The Whimsical Butterfly: October 2011

Monday, October 31, 2011

CREEPIN' by with a Halloween Hi!

Hey, everyone!

HAPPY Monday...and Happy Halloweenie!

We had SUCH a crazy busy weekend and so much fun I hope to catch up on some fun Diedrich happenings here soon...for now, I've got some last minute rainbow eyelashes to adhere for my own costume today so I'm gonna make this short and sweet!

We are welcoming TWO new CREEPERS at The Greeting Farm today and they're BOTH boys! Check out the TGF blog today and say hello to Creeper Saturday and Creeper Sunday!

Here is my card featuring Creeper Saturday:

My daughter Madelynn insisted that he have blonde hair w/ blue tips....so that is exactly what he has, LOL! Did I do ok? ;)

Be sure to check out the rest of the Farmers in action because ONE OF US has Creeper Saturday AND Sunday hidden on our blogs and ONE lucky winner will take home BOTH! Other than that, stay tuned and visit The Greeting Farm for FOUR NEW RELEASES tomorrow and a ton of fun over on our SCS forum throughout the day, too!

See you soon and stay safe out there today...TRICK or TREAT!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Sweet Sprout Matilda...

Hi again!

{{{PLEASE scroll down for my DECONSTRUCTED sketch post and another Farewell to Stamper's Dream!}}}

I'm back with another preview today from The Greeting Farm!

We couldn't help but notice a new little someone “sprouting” up this November...and have a sweet sneak preview for you today!

Introducing...

WILD SPROUT MATILDA!

Matilda is sassy, sweet, and everthing in between and will be released on NOVEMBER 1^st, so grab your wish lists and check them twice!

In addition to all of the FUN going on around the Farm this coming week, The Greeting Farm would like to invite you to come and hang out with us on Release Day for FUN chatter throughtout the day on our SCS Forum and hopefully we'll run into each other live at some point!

Last but not least, and you'll hear more about this on RELEASE day too- mark your calendars for November 11th- our first live “virtual stamp event' on our SCS forum with a themed challege, prizes, and our very first customer hostess of the evening. This is something we are planning on doing once a month so if there are any potential hostesses out there, stay tuned!!!

For now, be sure to visit the TGF BLOG for more details on how you can WIN WS Matilda today and thanks for coming by!

...a Merry and Magical sketch...

Hello, friends!

Thanks for coming by today for another fantastic 'installment' of The Deconstructed Sketch!

We have a few exciting announcements too- I'm REALLY excited about them actually! Please welcome:

TRACEY PICKERSGILL and

ANDREA EWEN

as our two newest Guest Designers! I'm a huge fan of both of these ladies and I know you'll give them a warm welcome, too :)

Today we present DS25 to you:

My card today uses the Merry Snowman set from Stamper's Dream!

Did you HEAR THE NEWS? Sadly, Stamper's Dream will be closing its doors soon and there is a big sale right now, have you shopped? There are all kinds of deals over there and that includes this super cute "North Country" paper that I used.

EVERYTHING in the store is 20% off the lowest price. Just use coupon FAREWELL2U.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Deconstructed Sketch team, today too:

That's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by and see you SOON!
xoxo,

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

It's beginning to look a lot like PREVIEWS...

Hello Farm friends!

This month has really flown by, hasn't it? We hope you've enjoyed the 5 clear stamp sets we released at the beginning of the month and hope you'll join us for some more fun and chatter on November 1^st when The Greeting Farm brings you another character-packed release!

That's right! We're back this month with some brand-spankin' new additions to our very beloved line of TGF characters and we are covering ALL the bases this month! We've got a new Sprout, TWO new Creepers, and an Anya that will have you at HELLO, believe me!

Speaking of HELLO's, we have a VERY exciting announcement today too! Please welcome KRIS PALAKIKO to our Design Team as our November Guest! Most of you know Kris from all of her enthusiasm and participation in many of our challenges over the past few years...pretty much since TGF's beginning back when we were still “Pink Poison!” She is a die-hard fan, loyal customer, and talented crafter and we hope you'll stop by to welcome her to the Farm this month! On that note, a HUGE note of thanks to Lori Craig who was our wonderful October guest! We are going to miss her but know she won't be a stranger and I'm sure a lot of you will be running into her in our new Splitcoaststampers home! Thanks Lori and WELCOME Kris!

….and WELCOME to the newest little sweetie on the Farm...

HOLIDAY ANYA!

