What Not To Wear at the Dueling Darling's Holiday Party

It's November 15th and time for another Dueling Darlings' challenge.  This month our esteemed hostess's and group leaders, Kelly for the Divas and Jeanette for the Dazzlers, have chosen the wackiest theme of What Not To Wear to this year's holiday party.  The tv show of this same name is the inspiration for the challenge.  In the words of our host: "Stacy and Clinton find unsuspecting women (craziest, wildest, most bizarre, worst-dressed) and give them lifel-chanign fashion makeovers and fasion advice, HOT OR COLD or no matter whjat the season or are you live in (another hint!).  So in this kit of "craziest, wildest, most bizaree kits - full of papers and embellishments that at first glance look atrocious" we are to create a card using the darling In Style stamp, Lilah and put her in the party.  Now Kelly added an extra challenge for the Divas.  She included two of her favorite holiday items - gigerbread men and candy cane twine from the twinery.  She requested we use these items and one of each of the designer papers from MME, CI and DCWV she included in the kit. Whew!
When I first viewed this kit and read the instructions my mind was in a whirl.  What am I going to do?   Well, in the spirit of the show I felt it was only appropriate to give lovely Lilah a makeover, so you're going to see my card in several views, one with Lilah before her makeover and one after her makeover and one that show the "suspension" card:

Here's Lilah in her "atrocious" outfit, top and skirt paper pieced from DCWVpapers, yellow ribbon bow, orange boots.  The tree is decorated with many items from the kit including the candy cane twine and the gingerbread man.  How do you like that red and white stripe ribbon at the top of the frame?  Here's Lilah after her makeover:

Our Lilah is now ready to be the star of the holiday party.  She's been "made over" with new hair color  and a sparkly silver dress with matching boots made from the wonderful glitter d.p. and her yellow ribbon has been replaced with this sparkly gem head dress and giving her sparkly aqua eyes.   WhooHoo! Let's party!!!

I was hoping to show a picture of the suspension element of the card with a peak at the interior. That was the only way I was going to get papers from the 3 different groups on the card.  But I'm having problems today uploading pix so you're not going to see one of ME wearing something crazy, wierd, or atrocious! That was the other challenge.  Sorry!
Let's go check out what the other Diva's have done with this challenge starting with Kelly here:

  Kelly * LJ * Barb * Carol  * Judy (you are here)  * Jamie * Joan * Tami

and to see the dueling theme from the Dazzlers, you can find them here!

Happy Harvest For The Dueling Darlings!

It's October 15th and time for team Divas to duel with team Dazzlers.  Our leaders this month, Tami for the Diva's and Darlene for the Dazzlers, have chosen the theme Happy Harvest.  Tami send the Diva's a great card kit including this adorable image from the "Sweet Season" Stampin' Up set and a wonderful collection of papers and embellishments.  From this collection I chose to use the Heidi Grace dual sided Floral/Green dotted paper, the TPC dual sided Fall words/plaid paper and the GSilk bronze glitter paper.  From the wide variety of embellishments Tami included I used colored rhinestones, red maple leaf brad, narrow chocolate satin ribbon, and a tiny green safety pin.  The layout is from Card Patterns Sketch 136 by Michelle Bertuzzi.  I used Martha Stewart maple leaf punches on the image panel and colored the image with Copic markers. For the base of my card I used SU "Old Olive" cardstock and added a panel of gold bazzil cardstock.  Here's my October Dueling Darling entry:

Please check out the rest of the Dueling Darling cards starting here:

Kelly * LJ * Barb * Carol  * Judy (you are here) 

 * Jamie * Joan * Tami

and to see the dueling theme from the Dazzlers, you can find them here!

In addition to creating a card with this fantastic kit the Divas and Dazzlers were challenged to include in this post a favorite autumn recipe.  I especially love having soup when the weather starts to cool and here's a favorite of mine:

Easy Vegetable Soup

1 cup brown rice

1 cup lentils

2 carrots, sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks of celery, sliced

2  49 1/2 oz. cans chicken broth

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

1/2 tablespoon dried basil

1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 drops of tabasco sauce

2   14 1/2 oz. cans of pasta sauce

Put everything at once into a big soup kettle. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 

This smells heavenly and is a wonderful meal when accompanied with bread and a salad.  Easy!

