Friday, September 18, 2009

These Quotes have FLAIR!...

Hello my friends with FLAIR!

***PLEASE scroll down for a GREETING FARM post...thank you!***

It's Friends with Flair Friday at UNITY stamps and let me tell you...they have really stepped it up once again with some AMAAAAAAAZING new releases!

I was volunteering at my kids' school most of yesterday so I missed a lot and was bummed....but the new releases and ALL their cuteness is bound to make me cave in this weekend and get out the good old credit card...holy COW are they cute! WOW!

So much autumn and holiday fabulousness I'm not sure what I will order first!

Well, I'll be out for most of the weekend so if I don't comment on your FWF posts right away, bear with me...I'll get there! Fridays are slowly but surely becoming my favorite days around here...LOVE it-LOVE visiting all of your awesome blogs!

Speaking of Unity, one of the things I love the most about them is their FANTASTIC selection of big, yummy quotes! Check this one out...seriously?!?! Could it be any cooler?!

" Go for long walks...indulge in hot baths...question your assumptions...be kind to yourself...LIVE for the moment...loosen up...SCREAM...curse the world and count your BLESSINGS....just let go...JUST BE."

HOW amazing is that? The adorable tree image is from my August Kit of the Month.

Well, thank you SO much for coming by today...you are all fabby with flair! Have a great weekend!

Farm Fresh and FREAKIN' out!...

Why, you ask?

Well, if you've been to Mercy Kerin, Pam Varnell, or Jessie Rone's blogs you KNOW why, LOL!!! Today is the day that us four crazies are finally meeting up for our weekend stamp retreat somewhere in backwoods, GA...so if you don't hear from me by Monday, call the authorities! LOL!!

By the time you read this, there is a good possibility that we are whoopin it up Southern Style....ohhhhhh the fun...the stamping...and the FOOD...glorious food! From what I hear, I am in for quite the treat!

Well, today is Farm Fresh Friday and our challenge is to EMBOSS IT! Easy enough, right? I used my Swiss Dots embossing folder to accent the design on these super simple little treat bags I made up for this weekend.

I did a little homework and found out what the girls fave candies are and filled up the bags with it and a card.

I HAD to use the BRAND NEW 80s Anya from The Greeting Farm to create our "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" Theme...but actually this almost reminds me of Jem. Do you guys remember Jem? I LOVED Her! I had all the dolls and used to watch the show...wow, I thought I was SO Cool.... anyway, it's nothing fancy but I just had to bring something for my girlies!

Well, hope you all have a great weekend and I'll talk to you on Monday! Wish me luck that i actually get something done!!!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Running in Circles...and LOVING every minute...

Ok, I swear you did NOT land on the wrong blog this morning!

I did it....I DARED....I made a layout! I know, crazy right? Let me just tell you that as with everything else, my children are the inspiration in EVERYTHING I do!!!

So let's take a look at the sketch that Madelynn drew for this week's DIEDRICH DARE:

Have you guys had a chance to check out the DIEDRICH DARE??? You may remember Twinkling Tuesday, Madelynn's very first challenge blog. Well, after a little summer hiatus, a cross-country move, and some serious creativity, all THREE of my older kiddos decided to collaborate and now bring you Whimsical Wednesdays: THE DIEDRICH DARE!

I couldn't WAIT to bust out my Unity stamps again and knew that this quote was perfect not only for me, but for Madelynn, too! Isn't it fantastic? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE quotes and the ones from Unity are awesome because they are the perfect size for either scrapbooks or cards, and better yet, they can be the focal point of the card which I also ADORE!

I took this photo of her last year my cousin Kim (who has her OWN BLOG NOW!!!! YAY!!!!!) and I took our kids out to lunch and shopping. Kim and I spent WAY too much time talking and before I knew it, I turned around, and saw this pretty face in the back of my van just staring at us like 'are you EVER going to stop talking?!?" LOL! I quick snapped a picture of her since I had still had my camera around my neck and well....this little face says SO many things! LOVE my girl!

