Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Destination ImagiNation - State here we come!



The DI Regional Competition was held this past Saturday and everyone did such a great job!  I am happy to say that all 4 of my kids are going on to the State Tournament!   This was Tyler and Trevor's first year in DI, Alicia and Ashley's second year.  They are all so excited!   Unfortunately I didn't get very many pictures (and half are kind of blurry)....I was video taping, so I had other people take pics for me (Alicia did a good job with the Rising Star pics...but someone, who shall remain nameless ;), not so good with the other pics...at State I think I will have them video tape and I will take the pictures! 





Tyler's team in Challenge E - Verses! Foiled Again! (structural) took 1st place out of 9 teams!

Alicia's team in Challenge C - Triple Take Road Show (fine arts) took 2nd place out of 12 teams!

Ashley & Trevor's team - Big Bug's Bad Day (Rising Stars) were given the option of going on to State, which was new this year (last year it was a lottery draw), so we jumped on the opportunity.

Now we are just crossing our fingers for Globals!

You may be wondering exactly what Destination ImagiNation really is (I know I had no clue when I first heard about DI and wish I had more information on it so my kids would have had the opportunity to participate earlier) so here is a link to the DI website (www.idodi.org). 

But here is a brief rundown of the program....

In DI teams solve an open-ended challenge.  The teams are tested to think outside of the box, work together and come up with creative, original solutions to satisfy the requirements of their chosen challenge. 

The competitive teams (Elementary, Middle School, High School levels) have 5 different challenges available to choose from at the beginning of the season and the categories are technical, scientific, fine arts, improv, or strucural. 

Rising Star teams are made up of K-2nd graders and are non-competitive.  This gives the younger kids a chance to learn what DI is all about and go through the same experiences as the competitive teams.   

After working on their solution for a few months, the teams present their solution to appraisers at a tournament and are scored on how well they met all the requirements of the challenge as well as on their creativity and teamwork.  In addition to their main challenge, they must also participate in an Instant Challenge (usually 4-10 minutes in length).  This is task based (ex.  build a structure out of given materials that will hold a golf ball), performance based (ex. present a performance in which your team uses 6 imaginary props of your choice to rescue themselves from an avalance), or a combination of the two.  The Instant Challenge is also scored on how well they met all the requirements of the given challenge, their creativity and teamwork.   

At the 3 competitive levels, the 1st and 2nd place teams from each challenge move on to the next level of competition.  There are 3 levels of competition...Regionals, State and then Globals (which, as it's name implies, has teams from all around the world).

I really believe in this program and what it does for the kids.  So much so, that I decided to be a Team Manager this year, and not to just one team, but two.  Next year I plan on returning as a Team Manager, and, hopefully again, to two teams. 

Have a great day!
 

Sweetest Day Ever

Today is another Inspiration Day at Claudia & Company

For my card I used Jillibean Soup's Chilled Strawberry papers, and what better image to pair them up with than a co-branded Unity Stamp Co. Itty Bitty Stamp set Sweetest Day.  I tried something different and stamped the image on Kraft Cardstock and colored it with copics.  I like how it turned out and may just need to try people images on Kraft cardstock next.  After coloring the strawberry I added rhinestones to it.  I added some Red Satin Ribbon, and decided it was a bit too fancy for this card, so I then added some Brown Baker's Twine over it.  The Basic Grey Kioshi buttons were threaded with Red Baker's Twine and some linen thread.  The image and sentiment are both adhered with 3-D dots.

Making this card made me about think about strawberry picking.  I started taking the kids strawberry picking after Trevor was born and we have gone each year since.  We go to a farm about 5 minutes away (can't beat that!) and after picking strawberries (and eating a few on the tractor ride) have an ice cream cone or a strawberry sundae.  Fresh strawberries are the best!

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

All Things Unity -Bling it Up
Friday Sketchers - sketch
Wee Memories - Anything Goes
The Spotted Chick - That's Krafty Thursday

Thanks for stopping and have a great day!




