Introducing...a Twinkling Tina Wenke card...

...can you STAND how cute this image is???

Are you sitting down? Well, good because it's just one of TEN new stamps designed by Tina Wenke for Stampavie!

When I first saw these stamps all I could think about was how they remind me of my childhood and some books my Mom used to read to me. When I got older, I used to sit at the foot of my bed near my bookshelves and read these books all night long. I remember because they were on the bottome shelf so it was easy to sit and grab them from there.

Holy moly are they CUTE?!?! What better way to break them in than with a (doozy of a) sketch by my very sweet boy Jack. Madelynn was nice enough to turn over the sketch pad to him yet again so he could have another turn :) He is really coming into his own, my boy!

Don't these flowers on this sheet of DP (from the Sweet Stack by DCWV ) go perfectly w/ the way he drew the bottom of the sketch? I was flipping through tons and tons of paper trying to decide what to use to make my card when I saw this and it screamed "pick me, pick me!"

I hope you'll head over to the Twinkling Tuesday blog today, because my awesome friend Kim Ross who just happens to be my cousin is today's featured stamper, and she has QUITE the cutie patootie card using my Butterfly Wishes stamp set available now through The Greeting Farm!

We hope you'll play along this week, so visit the TT blog for all the deets :)

Have a wonderful Tuesday, everyone! You all twinkle, sparkle, and shine!

xoxo
Jess ;)

A Splash of Citrus-y Summer...

Hey everyone!

***PLEASE scroll down for your chance to win my new set, Butterfly Wishes, being released TOMORROW!***

Sorry I'm WAY late w/ my Twinkling Tuesday post-things have been a little nuts here and I'm actually not feeling well. I spent a few hours in the ER last night only to come home w/ no real diagnosis? I think I have vertigo from an inner ear infection, but, since they can't SEE into your inner ear, I was told to follow up with my doctor today and that if it's viral it could be weeks to clear up. Kinda sucks cuz I can't even drive, nor would I want to endanger my kids doing so, obviously. Well, I'll keep you posted on that but if you have ever had anything like this I'd love to hear your thoughts! I worked in a pediatric office for 5 years and have PLENTY of experience being a mom but I just can't figure this one out!

Even with all I have going on though, I STILL had time to make my TT card! Now THAT's dedication, LOL!!!

Today's featured TT stamper is JANNA and boy does she have some AMAZING fruity fun to show you on the TT blog..check it out!
Anyway, I used the DCWV CITRUS STACK to make my card today, which was pretty fitting with the inspiration photo that Madelynn chose for you today!

This card was also the one I used for yesterday's bi-monthly Challenge at STAMPAVIE! I LOVE this Rachelle Anne Miller stamp-she's all set for the beach! The challenge is a recipe to use the following:

3 flowers
2 buttons
1 ribbon
Embossing (I really snuck by w/ this one LOL! Truth be told, I fORGOT about the embossing, but thankfully the Citrus paper is EMBOSSED!!!

We'd love for you to play along with the STAMPAVIE CHALLENGE! See you there (if you dare!) Muahahahahahahaha!

Ok, so as you all know, I also have a contest running for you to win my NEW set, Butterfly Wishes, (I used the "My Friend" sentiment from this new set :) being released TOMORROW!!!! Please go to THIS post if you haven't entered yet! I will announce the winner TOMORROW!!!

I want to thank my blogging buddies and friends/relatives for making some SUPER fab eye candy with my new set! PLEASE check out JESSIE RONE's blog today for some STUNNING cards using Butterfly Wishes! Thank you so much to ALL who are such a support to me-I am just thrilled!

Tomorrow we begin the July release festivities at The Greeting Farm...be back later w/ all the details!

Some Sweet SK Bling...and a Twinkling (literally!) Challenge...

...if it's got bling, chances are I LIKE it!

This week Madelynn kept things short and sweet with a simple yet fun challenge: BLING IT!

You can create whatever you want as long as RHINESTONES are used somewhere on your creation! Fabulous!

I used the adorable Sarah Kay image (from Stampavie) called Picnic Time and I just adore it!
Sooo, you guys want to play along this week? Flash us some bling and have FUN with this FAB challenge! Be sure to use keyword MTTSC28 if you upload to SCS, but leave us a comment here and let us know you played!

Be sure to stop by the Twinkle Team's blogs today too-just a click away on my sidebar!

Happy Twinkle Day everyone!

You're Unique...

Hey everyone!

It's time for another Twinkling Tuesday post and I want to dedicate this one to our Twinkle Team. Now, you might not have guessed this about me (LOL now and get it over with ;) that I TEND to be a mushy gushy person a lot of the time...so I will warn you that this is one of those days... (disclaimer. check.)

I guess I just want to express my utmost gratitude to this team of women who come together every week-without "having to", "needing to", or because I am giving them anything...but because they saw the incredible heart and creative soul of an eight year old girl (who is now nine...sniff!) and thought it was so wonderful that they adore her sketches and give her the great joy of seeing them every week. You guys have no idea how much that means to her. And to those who play along with us every week...thank you so much!!!
The main theme of my card today is "Unique". This week's challenge was issued by our featured stamper Rebecca's son Jameson, and you can read more about that on the TT blog. In keeping with what the inspiration means to me, along with the Asian inspired Ketto stamp and using similar colors of Suki's Kimono (see TT blog), I think you can all see where I drew inspiration from to create this card in the photo I included above. Also, the story of Suki's Kimono is about a very unique little girl! Talk about being able to relate! I am beyond blessed to have two of them ;)

However, I also chose the word UNIQUE because of the amazing thing about a group of stampers getting together, week after week such as the Twinkle Team...whether it's a sketch, a picture to draw inspiration, or a color challenge, you are all so UNIQUE in your BEAUTIFUL interpretations that I just, again, want to say THANK YOU! I love seeing what you guys do week after week! You are all lovely and talented girlies and I {HEART} you and appreciate you...and Madelynn does too!