School is Cool for September's Dueling Darlings

The challenge presented to the Dueling Darlings this month was to create a card around the theme "School is Cool".  For those of you not familiar with the Dueling Darlings we are a group of papercrafting friends who have formed two teams, the Divas (my team) and the Dazzlers.  Each month a member from each team consults with one another, chooses a theme and, often, a challenge for the teams.  Based on the theme, a card kit is created and sent by that member to each of her team members and on the 15th of the month the "duel" begins as we all upload the cards we've made from the kits we've received.  This month the Diva's recieved this  terrific kit from Jamie that included some fabulous DCWV designer paper, some coordinating SU cardstock, stamped images and sentiments, die cuts, ribbon, buttons and brads.  Using some of those elements plus a few of my own here's the card I created:

School's Cool & So Are Teachers!

I used both sheets of the DCWV d.p, the perfect paper for this theme.  My main image is a digi stamp by Guylou's Inimitability which I colored with Copic markers and cut out and mounted with dimensionals on the die cut d.p.  I thought it was the perfect complement to the theme and all the elements I used from the kit which included these two quotes, the terrific "Have Fun/Always Creating/ Never Stop Learning" pencil image, ribbon, sparkly red apple and blue book and the white clip.   The sentiment on the red tag reads "America's future walks throught the doors of our schools each day" and I believe that sentiment applies to both students and teachers.  So I'm dedicating my card to all the teachers who played such an important part in my life and also for one special teacher in my life, my sister-in-law who will be retiring at the end of this school year.  This one's for you, Tina!

I almost forgot!  We were asked to share a favorite school memory.  I guess it's not surprising I forgot...It's been so long ago that I was in school.  There is no one event or person that stands out in my mind but a series of experiences and most of all the friendships I made.  I still keep in touch with my best friend from grade school and a BFF and I go back to high school days.  This summer I was able to reconnect with many of those old friends as we got together for a picnic to celebrate the year we turned 70! Yikes,  how did that happen so fast!

Please check out the rest of the Diva's September duel cards here:

Kelly * LJ * Barb * Carol  * Judy (you are here)  * Jamie * Joan * Tami

and to see the dueling theme from the Dazzlers, you can find them here!

The Dueling Darling August Challenge

It's So Hot, Let's Cool Off!  Yep, that was the theme chosen by August team leaders Paola for the Dazzlers and Judy (that's me!) for the Divas.  A funny thing happened on the way to the duel.  Both team leaders got side tracked and are just now posting their August dueling cards in time for the September duel.  Oh well, as the saying goes "Better late than never!"  As for me my excuse was that I was traveling and didn't have an internet connection to post my card. Well, I've been home for almost 3 weeks now and finally getting around to uploading my card and here it is:

I sent a boat load of yummy papers from American Crafts' Margarita line...Love those papers!  Also included were a variety of images and sentiments all fashioned around a beach location, my favorite place to cool off on a hot summer day!  To add some fun to the cards I included a variety of die cuts and sea life stickers, ribbon and buttons and brads in lots of hot and cool colors. 

For my card I chose to use two of the d.p. papers along with some shiny blue, bright green and pink cardstock.  I love the cute Close to My Heart Beach Babe! Isn't she a cutie?!?  She and the little beach chair/umbrella/ball image are colored in Copics and she is shown off predominately with dimensionals. I used the fish brads to swim in the "ocean waves".  I couldn't resist using some letter brads I've had forever to spell out the theme of "Keep Cool".
 
We asked our Dueling Darlings to share a favorite way to cool off.  My favorite way to cool off is to get out of the Arizona desert and head to the Pacific NW near Seattle.  Here's where I spent many of my mornings this summer walking along the Tacoma waterfront on Ruston Way:

That's Mt. Rainier in the background

My husband and I were very blessed to view so many of nature's wonders including one morning watching 2 bald eagles on the beach.  Here's one as he flies away:

My muse for creating this kit and card was my dear friend and Diva team leader Kelly who many of you know by her SCS name MiamiKel.  Love you, girl!  Let's go check out the rest of the Diva's starting with my inspirational leader here:

Kelly * LJ * Barb * Carol  * Judy (you are here)  * Jamie * Joan * Tami

And check out the Dazzlers' starting with team leader Jeanette here:http://creativeplayischeaperthantherapy.blogspot.com/2011/08/it-is-hot.html

Dueling Darling's Garden of Friendship

It's July 15th and time for another duel with Dueling Darling Divas and Dueling Darling Dazzlers.  This month our hostess for the Divas is LauraJean and she has sent us the most gorgeous kit to create a card using July's theme of Garden of Friendship.  Love it!! She asked us to share a friendship we have as an extra bonus this month.  I treasure all my friendships and none more than those I've made on SCS and papercrafting blogland.  Wow!  What a gift all of you have been to me and I give thanks to my Lord for blessing me with you in my life.