Recipe ~ all items SU unless indicated 
Stamps: Sweetest Day (Unity Stamp Co.)
Ink/Coloring:  Memento Ink (Rich Cocoa); Copics (R29, YG21, YG23,YG25)
Paper:  Kraft; DP - Jillibean Soup (Chilled Strawberry) 
Embellishments:  Satin Ribbon (Red); Bakers Twine (Brown); Bakers Twine (Red); Button (Basic Grey-Kioshi);  Rhinestones
Tools: 3-D Dots

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Happy Birthday to my oldest son, Tyler.  Today he hit double digits....the big 10!  He took brownies to school to share with his class and tonight's menu was Cousin's Subs (per his request) and then a Chocolate Cake with Buttercream frosting from a local cake shop.
    
 Here is the card I made for him:

I used Jack from The Greeting Farm's Creepin kit and paired him up with some American Crafts papers.  For the layout I followed this week's sketch at Club Anya but turned it sideways.  This was a really fun sketch to work with....definitely will need to use it again and maybe next time I will even use it the way it is shown ;)
There are a few more challenges that I used for this card and add them later when I have a bit more time.
The Paper Variety - Tic-Tac-Toe - I chose Stamped Image/Sentiment, Make a Card, Use Scallops 
Anyone for Anya - Birthday Card
Everybody Art - "Happy Birthday"
Birthday Sundaes - "Birthday"
Really Reasonable Ribbon - "One for the Boys"
Paper Cutz - "Anything Goes"
Totally Gorjuss - "Button It"
ABC Toys & Crafts - "Happy Birthday"
One Stitch at a Time - "Something for the Boys"
Pear Tree Designs - "Happy Birthday"""
Catered Crop - I chose the following ingredients - Striped paper, mini print patterned paper, the color blue, ribbon, die cuts, circles (although cut in half) and scallops.


Thanks for stopping and have a great day!  

Recipe ~ all items SU unless indicated 
Stamps: Creepin (TGF); So Random Sentiments Up/Down (Claudia & Co)
Ink/Coloring:  Memento Tuxedo Black Ink; Copics (E000, E00, E01, Y21, Y23, Y26, E31, B93, B95, B97, B99, R24, R22, R24, R27, R29, Y32, Y36, Y38) - (I will check these for sure, I know I'm missing at least 2, and am not positive on some of the Y)
Paper:  Night of Navy, So Saffron, Riding Hood Red; White (Gina K Pure Luxury); DP - American Crafts (Road Trip)
Embellishments:  Ribbon, Button  
Tools:  Star Nesties; Epic Scalloped Circle Dies; Circle Cutter (Creative Memories); 3-D Dots


 


Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Claudia & Company Challenge

Happy Tuesday....and welcome to another challenge with Claudia & Company



The challenge this week was to use at least 3 of the following colors:  
Butter/Yellow
Rose/Pale Red
Pale Green
Lavendar  
Don't these colors just scream Spring to you?

For today's card I used papers from Echo Park's Springtime 6x6 sampler set and chose to use Puddle Jumper School Time Lucy.    I thought that her polka dotted tote bag was a great match to the paper and then I decided to carry on the polka dot theme a little further by embossing the designer papers.  I colored Lucy with copics and added some stickles to her hair bows and her tote bag.  The image panel is raised using 3-D dots.  I added some May Arts pink ribbon, tied a bow and then topped it with a little mini Kioshi button (love the size of it) threaded with some DMC floss.

We would love to have you join in our challenge.  You will have until Saturday, April 2nd to link up your entry.  For more inspiration with these colors, head on over the the Claudia & Company blog




Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!