Be sure to check out their cards and how THEY got inspired this week:

• Bonnie Sharp
• Cassie Larson
• Christi Thorsen
• Darla Wilson
• Debbie Lee
• Heather Lee-Reppen
• Heather Schlatter
• Jacquie Peifer
• Janna Hull
• Jennifer Greco
• Jessica Diedrich
• Kim Ross
• Kimmie Doktor
• Lisa Slusser
• Rebecca Ednie
• Sandra McLean

Alright, now that I'm COMPLETELY covered in mushy goo ;), I leave you, hopefully, with the warm fuzzies because you all deserve them! And to all who read my blog, YOU do too!!! Thank you for coming here and making me feel unique, too ;) {{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Jess ;)

A VERY Special Twinkling Tuesday: Proud Mom Edition!

Hey Everyone!

I'm here with a very special edition of Twinkling Tuesday for you.

A very special rite of passage took place here over the weekend...are you sitting down? Madelynn got to use Copic Markers for the very first time on Sunday!

Now, I'll tell you that while this did give me a small heart attack, LOL, she was SO good with them. She knew to be gentle and is so good at coloring anyway that I thought I'd let her give it a whirl. The boys were actually at my aunt's for an overnight so it was just me and the girls stamping and crafting all day. Was SO much fun!

She chose one of the Miss Anya stamps from The Greeting Farm and began to choose her colors...
Once she chose them, I taught her a bit about taking color out and blending with a lighter shade... she also did a GREAT job giving some "lowlights" to Miss Anya's hair ;)

Now, what made me a bit MORE nervous than the Copics was her desire to use "that thing you poke the holes with". Oh, right. The deadly weapon....my paper piercer. We had a discussion about safety before hand and then I carefully monitored this, but she did GREAT...and in a straight line, too!Miss Ava had a blast, too coloring up some images (with CRAYON!). Here she is smiling for the camera while she colored up some fun and big sis remained hard at work...Soon, it was time to put the finishing touches on this card. She did SUCH a good job that I said hey, why don't YOU your own Twinkling Tuesday card! This is perfect! So, she grabbed some paper, matching ribbon, and followed her own sketch. The ONLY thing I did for her was cut the papers, but she chose AND assembled it all herself...even punched the border and did the ribbon and the pearls! WOW!

Look at this GORGEOUS product made by my nine year old girl! Can you believe it? She did SUCH a beautiful job! I am so excited that I get to show you this today because I am just BEAMING with pride! Great job, sweetheart!
Want to play along with the sketch? Awesome! Make sure you head on over to the Twinkling Tuesday blog and leave a comment on today's post when you play. If you upload to SCS or PCP please use keyword MTTSC24. Today's post features my friend Heather Lee-Reppen and you won't want to miss it! Also, make sure to stop by and visit the other Twinklettes:

• Bonnie Sharp
• Cassie Larson
• Christi Thorsen
• Darla Wilson
• Debbie Lee
• Heather Lee-Reppen
• Heather Schlatter
• Jacquie Peifer
• Janna Hull
• Jennifer Greco
• Kim Ross
• Kimmie Doktor
• Rebecca Ednie
• Sandra McLean

Thanks for reading and have a WONDERFUL day!

Some Twinkling Tuesday "Cuppy Love"...

Hey everyone!

It's Twinkling Tuesday again and we again turned over the floor to my darling son, Jack, who wanted to step up as "Temporary Twinkie" again this week and graced us with yet another awesome (and challenging!) sketch!

Isn't this darling? I just love when the kids draw sketches! So, so sweet!

Almost equally as sweet are the new Stamps and Smiles stamps that I actually WON last weekend during their Blog Hop for their new release! Yes, me! I actually WON LOL!!! I participated in their week's worth of sketch challenges and was so excited to find out that I won their entire May release!

Stamps and Smiles actually has awesome sketch challenges every week, too! My friend Mercy Kerin is the master sketch designer and I look forward to their challenges each Thursday! You can check out more of my cards using Stamps and Smiles sketches in my SCS Gallery. Be sure to check out the Fresh Batch blog for more info on these awesome challenges!

Have you guys heard of Stamps and Smiles? You really should check them out! I used the adorable "Cuppy" image from the new Hello Spring set. The sentiment is from the Happy Birthday Cupcake set.

Want to play along with Jack's sketch this week? Be sure to check out the Twinkling Tuesday blog when you have a chance and also, the rest of the Twinklette's fantastic creations! I present you the famous Twinkle Team:

Bonnie Sharp
Cassie Larson
Christi Thorsen
Darla Wilson
Debbie Lee
Heather Lee-Reppen
Heather Schlatter
Jacquie Peifer
Janna Hull
Jennifer Greco
Jessica Diedrich
Kim Ross
Kimmie Doktor
Rebecca Ednie
Sandra McLean

Thanks for visiting today and have a SWEET day full of Stamps AND Smiles :)

A "Gorjuss" Twinkling Tuesday...

...and Gorjuss it is indeed!

I was SO excited to meet up with Janna this weekend. I know I said that yesterday, but seriously we had a BLAST! While stamping, both of us practiced hair coloring techniques and well...I got to stamp a few of these cuties!

I HAVE to have this stamp. I really don't like to pay shipping, esp. international but seriously she is the CUTEST!

Our very own Kimmie's son Nicky was the "Temporary Twinkie" this week and chose a VERY challenging Blue, Purple, and Orange color combo for this week's Twinkling Tuesday challenge. Using the new Wisteria paper from Basic Grey I got the blue and purple down no problem, and then I added some orange to her hair, tights, and a few colorful brads to tie it all in and Voila! I think I like it! :)

I have to say that in times of trial, LOL, some of our best work is born, so be sure to check out the rest of the Twinkle Team's blogs today as I'm sure their creations are nothing short of amazing! Be sure to visit:

Bonnie Sharp
Cassie Larson
Christi Thorsen
Darla Wilson
Debbie Lee
Heather Lee-Reppen
Heather Schlatter
Jacquie Peifer
Janna Hull
Jennifer Greco
Kim Ross
Kimmie Doktor
Rebecca Ednie
Sandra McLean

Want to play along with us this week? Be sure to use keyword MTTSC22 if you upload to SCS or PCP and leave a comment on the Twinkling Tuesday blog so we know you played along! Know any little ones that would like to be a "Temporary Twinkie"? Email me and we'd love to have your son or daughter issue a Guest Challenge!

