Tangerine Time

First the card, then the news. . .

Tangerine Tango paper, ink and ribbon. The game night stamp set and the new texture plates for the BigShot. Snap!  Easy Peasy!  Gotta love it!

You Are Invited

Saturday, April 25

10 til 2

Chicago Area Shoebox Swap

Bring one fabulous card and all the supplies to copy it, and you will then make the fabulous cards of all the other participants.  Lunch is catered in, chocolate and water are provided.

Door Prizes for Everyone, great Stampin' Up! product!!

Leave a comment if you're interested, and I'll get in touch to answer questions and get you a registration form.

Hope to see you there!

Dee Tollaksen

Parisian Breeze

The Parisian Breeze Designer Series Paper is highly textured and has beautiful flowers and stripes, it is just my most favorite paper. We made this card Wednesday at Stamp Camp and I'm hoping everyone loves it as much as I do!

I was worried that the sentiment wouldn't stamp well directly on the paper because it is textured, so we put a layer of acetate on the card, with Stazon ink used for the sentiment. It takes a steady, confident hand to stamp on acetate, so be prepared!  The new mini-catalog will be offering official Stampin' Up! acetate starting April 1, so give me a little comment if you are interested in learning about the possibilities when it comes available!

Dee Tollaksen

Getting the Green going. . .

Not everyone wants to own every stamp set, and even though we want to send a card to that one friend who is really Irish and is totally into celebrating St. Patrick's Day, without a leprechaun set, it may be hard to come up with the right image.  Maybe this will inspire you to look again at the supplies you own and come up with a clover image you didn't know you have on hand!  

These hearts are punched from Designer Series paper, just a pretty flower and dot pattern all over, on green background. The new heart punch zips right through the DSP and when clustered together, the green hearts resemble a clover and they fit perfectly on a card front!  Add a little "wishes" sentiment, and you're on your way!

Want to make this card using my tools? Just shoot me an email and we can schedule a class or workshop specific to your "wishes!"

Dee Tollaksen

DCBD 116, color challenge

Todays DCBD challenge is to use the colors Glorious Green, Basic Gray, Whisper White and Tempting Turquoise.  Unfortunately, I do not keep anything Gray in my craft supplies. What's up with that? So I had to figure out a suitable substitute, and I couldn't find any Designer Series Paper to fit the bill, so I went with silver. Very bling-bling! I used my Tempting Turquoise ink pad to dye my flowers from the pretties kit, brought in a jeweled brad to keep with the "bling" style, tied on the ribbon from the Sell-a-Bration ribbon bundle and embossed the fern from my current favorite stamp set, le Jardin Botanique.

From the same stamp set, I inked up the flower with markers, stamped once, then misted the stamp with water, stamped again, misted again, stamped a third time. This gives the variety of depth of color and the three unique flowers.  Can't leave out the BigShot, I die cut the little leaves to add the sentiment.

Don't forget to go to our main blog to be able to link to all the Senior Diva's cards and see all the new Junior Diva's cards! (just click on the logo at right) Then create your own and share with us on your blog, splitcoast or email it to me for publication!

Dee Tollaksen

Pink Pirouette, could you be my fav?

Am I just wishing it were spring? Do I have a "girly girl" inside me trying to get out? What will I do when the "In Colors" retire this summer? Pink Pirouette finds its way onto every card and project and I'm starting to worry!  This is the blog candy I promised last week, while you are viewing it here, it is winging its way to Jennifer in Minnesota. We go through lots of lip balm here during the cold winter, so I hope Jennifer likes this Stampin' Up! lip balm I bought at convention last summer.  

Dee Tollaksen

Scrapbook Kit Cards

Everyone needs a quick card occasionally. Some people need a quick card often!  Scrapbook kits from Stampin' Up! are awesome for creating quick cards. This is a square card  I made as a sample for two of my recent stamping demonstrations.  We have made over 20 cards already, and haven't used even half the kit. So the cards are quick, easy, cute and very affordable, since the kit only costs $19.95!  And there are so many different kits to choose from! Come on over and take one of my classes, I'll let you see for yourself!

Dee Tollaksen

New logo, new blog, new designers

The Diva Coffee Break Design Team has opened a blog all their own. It should help you find all the entries each Wednesday and let you know what the challenge is so you can play along or search for inspiration or just enjoy all the designers cards.

http://www.divacoffeebreakdesigns.blogspot.com 

If you have been playing along, you will find that there are new designers added to the group and two new kinds of challenges. We will continue the color challenge and the sketch challenge and we are adding a tool challenge and a BigShot challenge. So you will see lots of variety and techniques. Should be awesome!