Here's my take on this super fun and colorful kit:

LJ send  this darling Gardening Flopsey (My  Favorite Things) which I colored with copics.  In the kit were 4 fantastic October Afternoon designer papers and I used them all in my card: multi-color dots paper as background layer; yellow with circles paper die cut with blossom nestability and used as background layer for the polka dot fabric die cut; pea pod image paper cut out and used as a  background layer for the sentiment; and green plaid paper pieced for Flopsey's overalls.  I used the red and green ribbons and the metal button from the kit to wrap around my green scalloped layer, a button from the kit to anchor the fabric to the the die cut and the darling lady bug button to top off the sentiment. I added the multi-color rhinestones to the scallops to echo the design in the background paper.  And I used this terrific sketch for MOJO Monday week 199:

Now hop on over to view the rest of the Divas startin(g with our team leader Kelly:

Kelly * LJ * Barb * Carol  * Judy (you are here)  * Jamie * Joan * Tami

and to see the dueling theme from the Dazzlers, you can find them here!

Dueling Darlings are doing "The Great Outdoors"

This is a busy week for me.   I finally published last month's Dueling Darling challenge and now I'm a day behind publishing the June Dueling Darling challenge.  Oh, well, as they say: "Better late than never!" 

Our terrific co-captains, Barb for the Divas and Michelle for the Dazzlers, chose a great theme for June: The Great Outdoors!  In Barb's kit for the Divas we received this terrific images and sentiments from Bo Bunny Roughin' It and very appropriate sentiments from Whipper Snapper Anna Wright Great Outdoors.  Along with these terrific images she send 7 sheets of awesome Bo Bunny "Roughin' It" patterned papers.  Sure had a difficult time choosing which ones to use on my card!  Also included in the kit was a variety of ribbon which was so perfect for the theme I used most of it!  She included green, brown, tan and yellow brads and green and ivory buttons which I did not use.  I thought this was the perfect card to use car brads I got at Michael's awhile back.  So here's my card:

The Dueling Darlings were asked to share a story relating to the theme, especially one that is about a memorable vacation or outdoor story from our past.  I can recall, from my distant past, in the early years of my marriage and when our boys were small having lots of outdoor vacations.  My husband is an avid fisherman and hunter so many of the vacations in our early years were around his fishing activities.  During the 60s we spent a lot of those fishing trips up in the Cariboo country in northern British Columbia, Canada.  One trip in particular trip happened when our oldest son was almost 5 and I was about 7 months pregnant with our youngest son.  My husband insisted we go on this trip to Lake Sheridan.  When we arrived our cabin was not ready so we had to wait with  very impatient little boys.  Once we took possession of the cabin I found it was filthy.  With no running water I spent all of the first day running between an outdoor spigot, warming the water in a large pan on a wood burning stove and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.  The weather turned nasty so I had two little boys, my son and nephew, to entertain while my husband went fishing.  That was the last fishing trip to northern Canada I ever went on!  On that happy note go check out what the other Diva's have done with this wonderful kit:

Kelly: http://sandcastlestamper.blogspot.com/ 

Joan: http://msearlgrey.blogspot.com/

Carol: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ga...0&ppuser=15781

Barb: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ga...0&ppuser=16832
Laurajean: http://www.buckygirl.blogspot.com/
Judy: You are here!
Jamie: http://butterflystamper71.blogspot.com/

And check out the Dueling Darling Dazzlers starting with their team leader Jeanette:

http://creativeplayischeaperthantherapy.blogspot.com/

Dueling Darling's Perfect Blend!

I am so very, very late in posting the Dueling Darling challenge for May.  The Divas and the Dazzlers were challenged by our hostess' Carol and Debbie to create a card honoring our awesome, wonderful, fantastic team leaders Kelly for the Divas and Jeanette for the Dazzlers.  These two women organized and facilitated this group and I was honored to be asked to join the Divas by Kelly.  They came up with the idea to have two teams engage in a friendly "duel" each month by creating cards around the same theme.  Each month one team member from the Divas and the Dazzlers consults each other and decides on a theme and provides a card kit for their group.  Often there is an additional challenge.  This month the theme chosen was "The Perfect Blend" because these two ladies love their Starbucks!  We were also asked to tell of a way these ladies have encouraged me or something special about them.  So here is my card honoring my dear friend Kelly:

                                          Kind and giving,

                                          Encourager and achieving,

                                          Loving mother and wife,

                                          Laughing and enjoying life,

                                          Young at heart...