Thanks for visiting and have a gGORJUSS day! ~Jessica :)

A Pretty "Cool" Twinkling Tuesday...

Hello everyone and Happy Twinkle Day :)

This week, I've "flipped that sketch" once again. That's the beauty of sketches...you can totally do that! What a great jumping off point my DD gave us this week to kick-start our creativity :) Gotta love it! So, I did flip the picture of the sketch so you could see it more easily, the ribbon, etc. through the middle of my card. I did have to move the sentiment from right to left because of those big pretty snowflakes I found, but other than that, hopefully you can see it :)

Another thing I'm "Flipping" over is this ADORABLE new Miss Anya that I used for today's card! If you missed our special early previews over at Club Anya last week, be sure to head over there and scroll back a few posts...you won't be sorry you did! The new Miss Anyas: Rain, Snow, Shine is being released on the 15th and boy are they amazing!!!

I just had to use this Miss Anya "snow" for today's card. I love all the fun things you can do with her cute little outfit and accessories ;) I had a great time using liquid applique for her muff, earmuffs, and fur trim and then went over the liquid applique with Martha Stewart glitter. I colored her w/ my Copics and did some shading this time that i thought turned out pretty well. There is so much to be learned with Copics! Love them!

I found that the unusual color scheme for a winter card was one of the "coolest" part about this card. I am LOVING the new Wisteria paper from Basic Grey, too...sooooo yummy! Well, I hope you like my card today...this one's on its way to Marie from The Greeting Farm because well,...she's pretty "cool" herself :)

Be sure to head on over to the TT blog today to see what our featured stamper has whipped up for us, as well all the deets on how to play along this week! If you choose to upload to SCS/pCP, please use keyword MTTSC21.

Now that you've stopped by (and thanks for doing so!), head on over to the other Twinkle Team's blogs to see what COOL creations they have up their sleeves...they are:

Bonnie Sharp
Cassie Larson
Christi Thorsen
Darla Wilson
Debbie Lee
Heather Lee-Reppen
Heather Schlatter
Jacquie Peifer
Janna Hull
Jennifer Greco
Jessica Diedrich
Kim Ross
Kimmie Doktor
Rebecca Ednie
Sandra McLean

Thanks again for stopping by and have a VERY Twinkling Tuesday!

Twinkling Tuesday: Gotta Kiss a Few Frogs...

Good day, all!

Sorry this is a bit late. There is something very mysterious going on w/ Blogger and two posts I wrote for TWO different blogs have seemed to have been lost in cyberspace...grrrrrrrrrrrr.....

Anyway, I'm not going to let that get me down as I am planning on a GOOD day! My Dad is coming to spend the night with us so I'm VERY excited to see him after they moved to TN...he has to come back up on some business so I can't wait to see him.

Also, today's Twinkling Tuesday post really makes me smile as it's my darling son Nicky's FROG challenge! Nicky filled in for Madelynn this week and challenged us all to use a frog (or some other critter if you dont have a frog stamp!) on our cards this week.

I couldn't wait to ink up my Down by the Pond set from The Greeting Farm! I absolutely love this set and well, Nicky even moreso! I used this week's MOJO84 sketch to create this card and it was VERY well received by Nicky. He happens to have a bit of a cold and earache today so it was just the thing to brighten his day.

Be sure to check out the Twinkling Tuesday blog today as Cassie is the featured stamper and will be back shortly with an adorable creation. In the meantime, play along with us! Our keyword for SCS/PCP is MTTSC20 and be sure to stop by the TT blog to let us know you played along!

Also, don't forget to check out the rest of the Twinklettes blogs. They are:

Bonnie Sharp
Cassie Larson
Christi Thorsen
Darla Wilson
Debbie Lee
Heather Lee-Reppen
Heather Schlatter
Jacquie Peifer
Janna Hull
Jennifer Greco
Jessica Diedrich
Kim Ross
Kimmie Doktor
Rebecca Ednie
Sandra McLean

Last but not least, speaking of The Greeting Farm, be sure to check out the Club Anya blog as there is a VERY exciting contest going on THIS week! Seriously, you do NOT want to miss it!

Happy Twinkle day, everyone! xoxo ~jess

Twinkling Tuesday: Deer Friend

Hey everyone!

It's once again Twinkling Tuesday and I have to say, I couldn't wait to show you this card.

My little guy Jack, 7, is once again this week's "Temporary Twinkie" and has stepped in as well, a Guest of sorts with our sketch this week. Yeah, Jacky! He LOVES to draw sketches and I have to share with you this cute story:

Jack was our "Temporary Twinkie" last month and you may remember THIS sketch he created. Well, the next day when it was time to look at everyone's creations, I told him, now tell me what you think of everyone's cards, etc, and explained to him the comment process. Although Madelynn doesn't get around to it EVERY week, I did explain to them the importance of acknowledging someone when they were playing the kids' sketches, etc.

Anyway, Jacky really enjoyed this process. Weeks passed, we took vaca, etc., and then a few days ago, out of the blue, Jack came up to me while working on my laptop and said "So, Mom...do I have any comments to leave today?" LOL!!! I thought this was SO, so cute I couldn't wait to share with you...and hence, another TT sketch was born!!! Thanks Jacky for this awesome sketch!

I couldn't WAIT to ink up my Forest Friends set from The Greeting Farm! I absolutely LOVE this little deer and fell in love with him the minute I saw this stamp set when it was released last month. His sweet and innocent little face just "had me at hello!"