So other than the fact that I had to move over the center scalloped circle to accomodate this sweet little face, I followed the sketch and LOVE the fact that this circular piece of paper that I've had sitting around FOREVER became this page layout. I really love this week's challenge!

Speaking of this week's challenge, we HOPE you'll play along! Be sure to head on over to the DARE blog to see Sandra's creation as she is our featured stamper this week and to leave a comment on the Dare blog when you link your creation! If you are uploading to a public gallery such as SCS, please use keyword DDSC2. Thanks! And please don't forget to show some LOVE (Since it's ALL about the LOVE!) to the rest of my fellow DAREDEVILS...they rock the house, and they are:

Have a WHIMSICAL WEDNESDAY everyone! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

MTSC39: Hug Someone...

Hi everyone!

***Please be sure to SCROLL DOWN for THREE more posts today...I guess it's a FOUR POST kind of day! Not sure HOW that happened...but thank you SO much for sticking with me!!!***

Today is Tuesday, one of my favorite days because it's Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge!

This week she threw down another FABULOUS sketch and I am SO excited to show you my card! I have been itching to pull out this Hope/Grace "Snuggle" stamp from The Greeting Farm and just hadn't gotten to yet so I'm pretty stoked I got to use her...finally!

If you stop by The Greeting Farm today, be sure to sign up for the new NEWSLETTER if you haven't already! our FIRST edition debuted today, along with THREE new digistamps and THREE new ANYA releases...it's QUITE the day on the Farm!

Be sure to check out the rest of "Mercy's Muses" and pay these talented ladies a visit...you won't be sorry you did! They are:

On a somber note, our dear Muse Shannan has lost a dear friend to her this week and won't be playing along, but please stop by and show her some support as she is in all of our prayers. Bless her and the family she is with right now and we wish her a safe trip back home, too. HUGS, Shannan!

We hope you'll play along this week and link up your creation to Mercy's blog! If you use SCS or a public gallery, be sure to use keyword MTSC39. Can't wait to see your creations!

Well, go hug someone...I know I will ;)

Fluttering with Textures...

Hey everyone!

***PLEASE scroll DOWN for a Greeting Farm post and ANOTHER Little Paper Shop Post....THANKS It's a busy day today but I sure do love when you stop by!***

We have an AWESOME Challenge today over at the Die Cuts R Us Design Team blog... and one that you'll see is right up my alley!

This week's challenge involves EMBOSSING....and I think we ALL know it's one of my fave techniques! I just love the added texture and visual interest that embossing adds to my paper crafting projects. Do you feel the same?

The lovely and talented (and newly announced preggers...congrats!) GWEN HESSON issued the DT girls at DCRU a Challenge to EMBOSS IT!

Well, I had a blast making this card using the August Kit of the Month from UNITY STAMPS. LOVE these stamps...LOVE the whimsical, fresh, and funky design that is like a breath of fresh air in this industry! LOVE that it pushes me out of my comfort zone to create. I know it sounds silly, but I really feel like Unity is making me a better stamper, which is something I want to continue to aspire to!

I embossed the sentiment using White craft ink (pigment ink) and then clear irridescent embossing powder from Joann. I also got out my Cuttlebug embossing folder to DRY emboss the swirls underneath the cut out heart. Check out the DCRU STORE for a wonderful array of products that will add plenty of texture and flair to your projects, too. There are a ton of new products in the store arriving all the time, so be sure to check them out!

Even my Martha Stewart punch has a little embossing above the zig-zags.

What's your seal of approval? Stamp it out with our new "EMBOSS IT"Challenge over at Die Cuts R Us...we'd love to see what you can do!

There is a FRENZY on the Farm....

....and you DO NOT want to miss a beat!

PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO SCROLL DOWN for my LPS post...there is TON going on today!!! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!***

There is SO much going on , I'm not sure where to start, but let me give you the run down on this HUGE news....as in, letter!