Isn't she beautiful? We just adore her and are thinkin' you might too...(wink ;) I had a TON of fun coloring this pretty girl and then using some liquid appliqué for the trim of her dress. I added a few fun touches like the sentiment from the "Clearly Christmas" set and a Jenni Bowlin button :)

Holiday Anya is the first of FOUR single, rubber stamp previews so stay tuned tomorrow for more...bu for now, visit our blogs because ONE of us has Holiday Anya hidden and up for grabs! You never know WHO will win her...it might be you!

Thanks for stopping by today and see you tomorrow with someone else sprouting up on the Farm!
xoxo,

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Time for Friends...and WINE!...

Hey everyone! I'm so excited to be posting a fun card and project using HELMAR adhesives and {Ippity} stamps today! I have a super FUN project featuring the adorable new set titled, "Time for Friends and Wine" that was just released at the beginning of October!

This set is fresh off the press and with the holidays coming up (right around the corner- there's no escaping this, ha!), we all could use a quick and EASY hostess gift on hand, right?
I took a bottle of wine and made a fun label featuring some super glittery and fun paper from My Mind's Eye. I just happened to have this brad with a clock on it. I loved that it was "Time" for friends and Wine and so it worked out perfectly:

I'm still a sucker for frilly, floral trim so I adhered some trim on the top when I was done to give this an even prettier flair to the bottle:

...and I could NOT have done any of this without my Helmar cast of characters! I am NOT kidding! I used Acid Free glue to glue down the label all the way to the edges. This is super important when you're glueing anything that curves because the paper edges can lift all to easily sometimes. I then took Helmar 450 Quick Dry to glue the floral trim down (Webster's Pages Bloomers :). LOVE this trim.
Of course, no hostess gift would be complete without a card, right? Here's a closeup of a quick and simple card I made. The best part? All of the papers were scraps from the wine label! Again, it was Helmar to get the job done. These papers are SOOOO glittery that a normal tape runner wouldn't cut it. I used 450 Quick Dry for the entire card and flowers.

I hope you guys enjoyed my project today! I had a blast making this and can't wait to give it away! This project is featured on the HELMAR USA Design Team Blog today and will also be on the Unity Blog this evening....a "Triple feature" if you will...hope it's worthy!See you all soon! For a list of where you can buy {Ippity} stamps, click here.
xoxo,Jess

Friday, October 21, 2011

Some Farm-Fresh fun with Twine...

Welcome to our combined Blog Swap/Hop today featuring two fantastic companies, The Greeting Farm and The Twinery! If you're just getting here from JULIE RANAE's blog, WELCOME! If you have yet to begin the hop, please visit the TWINERY BLOG to begin! Hooray!

We are so excited to bring you a fun hop, loads of inspiration when the world of TGF Rubber stamps collides with the quality baker's twine we've all come to know and love, and some of the most talented designers in the industry with new and fun projects to share!

Did we mention PRIZES? There are definitely a few of those too so you'll want to check out our event today! Thank you so much for coming!

The Greeting Farm first sprouted into the stamping world in 2008 as a small dream and has cultivated into something wonderful because of wonderful customers like you! With three years of farm-fresh images under their belt, TGF is going strong and love brings you fun-loving, animated characters, including the best-selling "Anya" line. The Greeting Farm brings you cute, charismatic images that are LOADS of fun to COLOR! There is truly something for EVERYONE on the Farm and we are so glad to be teaming up with the Twinery today!

As for the Twinery, twine is made from 100% cotton, it's eco-friendly and made in the USA. Whether you're gift wrapping, crafting or tying up baked goods to give to a friend, this TOP quality baker's twine adds a fresh, yet nostalgic look to any project at hand! The Twinery twine comes in 14 delicious colors and is uniquely twisted against a bright white hue, creating an eye-popping burst of color and a creative embellishment! It has lots of color which lends to a fun, candy-striped look.

Since I'm blessed to design for both these wonderful companies, I'm thrilled to be showing you my project today using the TGF "Wild Sprout Logan" and Twinery Twine in Stone which I think might be my new favorite color! My card is also casing THIS card today for the Farm Fresh Friday 'Spy-day" on the Farm Fresh Challenge Blog- be sure to check it OUT!

Now...I DID mention something about PRIZES, didn't I? ;) There are TWO prize packs up for grabs and you will have until Sunday, October 23rd at 5pm CST to comment on ALL the blogs and enter for your chance to win one of them!