So, you want to play along this week? We'd love to have you! Just create card using the above sketch and be sure to leave a comment on the Twinkling Tuesday blog so that the whole team can stop by and see what you've made! If you prefer to upload to SCS or PCP, just use keyword MTTSC19 so we can see all the beautiful creations in one spot! Don't forget to head over to the TT blog today to see my "Deer" friend Bonnie's awesome take on this week's sketch...she is our featured stamper this week, and a HUGE Congrats to her as we just found out she is a Dirty Girl...yep, that's right! Our very own Bonnie is a part of the elite SCS "Dirty Dozen" design team. CONGRATS BONNIE!!! I have had the pleasure of knowing Bonnie not only on the Twinkle Team but also as fellow DT members of the Little Paper Shop!

Speaking of which, I should tell you that TODAY is the APRIL RELEASE DAY over at The Little Paper Shop! There are THREE BRAND NEW STAMP SETS being released today and let me just say that they are AMAZING! Be sure to check out the website and LPS Blog for all the fun information! See you over there!

Well, that's all for today! See you back here tomorrow and have a wonderful Twinkling Tuesday!

A SWEET Twinkling Tuesday...(although the sketch left me with more aches than just my tooth!)

WHAT....a doozy!

You can NEVER underestimate the creative mind of a child! I am SO proud of my DD for making some of the greatest (and most CHALLENGING) sketches I've seen out there! This week's Twinkling Tuesday sketch was NO exception! Talk about ONE SWEET SKETCH!

I received my new Taylored Expressions stamps in the mail yesterday, and I have to say that I'm BEYOND impressed with her products and also her customer service. WOW! I ordered the stamps late Friday and received them in the mail on Monday! I wish I had that kind of luck with the PO...granted I don't send things priority too often but I've had a streak of really bad luck w/ things getting lost or coming like 2 weeks later...

Anyway, her Customer Service was impeccable. I can count on one hand how many times I've had "WOW" experiences and I must say I am lucky to work for some of those companies, and Taylored Expressions was no exception. In addition to her speedy shipping (like the wind!), I got a shipping refund via PayPal because I had over paid by a few dollars...can you believe that! So yes, not only are her stamps AMAZINGLY cute, but the whole experience was awesome and I will definitely be back for more! Thanks, Taylor!!!

My first two purchases were the new Fresh Flowers set, and this adorable set, Downtown Diva, which I used for today's card. I ADORE these little cuppies and just as equally the little storefronts in this new set. It's perfect for all-occasion and I couldn't WAIT to ink it up (and oh, did I mention the rubber is PINK?)

This week's Twinkling Tuesday sketch was DEFINITELY a challenge for me! I decided that given what I had to (ok, WANTED to) work with, I needed to flip it, first and foremost. I glued down my ribbon as the backdrop along with this adorable Doodlebug paper that I had leftover from Easter...love those glitter dots! I then chose a few images that I thought would work with the sketch being flipped and embellished just a tad and voila....a SWEET Twinkling Tuesday!''

The only thing missing from the sketch was the three little embellies on the left corner of her sketch which just weren't going to fit...however, if you think of the glitter dots on the paper as them, it totally fits! What do you guys think, do I get away with it? Hee hee...we'll see what Madelynn says when she gets home from school!

Be sure to check out the rest of the Twinkle Team's posts as well...They will Wow you, too! Links on my sidebar...check 'em out!

Well, be sure to stop by tomorrow for a Prettie Post and also for the Big ANYA release tomorrow night with our HUGE blog hoppin' BASH! You can SCROLL DOWN or click HERE for all the info :)

Thanks for reading and putting up wth my double-posting all week...I love it when you guys come by! Hugs! ~Jess :)

Some Twinkling Tuesday excitement!

Hello!

I'm so glad to be back doing my DD's Twinkling Tuesdays Challenge! After two weeks off I was ready to go again with a fun challenge that also helped to get me motivated again!

First, though, I want to tell you some SUPER fun news from Stampavie! We are now doing bi-weekly challenges for AWESOME PRIZES on the Stampavie blog! Every two weeks, the DT will be issuing a challenge that will be posted on the Stampavie Design Team blog.

Each winner will receive designated prizes from Heidi and Stuart, the gracious (and awesome!) owners of Stampavie and you will have a chance to win some AWESOME things!

This week's Twinkling Tuesday card is also my challenge card from Stampavie (and no, Bonnie I won't be guilty about my multi-tasking LOL!!!). I used this week's sketch that Diane was gracious enough to provide us, plus this ADORABLE BRAND NEW Rachelle Anne Miller stamp, "Hoppy Spring". The new Rachelle Anne Miller line of stamps is out and boy has she outdone herself! Check them all out...you'll be amazed at how adorable they are!

Want to play along? YEAH YA DO! All you have to do is use a Stampavie image, along with this sketch, and upload to THIS post using Mr. Linky. Fun stuff! Can't wait to see what you make!

As for Twinkling Tuesday, Madelynn and I both kind of came up with this week's challenge. So, HOW many of you have stamps that you buy that just sit and sit for a while? Yeah, I know. ME TOO! Now, this was especially hard for me to choose because after being gone for two weeks, I even had stuff in boxes waiting for me! So I grabbed my new Stampavie stamps in their box, closed my eyes, and literally that is how I chose this week's stamp to use LOL! That means I have TOO many stamps and not enough time!! Isn't that the story for ALL of us?

Also overdue is a proper welcome for my friend, Heather Lee-Reppen! I didnt' really get a chance to properly welcome her to our Twinkling little family since I was outta here as soon as she agreed to be a part of the team! yay! Heather is a friend who I have really enjoyed getting to know. She is super talented and I hope you'll all check out her blog! WELCOME HEATHER!!!

I hope you guys get to play along this week. If you do, you can leave a comment on the TT blog or upload to SCS using keyword MTTSC17. And don't forget about the SAV Challenge #1 on the Stampavie DT blog, too! How many challenges will YOU do this week? Stay tuned for a Prettie sketchy Wednesday and I'm so glad to be back! Lots of fun stuff to share, see, and do!