That's right! The Greeting Farm's September newsletter is NOW available, so make sure you sign up for special sneak peeks, offers, and more!

As if the NEWSLETTER wasn't enough, it's RELEASE DAY for the new ANYAS (and Ians!) Our release party was OFF THE CHARTS FABBY last night-we had SO much fun and I received so much positive feedback....LOVE IT!!!

There are also THREE new digis available at TGF that are HOT off the press as of today as well. This is a new teen line by Janet McDonnell and is super stinkin' cute so head on over!

LAST but not least, you like this little bunny? Something BIG is going on at TGF...be sure to get your hands on a copy of our new newsletter so you can find out all the details and see the WHOLE thing! Let me know what you think!

xoxo and THANK YOU for stickin' with me today!!!
Jessica :)

LPS RELEASE DAY...TRICK OR TREAT!

Hey everyone-just a quick post as it's time for a NEW RELEASE at Little Paper Shop!

Today is the day! You can take home {JENA WITCH} and {BOO} for 10% off ALL WEEK on the new website. LOVE the new blinkie too. New looks are always fun!

Today was the Senior DT Challenge at LPS and it just so happened to be MY turn to issue the girls a challenge. I wanted to challenge myself as well...so I named this challenge a simple "Trick or Treat" challenge but there was ONE big stipulation-NO CARDS.

The kids and I had a BLAST dying some water green for this "Witches Brew"...enjoy one if you dare! ;)

See you over at the LPS Blog for some more spooktacular projects!

Jess ;)

Monday, September 14, 2009

A Spooktacular LPS Monday....

Can you BELIEVE Halloween is right around the corner? I know, I couldn't either.

However, that being said I am sure glad that Little Paper Shop is coming out with some STINKIN CUTE new releases this month...and I'm here to show you our 2nd preview for a sweet and spooky set called {Boo!}

This adorable 4x8 stamp set features TWENTY new stamps that are just perfect for Halloweenie!

Here is my card today:

I used an old MTSC sketch from a few week's ago by my friend Mercy Kerin cuz it just seemed to fit! I am in LOOOVE with this new Eerie line of DP from Basic Grey..picked up a sheet (or 20 ;) at the CKC Convention this weekend which I really hope to share the deets with you soon!

Til then, be sure to check out the LPS Blog today for some ADORABLE samples from the DT using the new {Boo} set and hey...you might just WIN it!....so be sure to check out the deets!

Have a great day and happy Stamping!
Jess :)

Sunday, September 13, 2009

LPS Preview....Feelin' witchy?

Unfortunately, I kind of am! LOL! No, just kidding, but boy am I TIRED. CKC was an absolute BLAST- I have so many fun stories I hope to share with you later in the week.

Right now though, it's time to introduce you to {Jena Witch}. Isn't she the sweetest little witch you've ever seen?

She is one of the two SPOOKTACULAR new releases from Little Paper Shop this Tuesday! But you can WIN her today just for visiting the LPS blog and checking out all the beautiful samples from the DT!

I used this week's TESC82 Challenge and some of the AWESOME new Eeerie paper from Basic Grey that I MIGHT have bought at CKC (omg-dont' even get me started, LOL) to create today's card ;)

See you over at the LPS blog!

Somethin' BIG is going on...

...over at Club Anya....

and that BIG involves BIG HAIR!

Check out the preview of 80's Anya...she's being released this Tuesday, the 15th at The Greeting Farm! You won't be able to STAND the cuteness!!!

See ya over at CLUB ANYA!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Any Man of Mine...

...better be proud of me/even when I'm ugly he still better love me/I can be late for a date that's fine but he better be on time...." LOVE that song! Ha ha had to sing it!

So WHY the gratuitous Shania outburst? Cuz I'm in Nashville? NO. Because today is PREVIEW DAY for the BRAND NEW stamp set from The Greeting Farm...MY GUY IAN!