The Greeting Farm is giving away their ENTIRE November release EARLY to one lucky winner- that is four stamps in all and EARLY nonetheless!

The Twinery is giving away one “COLORFUL BUNCH” sampler pack!

That's TWO great prizes, TWO chances to win...and endless inspiration beginning HERE:

The Greeting Farm Blog

Thank you SO much for stopping by today! Now it's time to head over to EMILY LEIPHART's blog, thanks so much for sharing in our SUPER fun event today!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

My Little Shoebox and UNITY Blog Hop!

Hi again!

{{{IF you are here for my KEY INGREDIENTS BLOG HOP and Deconstructed Sketch post, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN, thank you!!!}}}}

We are SO excited about the Unity Stamp Co. and My Little Shoebox Blog Hop today! If you're just arriving from MELINDA's blog, you've come to the right place!

If you're just joining me today, be sure to hop right back to the UNITY blog so you can start today's awesome line up!

Today I have a card for you using "Pretty Little Things", one of the ADORABLE Unity and MLS Co-branded stamp lines that is available for purchase today! Check out the DARLING co-branded line HERE!

I really love the whimsical, fun feel to My Little Shoebox stamps that Unity is making- don't you? Seriously, they are on sale on the UNITY site right now- go get 'em!

Here's a close-up of my card just to capture some of the fun dimension going on:

Hope you like it...and thanks for stopping by...although you didn't think I was going to let you go without telling you about the fabulous PRIZES for today's hop, did ya?

You have until the 23^rd at MIDNIGHT CST to comment…winner to be posted on 24^th on the My Little Shoebox Blog - which is also your next STOP!

Thanks again for stopping by today and GOOD LUCK to all who enter to win some great prizes sponsored today by My Little Shoebox!

October Key Ingredients Blog Hop!...

Hey guys!

I'm back today with ANOTHER Blog Hop! That makes FOUR already this week and I have ONE more tomorrow, HA!

It has been a SUPER fun week and it's also the 20th of the month which means it's time for the KEY INGREDIENTS Blog HOP with Taylored Expressions!!

As you can probably tell from my posts lately, I am LOVING the October Key Ingredients, featuring the gorgeous "Farmhouse" DP from Crate Paper. Here's ALL you get in this month's kit:

Seriously, if you're not already subscribed, what are you waiting for?? You get ALL of the items pictured below and have just what you need each month to create beautifully coordinated cards, projects, and more and stay organized in a see- through storage box as well! I love them.

Here's my card using this week's Deconstructed Sketch by my friend Jen Shults:

...and here's the sketch this week, DS24:

Did you know that when you subscribe to a Key Ingredients Kit at Taylored Expressions that there are lots of fun perks, a beautiful inspiration Gallery each month, and a coupon code for a certain block of days each month? Add to that, you can create a LOT of projects using just one kit and everything matches so well!

I used the adorable "Moka Jenn" for my card today but cut the shirt off of Moka Olivia and altered her a bit ;) Hope you like it!

Be sure to check out the other Key Ingredients team members today as they have something special for you too:

Thanks so much for coming by again today! ENJOY our short and SWEET hop with LOTS of inspiration along the way!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Stamper's Dream ANNOUNCEMENT and Blog Hop...

Hey everyone!

{{{if you are looking for yesterday's UNITY/SPELLBINDERS day ONE hop, please scroll down, thank you!}}}

I am here today with a special ANNOUNCEMENT and Blog Hop for Stamper's Dream. As I have enjoyed my guest spot for Michelle SO much this month, it is with a heavy heart that I announce Michelle has decided to close Stamper's Dream ! After many tears, and much prayer it's the right thing for her right now and I totally, 100% support this wonderful lady!

  So... her loss is your gain! Everything in the store is 20% off with the coupon code Farewell2U. Just enter on the checkout page in the coupon section and it will take 20% off the lowest marked price of the items in your shopping cart! There is a $20 minimum to activate the coupon (and no free shipping, just to clarify :)

With all that said, did you know we're having our very last Stamper's Dream blog hop???

Here's my creation, using the adorable Penny Johnson for Stampavie's "Blossom Birds", available NOW at Stamper's Dream! I LOVED coloring up this creation and even though the flowers are sort of tropical looking, I'm turning this baby into a Christmas card for my Mom who ADORES birds!

Michelle has invited some special friends to hop with us as well!