Hugs,

Jess :)

Twinkling Tuesday: He's a Natural...

Hello there!

It's another Twinkling Tuesday in blogland and I am SUPER excited to tell you this week that we have a VERY special guest sketch artist, a.k.a. "Temporary Twinkie" this week....my very own son, Jack! Check out his AMAZING sketch that he has for you this week:

Isn't it awesome!? Yep, in case you're wondering, this was drawn by my adorable six year old son and YES! This sketch calls specifically for paper piercing!!! lol. Can you imagine that there is ANYTHING greater to a six year old boy sitting down and stamping with mom, staring at that SUPER cool and SHARP tool...the paper piercer. "What is that Mom?" "It's a paper piercer". "What do you use it for?" "To poke little holes in paper"....'Why would you want to do that, Mom"...."because you can sew, pretend to sew, or just poke pretty patterns in your paper, honey". This is all ok for a while...until the next time, and the time after that....and then eventually, he is asking me "Mom! Where is that tool you use to put the little holes in the paper"?

Oh dear, and we are hooked on a cool new toy. LOL! So little by little, the asking starts to get more frequent...."Hey, Mom, can I watch you use that paper needle"...."Hey Mom, can you use the thing that makes the holes in the paper?"...lol get the point? "Mom, can I use that?" Ok, this is where we draw the line. Not quite age apppropriate, unfortunately.

Needless to say, it was with MUCH enthusiasm that I said yes when my little dude asked me to draw his own sketch for Twinkling Tuesday. I was thrilled! Paper piercing and all, this is a FABULOUS creation and I hope I did it justice!

I used the "Natural Boy" stamp from Lelo Design, made by Stampavie. I let Jack pick out the image that he wanted me to use since this was his big debut in the sketch world :) I had a GREAT time coloring this image and can't wait for Jack to draw some more sketches...as he is a "NATURAL" for sure! How fun!

Thanks for stopping by today and be sure to see what the other TT has cooked up for ya today. Kim is our very special featured stamper this week on the Twinkling Tuesday blog...so be sure to check her out! Want to check out the rest of the Twinkle Team? Awesome! You'll be so glad you did! The links are on my sidebar.

Last but not least? I'd LOVE for you to play along! Please leave a comment on the Twinkling Tuesday blog linking your card so that all of the team can see...or if you choose to upload to SCS or PCP, use keyword MTTSC13. See you in sketchville! Hugs!

Need. More. Coffee....

Hey everyone!

Happy Twinkling Tuesday with a a double shot of espresso on top! I have to admit that today, I am absolutely exhausted. It's going to be another busy week...probably worse that last week LOL..but sometimes things just get taxing, you know? Not this stuff, but just life stuff...and of course, the complaint that most of us probably have...not enough time to do the things i enjoy, like more stamping! LOL...

Anyway, I am still feeling sick and actually taking another detour to the dr. today, so I'm hoping that will help. However, I am SO excited because we have some super fun stuff going on today. First off, our dear Heather is the featured stamper this week over on the Twinkling Tuesday blog! Go check out her super cool post! I sort of miss having the featured stamper for the TT here on my blog, because it was my chance to rave about that person.

So, I will just tell you this. Heather is a dear, dear person who I am glad to be getting to know. She breathes so much life and enthusiasm into the Twinkle Team and is also extremely attentive. Heather takes the time to leave the most wonderful comments on people's blogs and I just think she's the sweetest! You can really tell she cares. Not to mention the fact that her blog posts are amazing. SO much attention to detail and the pictures...oh! the pictures! Most of you know that blogger...well, isn't always my friend, esp. when it comes to uploading pics! So this is especially impressive to me!

Now, she is going to be mad at me, because there is one thing about her that you may know from reading her comments on my blog...she isn't very fond of brown. And while I SWEAR I didn't do this on purpose...isn't this little "Barista" just the cutest? I LOVE coloring in these images and couldnt' resist pulling out some liquid pearls for the "whip" on my latte! My son Nicky helped me make this card. Chef Ian from The Greeting Farm is one of his favorite stamp sets! He had a blast and so did I! I just got this Paisley embossing folder that my friend Heather (a different Heather lol) picked up for me...thanks Heather! It totally matched the paper so I got to play with it right away. That's always the best, right?

So, yes, this card is brown, but NOT on purpose hee hee...I mean, it's a coffee card...so it kinda HAS to be right ;) ? Anyway, be sure to check out the CUTENESS over on Heather's blog, the Twinkling Tuesday sketch blog, and the rest of the Twinkle Team, as their links are on my sidebar! Want to play along with us? We'd LOVE you to! If you upload to SCS/PCP, use keyword MTTSC12. Leave us a comment on the TT blog too to let us know you did! We can't wait to see what you create!

While we're at it, ANOTHER exciting announcement:

Please help me welcome my very close friend DARLA WILSON to the Twinkle Team! Welcome Darla! I have been begging, nagging, requesting, suggesting that Darla join us ever since the beginning of DD's little journey into sketchdom...and she finally agreed! Darla has an awesome NEW blog and is not only creative, but the kindest heart you could meet and I am thrilled to have her!

Wow! Lots happening on this Twinkling Tuesday! Stay tuned next week for a VERY special "Temporary Twinkie"...as the handsome and talented Jack, who just happens to be my DS, debuts HIS very first sketch! Could this be any more exciting of a day....

....yes, yes it can. Stay tuned for another post...it's a big one!

Twinkling Tuesday: Sweet Inspiration...

Hey everyone!

It's another Twinkling Tuesday here in blogland...and we have a sweet little twist for you today! The ever so talented Miss Madelynn (who just so happens to be my amazing DD) decided she would put her sketchbook down this week and give us another task this week...our very first INSPIRATION CHALLENGE!