You MAY recognize this grown up version of Ian to be comparable to the Miss Anya collection...and you've guessed RIGHT! After all, I think the men in our lives all still have a LITTLE growing up to do, don't you? hee hee

This stamp set complete with "guy's guy" lingo will be on sale from The Greeting Farm starting on the 15th! Be sure to check out the incomparable Team Anya's samples over on the Club Anya blog today! Check out the TEAM:

In addition to the fab new preview, today it's time for another Crazy 4 Challenges sketch from our own DT member (AND a TGF Farmer!) Cindy Haffner! Be sure to head over to the C4C blog to enter YOUR creation and play along with us this week!

Be sure to check out the rest of the C4C "Crazies"...they are ;):

Well, that's about it for now...I'm back to CKC today for another fun filled day of make and takes, promoting my stamp set and meeting some SUPER cool new peeps! I will post pics of our booth and all the fun we had very soon! For now, I'm back off to the madhouse!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Reading with FLAIR...

...cuz it's Friends with Flair Friday at Unity.... and because my DD thinks that reading is FABULOUS!

A few days ago, I sat down to use up a few scraps and decided that my DD needed a new bookmark. She absolutely LOVES to read, which I'm sure I've mentioned before ;) I also could not WAIT to bust out my BIRDIE INSPIRATION set from UNITY stamps! This set is crazy cute and it was calling my name....you could say a "little bird" told me too get it, hee hee.

One of the reasons I love this set so much, along with so many other Unity sets, is that the quotes are PERFECT. LOVE THEM! Seriously HOW awesome is the quote I stamped on the back of the bookmark?

I also used the bird/flower stamp from the August Kit of the Month which is SO fresh and fun and was begging me to use it!

I colored the image with my copics, adhered the AMAZING quote to the back, and then added some fun ribbon to finish it. The best part was that after coloring , this only took about 5 minutes!

Well, that's not the best part...the BEST part was seeing the look on Madelynn's face when I gave it to her... have a great Friday and be sure to stop by the Unity Blog to see the list ALL the wonderful participants in Friends with Flair Fridays! And just a quick aside, I am out at CKC all day but as soon as I return, I will be back to look at everyone's creations. I am itching to do it now but I gotta go! So can't wait to see EVERYONE's blogs when I return home! For now...

I'll leave you with this:

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. " ~Charles W. Eliot

Farm Fresh Friday...

...and a sneak peek!

While you are reading this, I am at CKC Nashville and EXTREMELY excited to be promoting my Butterfly Wishes stamp set. Thank you SO much to Lisa, Beth, Lori, and everyone at The Keepsake Element for having me as a guest to do a make and take with the set and for selling the stamps-you guys are a HUGE SUPPORT to me and you ROCK!

A special thank you to Marie from TGF too for shipping out a gigantic box of the stamp sets and having them ready for us to be sold at CKC-you are extremely efficient my friend....you'd be so proud of me...I put up GRIDWALL and even hung stuff from it, LOL!

Speaking of The Greeting Farm....

Something NEW is headed your way over on the BLOG...go check it out!

While you're at it, check out Club Anya, too! We have previews going on for the September releases today!

LOTS of action ROCKIN the Farm! Now go...Check it out! ;)

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Whimsical Wednesday...Do you DARE?...

Hello, hello!

The Diedrich Kids here...we've jumped onto Mom's blog today because we are SO, SO SUPER PUMPED to bring you our new Challenge blog...THE DIEDRICH DARE!

You may have been following us back when we were the Twinkling Tuesday Challenge...and if that is the case, thank you SO much for coming back and hanging out!

So, basically, we are a WEEKLY Challenge blog (on Wednesdays) brought to you by Madelynn, Jack, and Nicky Diedrich...DD and twin DS's of our Mom whose blog you are on ;)

We are really luck that Mom's friends are willing to bring our sketches and other challenges to life on THEIR awesome blogs...we call them our DAREDEVILS. Here they are:

We also have some fun new things going on... We will have monthly SPONSORS for Prizes! So be sure to play along with us 'cuz you never know...you just might win something!