Thanks for visiting, Dee Tollaksen

Thanks, Mom

Just in case you were wondering, I got my love of arts & crafts from my Mom. This is the card shemade and sent my DH for his upcoming birthday. So cute. I haven't seen the shirt & tie trick prior to this, but I think I may be using it in the future. I have not been able to entice her into the "SU only" club, but I love her anyway!

Thanks, Mom

Dee Tollaksen

Embosslits

Have you seen these Embosslits for the BigShot? This little darling almost slipped past me, so I want to be sure you don't miss it. It is called Flower Burst Embosslit and casts just over $10. It embosses and cuts out the flower in one pass through the BigShot.  A 2" square scrap of paper becomes this hightly textured shaped flower, in two seconds flat.  If I wanted, I could add ink to the Embosslit and it would pop out pre-inked too!  In this card, I sponged the ink onto the flower after it was embossed and cut.  AWESOME!!! Yes, the embosslits will work with other diecut devices, but they are made to work perfectly with the BigShot. Looking for a bargain on this "must-have" tool? Shoot me an email or give me a call, now is the time to get serious! Sell-a-Bration is in full swing and Stampin' Up! wants to put the paper and stamps and tools of your dreams into your hands!

Dee Tollaksen

DCBD115 sketch challenge

Wednesday Wednesday, just love that day!

Here are those cheerful bumblebees again! I loved this designer series paper so much. So much that I seem to have ordered it twice!  I guess we will all be seeing lots of cards made with the Parisian Breeze specialty DSP. It really is awesome, something heavier that our regular DSP but short of the card stock weight. Very user friendly.

This is my inspiration piece for the DCBD sketch challenge. I hope you are motivated to stamp! Use the sketch as a jumping off place, make a card, post it and let me know where it is posted. I promise to make nice comments about your artwork!  Want more inspiration? Check out the blogs of my fellow designers, found under the coffee cup logo at right.

Have a great day!

Dee Tollaksen

Is this a rerun?

Lots of compliments on this card at my demonstration this week. I thought I already posted it, but maybe not. . . anyway, I hope you like it!

This is a brand new set with a French name, Le Jardin Botanique. Really beautiful flowers and leaves. Just a smidge of certainly celery ribbon and a jolt of black cardstock. I'm sure it is a CASE, but a very classic layout. In fact, this is my "fall back" layout--if I can't come up with a new design for a card, I will "fall back" on this one.

Three across with a sentiment in the bottom right. Seems very pleasing to the eye.

Enjoy Valentine's Day! Love to all --

Dee Tollaksen

DCBD114

Good Gracious, I almost forgot to post my DCBD challenge inspiration card!  Today is a color challenge: use Always Artichoke, Kraft, Pink Pirouette and Almost Amethyst. 

Back when I signed up as a demonstrator, the

 Loads of Love stamp set came with with demo kit. I think it was the most "masculine" set at the time, and I have had fun thinking up ways to use the truck for every occasion. Here is a cute Valentine. Either my son will be getting this, or I'll give away as a BINGO prize tonight. 

Yes, I have a nice big demonstration tonight!  Always a good thing! I know I will be giving away lots of prizes and the hostess, Adrienne, will be receiving "Loads of Love" in the form of SU products. You too could be getting "Loads of" free products -- just name your date!

Want to tackle this color challenge? Just post a comment and let me know where to see your card and I'll link you to my blog for everyone to enjoy!

Happy Wednesday,

Dee Tollaksen

Blog Candy

Thanks so much for your comments! JMNiffer, shoot me an email with your mailing address, and I'll ship out your goodies!  Catherine, I'll take care of you, later!

Dee

Rock Star!

Happy Tuesday!  Well, you don't hear that too often!  But Tuesday is a perfectly good day, and to celebrate, I think I'll offer up some blog candy!  If you leave a comment here today, I have a little goody bag of Stampin' Up! products I would love to pop in the mail to you! Something from the Momento Mall at convention, something SU dropped in my order by mistake and a yard or two of fabulous ribbon!  

Just let me know you're visiting, and it could be yours! Winner will be picked at random, should there be a multitude of comments.

Rock on!

Dee Tollaksen

Inchies? Scrabble tiles?

Have you seen these itty bitty images floating around the craft scene?  I saw the most striking necklace made from just a teeny bit of scrapbooking paper, and wanted to try it myself.  These are some scrapbook paper, stamped image, magazine art and more from my stamping table.  Then they are applied to Scrabble tiles! Let's me make a little art piece of jewelry for any occasion!

Dee Tollaksen

Faux Gator

A brand new technique? Well, at least to me!

  Hopefully something interesting for all of us. . . Faux Crocodile (or alligator?)

I have been left home alone with my computer for a couple hours today, and stumbled across this tutorial by Jackie Topa, using VersaMark and clear embossing powder, OMG is this cool! Then I ran the

 embossed paper through the BigShot with the pillow die, and voila!  A valentine gift box that is out of this world!!