Here's the lineup:  

 Tosha Leyendekker  

 Amy Sheffer

 Lea Lawson

 Jo Thompson

Michelle's undying thanks to members of The Dream Team both past and present Michelle took the time to communicate with us personally, even me, the newbie! I wish Michelle the VERY, very best and many happy memories with her family and grandchildren!

Thanks so much for stopping by...

Monday, October 17, 2011

Unity Stamp Company & Spellbinders 2-Day Blog Hop!

Welcome to our TWO-day event!

You should be joining me from my sweet friend KIM CRAWFORD’s blog. Isn't she talented??? If you are just starting today's hop or just coming to visit my blog, then you'll definitely want to head to the beginning on the Unity Stamp Co. blog today!

With all the blog-swaps that are happening out there lately, I can't think of one more exciting than when the amazing women of SPELLBINDERS get together with the rockstars of UNITY STAMP COMPANY!

We can't wait to show you a special line of coordinating products featuring SPELLBINDERS dies and SAMANTHA WALKER for Unity Stamp Co. rubber stamps!

Not only are we thrilled to be collaborating on such a special 2-day event, but ONE of you will win ALL of the coordinating stamps and dies from the Samantha Walker collection! We will also have 1 winner each day from the comments that will receive 1 Samantha Walker stamp set and coordinating dies. Soooooo.....be sure to enjoy our hop both days, leave comments on all of the blogs each day and check back to see if you won! (winners will be posted on Wednesday, October 19th on the Unity Blog and Spellbinders Blog)

I got to work with the awesome "Orchard Harvest" stamp set by Samantha Walker and the coordinating Spellbinders dies. These are so beautifully framed and I just LOVE them! I made a card for my Mom and actually I gave it to her last night. She has us over for Sunday dinner quite often so I thought the "Gather Together" sentiment was super awesome to have on hand in this set.

I also brought over some pumpkin spice cookies for dessert and put them in this cute mini-bakery bag! All of the card stock and paper (which is Crate Paper "farmhouse" collection is listed below!

Here's a close up of the bag's detail using another pretty frame stamp:

...and here's my card using my favorite stamp and die from the collection:

Hope you enjoy them!

Now please head over to the super sweet LATISHA's blog NEXT!

Click HERE to go to Latisha's blog!

In case you get lost along the way, please visit the Unity Stamp Company blog for a list of all the blogs in today’s hop! Thank you so much for stopping by! This is SO exciting!

xoxo,

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Am I BUGGIN' ya on a WEEKEND?

Yes! I am!

We have a little surprise up our sleeves today on the FARM FRESH CHALLENGE blog at The Greeting Farm!

A few months ago, I was approached by Tammy Miller of BUGABOO stamps and she was so sweet and let us know how her and Jodi, the owner, just loved TGF and our designs. She then asked if we'd be interested in doing a Blog Swap of sorts with them, and I couldn't have said yes quickly enough!

October 15th seemed like FOREVER to get here...but today is the day!

We are playing along in the BUGABOO stamp challenge today and they'll be playing with us next Friday, how FUN is that?!

TODAY on the "Catch the Bug" Blog there is an ANIMAL challenge (it must be animal week, as our RETRO challenge was the same theme this month, heehee!)

The prize is SEVEN free digis- woo hoo!

I tell you what, we had a GOOD time playing with these images and I think YOU will too- be sure to check out the CATCH THE BUG blog for all the rules on what stamps to use, etc.

I had the BEST TIME COLORING this image. Isn't it CUTE? I'm really happy with the way it turned out and couldn't wait to share it with you! The paper is Crate Paper, Emma's Shoppe and Neighborhood packs. AND, I know JUST the lucky girl who's going to receive this card. She is brave and wonderful and well....be on the lookout, my friend ;)

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to play along with Bugaboo this week and HAVE FUN!

Be sure to stop back Friday the 21st for part TWO of this fun Blog Swap opportunity!

Good luck!
************************
I'm also here today on behalf of the AMAZING Cause going on Splitcoaststampers right now, the 2nd Annual "Hope you can Cling To" event. Today, Sunday, is my day to host a challenge and it just so happens to be a PINK RIBBON challenge!
I hope you'll check out this great cause, as there are some amazing prizes and wonderful challenges EVERY day this month!

Last but not least, be sure to grab a copy of the TGF October Newsletter, and if you're not subscribed, email Jess! There is LOTS of info in this month's issue including a special Guest Designer contest and a chance to play with the Farmers!

xoxo,

Thursday, October 13, 2011

A Deconstructed Haunting...