She's been a great friend right from the start.

Her generousity is beyond all measure,

As a friend she's a real treasure.

She inspires in all that she does,

She bring honor and praise to the God she loves.

A blessing she is to all far and near,

So thanks for your friendship so gracious and dear!

This kit included such gorgeous papers, darling Stamping Bella "Perk up Peeps" image, a computer generated sentiment so perfect for our leaders and two other sentiments, plus varous ribbons, buttons and and blingy accessories.   I also incorporated on Kelly's card a cut out from an actual Starbuck's sleeve.  There was so much I wanted to use that I made an easel card  and placed the cut out on the inside and bordered it with the buttons to hold the easel in place.  The image was colored with copics and I circle punched the Starbucks logo from a Starbucks napkin and placed it on the image sleeve.  What do you think of the pink rhinestone steam excaping from the coffee container??? 

There were so many extras in this awesome kit that I decided to make another card to honor the Dueling Darling Dazzler's team leader Jeanette.  She is such a wonderful person.  The little poem I created for Kelly applies to this amazing, wonderful, generous, inspirational, loving, fun woman.  Love you, Jeanette!

 Please visit the blogs of the Dueling Darling Divas:
    

Kelly: http://sandcastlestamper.blogspot.com/ 

Joan: http://msearlgrey.blogspot.com/

Carol: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ga...0&ppuser=15781

Barb: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ga...0&ppuser=16832
Laurajean: http://www.buckygirl.blogspot.com/
Judy: You are here!
Jamie: http://butterflystamper71.blogspot.com/

And check out the Dueling Darling Dazzlers starting with their team leader Jeanette:

http://creativeplayischeaperthantherapy.blogspot.com/

It's Movie Night!

"I'm late! I'm late! I'm late for a very important date!"  Today is Dueling Darling challenge day and the theme chosen by our hostess' Joan for the Divas and Melina for the Dazzlers is "Movie Night".   And because I am late posting for this fun challenge I just couldn't resist using a famous line from "Alice in Wonderland".  Joan sent this marvelous kit with this terrific designer paper from Graphic 45 called the Curtain Call collection and also some coordinating stamped images from Hampton Arts called Curtain Call1.  These images recall the old black and white classic movies and she included an awesome assortment of embellishments to enhance our creations.  Here's my card:

I used at least one side of the designer papers in the kit in multiple layers.  I chose to use these cool images by displaying them in a film strip layer.  The ribbon on the "Applause" ticket is copper on one side and only the black is showing in the picture and is mounted to the card with this terrific brad from the kit.  I ticket punched the corners of the outer card layers and middle layer and embellished the corners with these copper colored rhinestones.  There were so many wonderful elements in this kit I had a really difficult time deciding what to use. 

Part our challenge was to list our favorite five movies of all times.  I spent more time thinking about this than I did working on the card!  There are so many great movies I like so in the spirit of the card kit I decided to narrow my choices down to my favorite black and white movies:

Citizen Kane

The Best Years of our Lives

All About Eve

To Kill a Mockingbird

The Longest Day

There were so many great elements included in this card kit I was thinking I should make another card with the movie "My Fair Lady" as inspiration and name my top five colored movies of all time.  Maybe another day.

Check out the rest of the Dueling Darlings cards starting with our hostess Joan here:

http://msearlgrey.blogspot.com/

Kelly: http://sandcastlestamper.blogspot.com/

Barb: http://inkingintoretirement.blogspot.com/

Carol: http://lostinmycraftroom.blogspot.com/

Jamie: http://butterflystamper71.blogspot.com/

LauraJean: http://www.buckygirl.blogspot.com/

Tami: http://blueinksdesign.blogspot.com/

Then head on over to check out the Dueling Darling Dazzlers starting with  Jeanette here:

http://creativeplayischeaperthantherapy.blogspot.com/



Dueling Darlings March Challenge: Being a Kid at Heart!