She has been admiring this ADORABLE mug that I got for Christmas from my good friend Darla (check out her NEW blog!!! yay!) for SOME time now...and has recently learned (by seeing Mom do them, of course) what an inspiration challenge is. Hence, an idea was born :) So this week, the Twinkle Team got a fun new twist with this adorable little photo to inspire us! We hope you'll want to play along, too!

I decided that Pretty Hat Anya from The Greeting Farm had to come out and play...Now, I have to tell you...I'm a LITTLE uneasy about cutting off the torsos of these little characters...it made me kinda nuts. But, in order to frame her the way I wanted to, I went w/ it and hope it turned out ok...hee hee.

Now, the bow is obvious...for those of you who own this set or have seen it, there are several options to embellish her hat, and the bow, for obvious reasons, had to be there :) I colored over it w/ a clear Spica pen although I took this at night so you can't see it all that well. I went with the colors of cardstock that reminded me of this mug, a few shades of pink and just a hint or two of green. To finish it off, I had to have the swirly embossing folder because it reminded me of the swirly cupcake top. All in all, this was a much easier challenge for me than I had ORIGINALLY thought it would be...I think I just had one of those days where the mojo was, well, not missing...but hiding out for a while ;)

There are some really fun things going on for Twinkling Tuesday...check out the BLOG today! My awesome friend Jen is our featured stamper this week and she'll be hanging out there and on her own blog. Be sure to stop by the other Twinklette's blogs too, to see what they whipped up for this fun challenge.

Want to play, too? Leave us a comment on the TT blog and let us know you played! If you prefer to upload to SCS or PCP , just use keyword MTTSC11. Have fun with this one...it's a sweet deal!

In other news, LOTS of fun stuff going on at The Greeting Farm and Club Anya. Our Team Anya DT call is well under way, and tomorrow we will be announcing another contest...this one is for the kids! In addition, we just wrapped up TWO contests over the weekend, one from TGF and one on the Club Anya blog and the prizes were a-plenty! How fun! Stick with us as we have a LOT of exciting stuff coming up in the next few weeks... you won't want to miss out on ANY of it.

Marie had a sketch challenge this past week and I was happy that I could play along. I am really loving this Rock the Farm Anya set...I think she might be my favorite...only I can't say that because I have too many favorite Anyas LOL! She is just TOO much fun to color with all the detail though on this stamp-especially on her little scarf. I had a blast creating this card for her sketch challenge that you can see HERE. The contest ended, but the TGF Galleria is always exploding with awesome ideas and cards so be sure to check it out!

Til tomorrow, everyone...have a VERY Twinkling Tuesday!

Twinkling Tuesday: A friend like you...

Hey everyone!

I'm back with my Twinkling Tuesday post! Be sure to check out my post below today, too for a fun sale and some new stamps...

So, DD hit it out of the park again with this awesome sketch, MTTSC10! Love it!

I used the new Leere Aldrich "Mother and Daughter" stamp from Stampavie to create my card for this week's sketch. I also chose the quote from the "Sentiments B" set, "I'm so happy to have a friend like you". This stamp is versatile enough that it can be a mom/daughter but also look like two best girlfriends, dontcha think?

It didn't show up all too well on my camera, but I used Inkessential's Glossy Effects for her sunglasses and the pink Handbag (it's patent, dontcha know? LOL). I'm trying to figure out why my watermark decided to grow to three times the size...? LOL. For now, I just wanted to get this post up but will have to look into that! Of course, I just had to do some paper piecing too to make her shirt match my DP... a girl's gotta acessorize, right?

My sweet friend Janna is our featured stamper this week and has an AWESOME post on the Twinkling Tuesday blog so be sure to go over and check it out! And while you're at it, check out the amazing twinkling creations of:

Bonnie Sharp
Cassie Larson
Christi Thorsen
Danni Bindel
Debbie Lee
Heather Schlatter
Jacquie Peifer
Jami Bova
Janna Hull
Jennifer Greco
Jessica Diedrich
Kim Ross
Kimmie Doktor
Rebecca Ednie
Sandra McLean
Taylor Usry

Have a great Tuesday and if you want to play along, we'd love to see them! Be sure to leave a comment on the Twinkling Tuesday blog so that we can all hop on over and see your beautiful creations! If you choose to upload to SCS or PCP, use keyword MTTSC10.

Last but not least, if you haven't entered yourself for the AMAZING blog candy that Heidi and Stuart of Stampavie are giving away this week, tune into THIS post and check it out! One lucky winner will be drawn on Thursday morning! Good luck!

Twinkling Tuesday: Holy Detail, Batman!

Hey everyone!

It's another happy Twinkling Tuesday around here, and we also have a BLOG CANDY winner, but first, HOW ABOUT THIS SKETCH??? Definitely unique and a challenge for me! Not only did we feature our first "Temporary Twinkie" Guest Sketch artist this week (DD got the week off LOL), but today marks my first Tuesday as a Design Team member for Stampavie so I got to bust out some new goodies to play with :)

I chose to use the new Leere Aldrich "Bathing Beauty" stamp to create my card using this week's sketch, drawn by 6 year old Piper! The new Leere Aldrich line from Stampavie is fresh, fun, and there isn't a thing like it out there on the market which makes it very unique as well. I am having fun thinking outside the box w/ these stamps, and decided that they'd be a great line to pick up and use for this sketch. Now, as for the sketch, This is QUITE the doozy drawn by a six year old!! Holy instructions, Batman! Piper's Mom and TT member Heather explained to me that Piper gained some inspiration by an old TT sketch that Madelynn had drawn, and totally took it from there! Look at all that attention to detail!

Alright, so I'll take you through my card here a bit so you can see what I did using the sketch. First of all, I inverted it, so that the middle "line" is running up and down instead of left to right. I'm not a big heart person, so I was THRILLED to find this ONE chipboard heart LOL...only it wasn't the right color...but a little Shimmerz fixed that right up!

I also used Shimmerz on the bubbles after outlining with my BG10 Cool Shadow Copic Marker. There is something up w/ the settings on my camera and even it daylight (although it was very grey today), it didn't really show up, but I have another pic below that shows a better closeup of the bubbles.