Hi, everyone!

{{{PLEASE scroll down for my HELMAR post and giveaway today! Thanks!}}}

I have been SO out of it this week being on Fall break I seriously forgot what day it is...but you know what? Yay! It's THURSDAY..and time for another Deconstructed Sketch and STAMPER's DREAM post!

I have to admit that I don't create too many Halloween cards, but this really cool "Crowscape" stamp from Stampendous, available at Stamper's Dream, really intrigued me! This is SUCH a cool, eerie background, isn't it?

I paired it up with some super cute "Mischievous" papers from My Mind's Eye, also from Stamper's Dream! I LOVE this Halloween paper and I think it's just about the cutest 6x6 stack I have seen!

Be sure to check out the STAMPER'S DREAM store to see the latest product and to snag these cute Halloween items cuz you still have plenty of time to make a few cards! ;)

****************************************

As for today's layout of my card, it's thanks to the FANTASTIC Deconstructed Sketch today:

I really love this one and hope you'll check out the rest of the Deconstructed Sketch team.

In addition, we have a FUN announcement! We are looking for a GUEST DESIGNER at the Deconstructed Sketch! Here's how to apply:

Do you love sketches? Would you like to be a guest designer for The Deconstructed Sketch? Jen is holding a contest using this week's sketch to find a VERY SPECIAL designer to guest with us from November 3, 2011 to January 26, 2012. That's THREE months designing with the Deconstructed Sketch Girls! If you are interested all you need to do is make a card using this week's sketch and add your card to InLinkz on Jen's blog by October 19, 2011 at 8 pm CST and add GUEST to the end of your name when linking up. If you are selected Jen will contact you regarding the specific duties for the three month term.

I hope to see some of you get out there and go for it!

Til next time...

xoxo,

All Things Grow with LOVE...and a giveaway!

Hi, everyone!

I'm so excited to be back on the Helmar Design Team blog today with another recycled project using some Helmar showstoppers:
*Acid Free Glue
*450 Quick-Dry, and
*Zap Dots!
Today I want to show you how I keep a lot of loose odds and ends that either a.) don't have a real "spot" in my craft desk or b.) I have maybe one or two leftover from a pack and I probably won't refill or replace it. (a girl's gotta have some variety in her crafting, right? ;)

I have a few of these little 'odds and ends' jars and I'm actually GIVING THIS ONE AWAY today!

I think there were flowers in this jar originally, and they've all been used. I've been storing leftover ribbon from card kits I've bought online, some lefover brads, charms, a few flowers, and some other odds and ends in this one and as you can see it's very plain and 'blah'.
I decided to give this a little makeover using some paper and some Maya Road (a Helmar preferred partner!) rose ribbon. It's SO pretty!

I started by adhering the paper with some ACID FREE GLUE. After a few layers I added a label and was already loving how this was looking ;)

I then took 450 QUICK-DRY and applied a thin layer where I wanted to lay down my rose ribbon. 450 QUICK DRY is the BEST for ribbon, fabrics, etc. It dries clear and super fast, and doesn't bleed through even the sheerest of fabrics such as this ribbon. It's a MUST have in your crafting area!

After this was done, it was time to decorate the lid. I did use 450 QUICK-DRY on the paper for the lid because the lid is a bit transparent and I didn't want any glue lines on the inside/bottom of the lid. It worked fabulously!

Last but not least I took some circle 1/4" White ZAP DOTS and added them to the back of the rose sticker to give it some dimension- love the look!

Here's the final result, what do you think?

Thanks SO much for letting me come and hang with y'all on the Helmar blog today. DID YOU SEE thenews? It's ABOUT THAT TIME for the 2011-2012 DESIGN TEAM CALL and Tracy has all the detailsHERE....we would LOVE for you to apply!

I'll be posting on Helmar's FACEBOOK page, with my project here today, too! Are you following us on Facebook? Our page is hoppin', fun, and FULL of inspiration so make sure to head over if you're not there already...once you "like" us, come back here and leave a comment and I'll draw one random winner on MONDAY, 10/17 (so please comment by Sunday at 11:59pm CST! and post the winner on MONDAY! All you have to do is go "like" Helmar or let me know that you do already! Cuz really....what's not to like? And we can ALL grow better with love ;)

Love to all,
Jess :)

PS...thank you to my SWEET and beautiful daughter Madelynn for helping me take some of the pictures! <3