It's the 15 of the month and time for another duel between the Dueling Darling Divas and Dazzlers.  This month starts a new round beginning with our intrepid leaders: Kelly for the Divas and Jeanette for the Dazzlers.  And they have chosen a really fun theme for the March challenge...Being a Kid at Heart!  In providing us with an awesome kit, Kelly inspires us with a theme that centers on never, ever getting old and encourages us to "always look for the joy, always try to find the fun in a situation and let your fun side come out and play!"  So here's what she provided in the kit:

Stamp image:  Riley and Company, Bouncing Ball Riley
Several sheets of DSP from Cricut
Washi tape ribbon in fun bright colors
Miscellaneous card stock ric-rac paper ribbon
Multi colored buttons in fun primary colors
Heidi Grace faux brad, handmade plastic flower and prima flowers

We were also challenged to find an item from childhood and incorporate it to our card.   In keeping with this challenge Kels provided a Whinny the Pooh puzzle piece and I can't find mine! Sheesh!!  So instead I added a medal charm that says "fun" because that's what I remember from my childhood and because my childhood was so long ago I really don't have anything from it but a pair of roller skates I never would get rid of but just a wee bit too big to incorporate in this card...teehee!

I also used this weeks Card Patterns Sketch 106 as the layout for my card.  What do you think?

Please check out the creations from the rest of the Divas starting with our awesome leader Kelly:

Kelly: http://sandcastlestamper.blogspot.com/
Barb: http://inkingintoretirement.blogspot.com/
Jamie: http://butterflystamper71.blogspot.com/
Carol: http://lostinmycraftroom.blogspot.com/
Laura Jean: http://buckygirl.blogspot.com/
Joan:  http://msearlgrey.blogspot.com/
Guest Diva Tami:  http://blueinksdesign.blogspot.com/
Then check out the Dazzlers starting with Jeanette here: http://creativeplayischeaperthantherapy.blogspot.com/

Lots of Dots for C & C Blog Hop!

I'm so excited!  This is my first customer blog hop and I'm so thrilled to be a part of the Claudia and Co. customer blog hop!! My card features Puddle Jumper Emma by Lori Boyd.  Isn't she a cutie?!!
Love her!  Well, I couldn't resist using her polka dotted dress as as the theme for my card so I'm calling it Lots of Dots!  The background paper is embossed with cuttlebug folder Spots and Dots.  The circles were die cut out of sei "Such a Girl Rosie Rings" d.p. with my Nestabilities.  The ribbon is Offray "Dot to Dot".  Emma was colored with Copic markers and the bow in her hair was enhanced with ribbon.  Buttons on the circles added some emphasis to the dot theme.  Do you think I'm just a little too dotty???

Dueling Darlings February Challenge: LOVE!

I'm so excited to post for the first time my Dueling Darling challenge card!  Well, it's the 15th of February and the day the Dueling Darling Divas challenge the Dueling Darling Dazzlers.  This month our hostesses Jamie for the Divas and April for the Dazzlers have chosen "Love" as their theme.  For the Divas Jamie sent us this awesome kit  which included this darling Animal Hearts image of ducks paddling through water carrying love balloons.  Also included in the kit was some gorgeous paper, beautiful heart and leaf die cuts, a silver medal heart, heart brads, 3 ribbons, and adhesive pearls.  Jamie also reminded us that February is black history month and encouraged us to be inspired by this quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have decided to stick with love.  Hate is too great a burden to bear."  Awesome!!
Here is my challenge card:

I used the MOJO Monday sketch 178 as the layout for my card.  Also used SU Cherry Cobbler, Bazzill silver and G.P. white cardstock.  My image was colored with Copic markers and the accessories I used were Spellbinders Nestabilities dies, Martha Stewart punch and a corner rounder.  All the other elements were from the kit.

Check out the other Divas cards here:
Kelly: http://sandcastlestamper.blogspot.com/
Barb: http://inkingintoretirement.blogspot.com/
Jamie: http://butterflystamper71.blogspot.com/
Carol: http://lostinmycraftroom.blogspot.com/
Laura Jean: http://buckygirl.blogspot.com/
Joan:  http://msearlgrey.blogspot.com/
Guest Diva Tami:  http://blueinksdesign.blogspot.com/
Then check out the Dazzlers starting with Jeanette here: http://creativeplayischeaperthantherapy.blogspot.com/

Welcome to my blog!

Well, the very technically challenged me has finally created a blog.  Are all my papercrafting buddies sending up a big cheer?!?  LOL  I hope to learn more and more and may be calling on those of you who are so adept at blog speak to guide me in the days ahead.  I've seen so many blogs I've admired and wondered "How do they do that?"  So I'm jumping in and getting my feet wet and hope to meet and greet friends and family here as time goes by. 

Since I started this addictive hobby of card making I've met so many creative and talented people that inspire me not only in papercrafting but also in my personal life.  I'm hoping by creating this blog I can return the love, encouragement and support I've been so blessed to receive...the inspiration for the name of my blog.

I'm taking a deep breath now and hitting that posting button.  Hugs, Judy