As I mentioned, I didn't have a heart in my stash other than this one shown, so I filled in the rest w/ flowers and pearls...as you all know they are my favorite embellies :) So I got the placing of them down alright but alas, no heart for me ;)

To incorporate the straight-edged and rounded corners I fought with this card a bit. I finally decided on rounding all the inside corners, but I only rounded the bottom two on the outside and left the 2 top ones straight. To incorporate the criss-crossed effect, I used Lavender Mist Twill and the big ribbon in the middle is Aqua Mist grosgrain. Yummy colors together!

Here is a close up of the shimmerz I painted as the bubbles:

Again, from here on the blog you can't really tell but if you click on the full size pic you can see the pretty sheen/shimmer they have to them. I used Angel Wings Shimmerz for this card.

Well, I hope you enjoy the card and be sure to stop by and check out the new Twinkling Tuesday blog which features Jacquie Peifer this week as our featured stamper! Want to play along this week? Make sure to leave us a comment on the TT blog so that we all can come by and visit, and also use keyword MTTSC9 when uploading to SCS or PCP.

In addition, you won't want to miss the other beautiful creations from the rest of the Twinkle Team...they are:
Bonnie Sharp
Cassie Larson
Christi Thorsen
Danni Bindel
Debbie Lee
Jacquie Peifer
Jami Bova
Janna Hull
Jennifer Greco
Jessica Diedrich
Kim Ross
Kimmie Doktor
Rebecca Ednie
Sandra McLean
Taylor Usry

Thanks for reading today and for all your sweet comments lately on my new endeavors and my blog-iversary. I am truly having the time of my LIFE! On that note, you may remember that last week I had a very special offering to celebrate that Blog-iversary...so without further adieu, I am proud to announce a WINNER!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:16
Timestamp: 2009-02-10 13:56:51 UTC

cathscustomcreations said...
Happy Bloggoversary..and your daughters site is being added as well as yours, to my blog roll YAY!! BOTH GREAT!! Here is the link to my creation http://cathscustomcreations.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/httpthewhimsicalbutterflyblogspotcom-challenge/ Notice the pink *best colour ever* and the butterfly brad!! :-) Hope you enjoy the card as much as I did making it! Hugs,Cath

CONGRATS to you on the Blog Candy and be sure to email me your address so I can get that out to you. Thank you to all for playing! Have a twinkling Tuesday everyone!

Jessica :)

Twinkling Tuesday Blog-iversary Bash!

Well, hello, all!

Today's Twinkling Tuesday is a PAR-TAY, let me tell ya! Some fun stuff going on!

First and foremost, as it is Twinkling Tuesday, I am happy to announce that Twinkling Tuesday now has it's own blog! We are looking forward to seeing you there too! Madelynn is over the moon as I'm sure you can guess :) The challenge team will all be posting on there so too so it will be fun and a great place for us to hear about your take on the sketches as well!

This week's sketch was SUPER fun for me. I love this one. I had a great time creating it and was really excited about using one of my Rachelle Anne Miller stamps from Stampavie.

Today is also special because the Twinkling Tuesday Challenge Team has added another "Twinklette", so without further adieu, please join me in welcoming Heather Schlatter to the Twinkle Team! Check out her blog and leave her some love, guys! She's not only an awesome stamper but a very sweet and fun friend that I'm really enjoying getting to know!

Ok, so today is also special because it marks the ONE YEAR anniversary, to the DAY, of my Blog. Yep, one year ago exactly was when it all started. I was so new and green to bloggin...I can't believe all I have learned and accomplished since then, I really can't. Most of all, and here's where I get teary-eyed, but seriously? I can't even BEGIN to tell you how meaningful and wonderful it's been getting to know so many amazing people. I never thought that I'd have so many close friends through all of this and it's nice because you guys "get" it, you know?

So many wonderful and exciting opportunities have blessed me this year, too, especially within the last 6 months. I am so, so grateful beyond words to the women who have given me the chance to design for them with their beautiful stamps and products, and the AMAZINGLY talented ladies who I am privileged to work along side. There was never more inspiration, laughs, and friendship that has touched my life than in these last 6 months. THANK YOU. EVERYONE. TRULY.

On that note, I thought I'd give back a little...especially in light of the fact that you have all been so supportive not only of MY creative spirit, but of my daughter's. These past few weeks watching her grow in her own creativity and loving every minute of her "Twinkle Team" has been the biggest blessing to her. So, not only does it just so happen to be a year to the day, but it's in her honor, too that I am happy to be offering up some fabulous BLOG CANDY this week!

Now, it wouldn't be a TRUE reflection of me and the fantastic year I've had unless there were some offerings that represented a few of my favorite things, right? So here's what the Lucky winner will receive in this little package:

Heidi Swapp Butterflies (um, hello that was a MUST), Set of 4 Cuttlebug mini embossing folders (there is a cupcake on one...gotta have cupcakes!), SU Flip Flop wheel (for those of you who don't know, Havaianas are ALL I wear from like April to October!), Heidi Swapp PINK Edge Distresser (cuz I'm the pinkgirl!), and YES! THOSE ARE 2 BRAND NEW COPIC SKETCH MARKERS you see there! PINK, of course! (R81 and R85) As if that weren't exciting enough, Julia from The Little Paper Shop was UBER generous and offered up the Tu-Tu Riffic stamp set for me to give out! DD is totally into dancing and poms, and I do love to dance myself (much to the embarrassment of the kiddos LOL!)....so THERE ya have it!

Now, you are probably wondering "How can I win"?

Here are the Official Rules: :)

1.) You must create a card using this sketch to be eligible to win the candy.

2.) You have until next Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 8am CST to use this sketch to make a card, then upload and link your card to Jessica's Blog. If you upload to SCS or PCP, be sure to leave a comment on her blog to be entered into the drawing. Use keyword MTTSC8.