Well, here is our Mom's sample for our very first sketch; this one was designed by Madelynn. Mom is OBSESSED with Unity Stamps lately so she used the August Kit of the Month and also another little set called "Birdie Inspiration". People are always telling us that we are very musical and that we get that from our mom, so this quote was really special to us!

Well, now that you've gotten to share in our excitement and know who, what, when and where...we have a question....DO YOU DARE???

Leave a COMMENT on this post linking your card and if you're uploading to a public Gallery, use keyword DDSC1. You can play whenever you want to, but the deadline for the prize this week will be Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at NOON CST.

On that note..yes, one more teeny thing...THERE IS A PRIZE!!! ONE lucky winner will be randomly selected to win the BUTTERFLY WISHES stamp set from The Greeting Farm...it's a set that our Mom designed! BIG fuzzy thanks to Marie from The Greeting Farm for being our VERY FIRST sponsor...Mom is always talking about how much you rock and we think you do, too!

Good luck and we hope you'll play along...IF YOU DARE! (insert giggling here...)

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Bloomin with Joy...and Flower Soft ;)...

Ok, so I just noticed that there is a theme this week on my cards...I thought about my cards for Monday, Tues, and Wed this week and they ALL use distressing. So, hopefully you won't get too tired of that, haha.

Well, it's Tuesday and time for another FAB sketch Challenge by my girl Mercy! LOVE Tuesdays! Love being a part of Mercy's Muses for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge...check us out!

I also love the quote on this AWESOME stamp from the August Kit of the Month from UNITY STAMPS...

"Joy is a flower that BLOOMS when you do"....how AWESOME is that?!?

And so totally true! I've had so many wonderful things happen to me this past year that I am SO grateful for and this quote only magnifies that joy.

It just speaks to me and those flowers on the tree were also speaking...well, actually SCREAMING at me to use Flower Soft on them :) I used Kraft, Pink Pirouette, and Spring Moss cardstock and just a teeny bit of DP which is rare for me :) Butterfly brad is my FAVE and was given to me by my sweet friend Janna...I {heart} her!

Well, we hope you'll play along with us this week! Please use keyword MTSC38 if you're uploading to a public gallery and be sure to link your creation to Mercy's blog, too!

Here's some inspiration from the other muses to get you started:

Cindy Haffner
Crystal Birr
Jackie Pedro
Julie Lacey
Mercy Kerin
Pam Speidel
Pam Varnell
Shannan Teubner and our FABULOUS September Guest Muse...
SUZY TYLER!

Well, that's all for now but I'll be back soon and can't wait to hear from you! Happy Tuesday everyone! Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, September 7, 2009

LPSC32: You're Sweet...

...ok, so I'm typically a little Challenge "challenged". I guess I see things black and white and although there are SO many wonderful challenges out there, I rarely combine them...let alone more than two. I guess that's why my SCS page isn't the most popular, LOL, and that I always feel like there is so much more that I want to do out in the stamping world...

....well get a load of what happened with THIS. hee hee I'm so excited....

This card combines not one...not two...but SEVEN challenges in one! Ha, can you tell I'm kinda giddy? I hope you'll scroll down to read about the other 6, but for now....

...Today is Little Paper Shop Monday and we have a SKETCH CHALLENGE for you today (see the above post). This is a SUPER fun sketch and I know I'll be using it again! Be sure to check out the LPS blog for all the info you need on playing along this week as there are weekly prizes and tons of fun to be had!

For more about my card, please scroll down to the next post...there is a LOT I am excited to show you about it!

We hope you'll play along this week and use LPSC32 as the keyword for SCS. Be sure to link your creation to the LPS blog, too so you can be eligible for a prize!

Hugs,
Jessica :)

Talk about playin' your CARDS right...