If you would like to learn this

 technique  or simply

 be the recipient of this beautiful gift box, just contact me, set a date and I'll be happy to share with you!

Remember, it is Sell-a-Bration season at Stampin' Up! So there are lots of great bargains, opportunities and gifts for hostesses and guests alike!

Dee Tollaksen

Lightbulb moment

It is Sell-a-Bration time, and I am very thankful for the demonstrations I have on my calendar. Therefore, I am working hard to create nice thank-you gifts for my hostesses and putting together nice projects for their guests.  This is a gift bag, made from a lunch sack!  I am so happy with this project!

First of all, it is a great use of the Lovebirds on the Candy Lane Designer Series Paper! So, I chopped off the top half of the bag, trimmed the DSP to about 5.5" x 6", made a little scallop trim and then used Iridescent Ice and VersaMark to add lots of glitz. Simply used my Scotch Tape to adhere the papers to the bag. I did make another scallop trim for the back of the bag, so I could add handles and not have the ribbon rip right through the paper bag. Punched a couple holes in the scallop trim and knotted some Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon. Yummy!

Thanks to Becky Carafa who inspired this creation with a darling gift bag on her blog.

Wish you were my hostess this week, so I could give this darling bag to you! But WAIT! You still could be my hostess and I could give this bag to you, or at least one like it! And it could be filled with fabulous handmade gifts!  Just leave a comment, email me, or call me or ring my doorbell! Book a demonstration and I'll do my best to spoil you rotten!

Dee Tollaksen

Start now!

Sometimes, a card just makes me smile. This is one of those really simple cards that just pleases me. The hearts are punched, so they were super easy. The ink is VersaMark, so the same ink is used on the base card of Baja Breeze and on all the hearts. The ribbon is white, super neutral, everyone has some white ribbon! It can be used as a Valentine, but it could also be in your stash of "all occasion" cards just as well. And it comes together in just minutes.  Fab!

If you have been thinking about becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, now is THE time!  SU is offering two incentives right now: 15% savings on the cost of the starter kit AND a free stamp set of your choice up to a value of $47!!  Just a few of the benefits include 20% savings on all products, set your own goals and be your own boss, brainstorming opportunities with some awesome talented SU demonstrators, earn $$, vacations, free products and more!  Not to mention that the economic downturn is a benefit in this business--more people are searching for hobbies that will let them make their entertainment dollar go further and the craft industry has been identified as one of the few growth industries at this time!  If you need one more nudge: I'll throw in a free Sell-a-Bration set as my gift when you sign-up with me!

All the best,

Dee Tollaksen

Seasonal Card

Are you ready? The next big holiday is often referred to disdainfully as a "Hallmark" holiday. Well, that's because so many folks wait til the last minute then realize that there is someone they love, that they want to remember on Valentine's Day and when they get into that "card" store, they have to spend a fortune on a "so-so" card.

How's about taking an hour and making a beautiful card that won't end up in the recycling bin? Come to a workshop, camp, Meetup or just break into my stamp room and be creative!  Or, just call and I'll send a box of valentines to you for your use! 

Just don't wait til the last minute and resort to grocery store choices or over priced specialty store products. Hand-made is the way to go!

Dee Tollaksen

DCBD113

Le Jardin Botanique is a brand new stamp set in the Spring-Summer Idea Book & Catalog from Stampin' Up. I was struggling to decide between three different tree sets in the new catalog, and this little beauty won out. It was kind of a spur of the moment inspiration, but I think I made the right choice. You will be seeing more of this set in the near future, I'm sure. 

This card is my Wednesday challenge piece. I had fun choosing techniques and embellishments from all over my stamp room! There is a brand new ribbon on the face. I used my new circle dies to cut the window and border around it (the BigShot die cutter is from Stampin' Up! but the circle dies are from another source.) I used paper piercing tools along the left edge and upper right corner. Blender pens let me add a teeny bit of color to the berries and leaves. All the paper and ink are in Cameo Coral and Old Olive. The berry image then has Iridescent Ice adhered using VersaMark ink (yes, I think I finally have this trick mastered).  Let's see what you can do with this inspiring card layout.  Please link to your blog in a comment or email me your version and I'll post it! Want more inspiration, be sure to check out the blogs of my fellow Diva's, links are at right in the sidebar.

Easy Peasy Valentine

When designing a card for a demonstration, it is important to keep the audience in mind. This week I am working with the ladies from my Bible Study. They all laugh and tell me they are not creative but they are excited to get their hands on the beautiful papers and embellishments. 

This is one of the cards we will be making: no challenges! Can you see the teeny pink hearts in the bottom left? Really cute IRL (in real life).  And there is a strip of vellum just below the ribbon that has a scallop edge. 

DSP and punches make this card really easy to create!

Dee Tollaksen