3.) One winner will be drawn using Random.org for the Anniversary Blog Candy (the Twinkle Team IS allowed to enter this contest. :) Winner will be announced on Jessica's blog next Tuesday, 2/10/09.

Good luck and Have fun! Don't forget to stop by the new Twinkling Tuesday blog to check out all the fun over there and a SPECIAL announcement for your kids!!! You WILL NOT want to miss this!

Twinkling Tuesday: Bring on the Spring!

Hello friends!

Oh, how I wish it was Spring, can I TELL you? I am so sick of this cold...hearing reports that more snow is coming...kids not being able to enjoy being outside. I'm just a little done w/ winter, and so when I was going through some Little Paper Shop stamps and came across my Nature's Garden set, I knew exactly what I wanted to do :) Someone I know is going through a bit of a rough patch right now, too so I thought I'd make her this card in the hopes of cheering her up. I hope it works because I love this person so very much.

Well, today is Twinkling Tuesday, and our sketch this week was a stumper for me! That little DD of mine is quite the artiste! Oh how I could squeeze her as she was working on the next sketch already as she watched me make my card and pretend not to struggle LOL! She is so talented, that girl!

Some spring flowers was just what this card needed to spruce it up and bring the circular effect that I needed to come together. I used the sentiment from the Butterflies and Blossoms set, also by The Little Paper Shop and added a touch of my favorite Kaiser pearls to get the job done.

Our featured stamper this week is Jami. I heart Jami! Can I just tell you? This couldn't have come at a better week, too because I have some VERY exciting news to share with you! Jami is not only a talented stamper, but a very gifted artist and she just so happens to have launched her VERY OWN stamp set for 2RedBananas! CONGRATS Jami!

Have you been to her blog? How about the 2Red Bananas website? I visited recently and can tell you that I will definitely be ordering soon! They have a ton of awesome products...a LOT of my favorites, and are in the process of debuting their new stamps, so stay tuned!

Jami used some of their new sets to make her card this week. I LOVE the rich blues and that big bold flower in the center. So pretty! Jami's style is always super elegant and rich looking to me and she has amazing heart. I am SO happy I've gotten to know her. She is a loyal friend and great source of encouragement to all of us on the team!

Speaking of our Twinklettes...we have grown this week! I'd love for you to join me in welcoming Jacquie Peifer and Kim Ross to the Twinkle Team! I'm also very, VERY excited to report that our numbers of people playing Madelynn's sketch are growing by the week...ALSO very exciting! I love seeing your cards, and DD is absolutely tickled pink to see people playing her challenges and loving her sketch creations. This is such a blessing for both of us, thank you!

Because of this, I am excited to announce that there will be BLOG CANDY next week, Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 here on my blog :) This correlates perfectly with my one year "Blogaversary", so stay tuned for all the fun details!

As always, be sure to use our keywords when you UL to SCS or PCP so that we can all have a look. Be sure to leave a comment here too to let me know, thanks! This week's keyword is MTTSC7.

Thanks and have a Twinkling Tuesday!

Hugs,

Jessica and Madelynn :)

My Little, Lotsa-Lovely-Layers Valentine...

Hey everyone!

Happy Twinkie Day! Yep, it's Twinkling Tuesday! We have been keeping busy on the Twinkle Team this week...we had some new players...which was FANTASTIC! We also spent a lot of time hanging out over at our PCP page and had a few more people join in on the fun! Be sure to head over there, too to see what all the chatter is about...and when I say ALL the chatter...I'm not kidding! hee hee...

Madelynn did another outstanding job on this week's sketch. It was a fun one! Lots of layers and made ya think about how you were going to do your focal point image. I love the sketch and will most likely use it again!

I chose the EVAH adorable Lily w/ her Kitty stamp by Rachelle Anne Miller (Stampavie) for my card. I was joking with my cousin saying that this card probably cost me about a buck or more in bling...but it HAD to be there, don't you agree?

I used Shimmerz in Bubblegum to paint her dress, then when it was dry, I went over it with Angel Wings. This gave it a fun shading technique and made the dress look slightly worn and more textured.

Anyway, hope you guys like my card as much as I loved following DD's sketch. Thanks sweetie! You rocked it again!

Our featured stamper this week is Danni! Danni and I met a few months ago and have become friends through our blogs. She is one talented lady who just happens to love Butterflies just as much as I do! So she was close to my heart already even BEFORE I got to know her terrific personality and stamping style. Danni is wonderful at RAK'ing people too...always lets you know how much she cares and is active on the TT in our PCP group which is fun that I get to chat with her so much!

Isn't this card cute? She chose this adorable Sarah Kay image (also Stampavie) and did an amazing job coloring her!

Add to it the fun buttons, and bring, springy DP and I'm ready for a picnic! I so love knowing that Spring is coming! I NEED it to be here soon!!!

Danni also sent us (Madelynn and I) this SUPER cute RAK the other day and so while she was the featured stamper this week, I just had to show her off? Isn't she sweet? Flutter By Sophia is one of my favorite images and Danni is an avid Paper Pretties fan so she knew I would absolutely adore this card! How thoughtful, isn't it? It really put a smile on my face to get this in the mail the other day and Madelynn just loved it, too! Thanks Danni!

Well, that's about all I have for you today, but be sure to check out the other TT's blogs, as you won't want to miss their creative takes on the sketch.

The "Twinkle Team"
Bonnie Sharp
Cassie Larson
Christi Thorsen
Danni Bindel
Debbie Lee
Jami Bova
Janna Hull
Jennifer Greco
Jessica Diedrich
Kimmie Doktor
Rebecca Ednie
Sandra McLean
Taylor Usry

Want to play along with us this week? You SHOULD!!! Show us your style and dazzle us with your OWN twinkling Tuesday creation! Madelynn would love to stop by and see what you come up with! If you upload to SCS or PCP, be sure to use keyword MTTSC6. Good luck and have FUN with this one!

I'll be back tomorrow with something Prettie for you... ;)

Hugs,

Jessica :)