Hey! Thanks for stopping back to read more about my card today :)

So, in addition to my take on the sketch (*Please scroll above for my LPS Sketch post, thank you!!!), I was lucky enough to participate in the Taylored Expressions Birthday Bash challenges and wowza...there are 13 of them!

I love Taylored Expressions so much though, I was totally willing and about to hammer out 13 cards when I pulled up this week's LPS sketch and went, wait a minute...it says here you can "combine" them. Well WHAT is this combining stuff anyway?" I said to myself...and well, brace yourselves. Here's what I answered me, LOL: I ended up using SIX of them on this card!!!

TEBBDB: Donna Baker had a wonderful challenge to use paper piecing on our cards. I had a great little scrap leftover from the DP, so I used it for the cupcake wrapper :)

TEBBDM: Inspiration challenge. I was a bit stumped at first by this adorable photo that Denise Marzec chose as an inspiration piece. Denise is one of my favorite stampers so I didn't want to let her down! Mostly because I don't have a ton of orange paper that would complement pink and brown and to me the colors in the photo stood out more than anything. But, I found this piece of Basic Grey "sultry" DP and it had all the colors in the photo! Yay!

TEBBSW: Sankari Wegman had an awesome challenge to use Buttons as the main embellie...could this sketch be ANY more conducive to that? Rock on, people!

TEBBLS: Anyone who knows me knows that Laurie Schmidlin is one of my stamping idols...I LOVE her vintage style and she's a huge inspiration to me! Her challenge was to use distressing on our cards. Check. Love a little distressin' myself...as you will see TONS of this week on my blog ;)

TEBBJP: My sweet friend Jackie Pedro challenged us to use stitching somewhere on our cards, including faux stitching. Whew! Yeah, I don't own a machine, so faux it goes!

Last but not least, TEBBDE: Dawn Easton had a great challenge to use "Paper Tole". Although I haven't heard of it, I've done it before and you may have to. It's basically to stamp, layer and pop up the same image 3 times. Here's a closeup of what that looks like:

Whew! Well I don't know about you, but I felt pretty good about being able to include all these! Thanks SO much for stopping by today and be sure to stop back later today for another challenge I completed for Cuppie's Bday bash! I can't wait!

Happy Stamping!
Jessica :)

Saturday, September 5, 2009

It's a CRAZY life...

...and I am CRAZY excited to tell you that TODAY IS THE DAY!!!

The new CRAZY4CHALLENGES blog is NOW OPEN!

We have all been WAITING for the big day and it's finally here! Woo hoo!

Now, in addition to this CRAZY COOL SKETCH that we have for you this week, designed by our very own Cindy Haffner, we also have some exciting news about PRIZES!

That's right, Stamping Bella is our sponsor for this challenge so be sure to head on over to the CRAZY4Challenges (or, C4C as we call it ;) and CHECK IT OUT!

Here's my take on this week's sketch:

My sweet friend Mercy is a bit under the weather and oh, yeah, is now a VERVE DIVA, officially! OMGOSH I was freaking when she broke the news! I am SO thrilled for her, so I figured what better stamp set to use to make her a get well card than the new "Cup of Life" set from Verve stamps?!

I created a little pocket card based on the sketch and attached a bag of tea to the back of the pull-out tab of the card.

In addition, the card does open up the regular way as well so there is plenty of room to write inside and not just on the little pull-out part. What do you guys think? I have had that Crate Paper sitting on my desk forever so I was happy to finally be able to use it!

Well, have a WONDERFUL Labor Day weekend and don't forget to stop by the other AMAZING "Crazies", as I refer to them, LOL. They are:

We really hope you can play along this week! Be sure to stop by the C4C blog to upload your creation to the right place so we can all see them and you can be entered to win! If you upload to SCS, PCP, etc. use keyword C4C1.

I'll see you over on the Crazy4Challenges blog, everyone! Hugs!

Pages