Recipe ~ all items SU unless indicated 
Stamps: Puddle Jumper School Time Lucy (Claudia & Co. stamp by Lori Boyd)
Ink/Coloring:  Memento Ink (Tuxedo Black); Copics (E00, E01, E11, R20, R81, R83, R85, YG93, Y21, Y23, Y26, Y32, Y35)
Paper:  Certainly Celery, Barely Banana; White (GK); DP - Echo Park (Springtime) 
Embellishments:  May Arts Ribbon (Pink); Button (Basic Grey-Kioshi);  Stickles (Stardust); DMC Floss  
Tools: Cuttlebug Embossing Folders (Swiss Dots & Polka Dots); 3-D Dots




Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Tuesday Inspiration

Today is Inspiration Day with Claudia & Company and I have a card to share with you.
For my card I used Jack and Sasha from The Greeting Farm's newest kit, Creepin.  I colored Sasha so it looked like she was wearing a shirt beneath her dress since that is something my daughter would do (especially with a dress like this), and then added some sparkle to her boots, bracelet and eye shadow.  Because they are overlapping layers, I attached them using both my atg gun and 3-D dots.  The designer papers are from the Lili Bee Lovely sampler pack .  I wanted to bring out the patterns of the papers throughout my design so I embossed the kraft panel with a houndstooth embossing folder and used a border punch.  All layers of the paper have been distressed and then sponged with a chocolate ink.  The buttons were a bit too clear, so I colored them with a copic (BG13) before adding the teal bakers twine (which I also sponged over with chocolate ink) to them.   I don't do all out distressing too often, but I think it worked out well with this particular card.


Stop by the Claudia & Co. blog for more inspiration from the Design Team and remember that you still have until this Saturday (March 19th) to enter our current recipe challenge.  




I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Get Sketchy - Sketch 
The Spotted Chick - Use Kraft Cardstock 
Dutch Dare - Photo Inspiration
Creatalicious Challenge - Two tone

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!


Recipe ~ all items SU unless indicated 
Stamps: Creepin (TGF)
Ink/Coloring:  Memento Tuxedo Black Ink; Copics (E000, E00, E01, R20, E42, E43, E55, E57, E59, BG10, BG11, BG13); Chocolate Chip Ink
Paper:  Chocolate Chip; Kraft; White (GK); DP - Lily Bee Lovely
Embellishments:  Teal Bakers Twine; Button;  
Tools:  Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Houndstooth); Martha Stewart Border Punch; Sponge; Distressing tool; 3-D Dots














Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Claudia & Company Challenge




How exciting...my very first challenge with Claudia & Company as a DT member.  To start things off, we have a recipe challenge.  The recipe is:  Stitching of some kind, 2  patterned papers, buttons, a sentiment, ribbon, circles, and scallops.
I chose Lollipop Ella and a sentiment from So Random Sentiments for today's card ~ isn't Ella just adorable with that polka dotted dress and ribbon?   I colored the image with my copics and then created a little flowery grassy hill for Ella to stand on.  The main image panel and sentiment are raised using 3-D dotsFor my patterned paper, I used papers from Echo Park's Little Girl 6x6 sampler pack (and let me tell you, these sampler packs are absolutely wonderful and a great bargain).  I know, looking at my card, you are probably thinking, ok, I see one patterned paper, where is the second....well if you look closely at the butterflies, those are punched from the second patterned paper (pretty sneaky huh?).   I stitched along the circle on the embossed edge by manually using my sewing machine (no foot pedal, just hand turning) so I could be sure to get it even.  The brown layer was just too plain so I embossed it and then colored over each of the dots with a white gel pen.  I added some bakers twine over the ribbon and then also used it for a bow on the button.  

We would love to have you join us with this challenge.  Stop on by the Claudia & Company blog for some more fantastic inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and link up your creation by March 19th.  Who knows you may be the lucky winner of some beautiful Prima embellishments.

Take a peek at the Claudia & Company store to see all the 6x6 sampler packs as well as some brand new items which include:


For my project I used the sketch over at Friday Sketchers which I really liked, and the color challenge at by Lori Designs
I am also entering the following challenges:
Moxie Fab - Stamping with Markers Challenge
Cupcake Craft Challenge - Pink Polka Dots
Alphabet Challenge - R is for Ribbons
Aly's Sunday Challenge - Anything Goes 
Fussy and Fancy Friday - Embossing or Paper Piecing (I chose embossing)
Stamp Something - Use something Digi (image)


Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!  




Recipe ~ all items SU unless indicated 
Stamps: Lollipop Ella (Claudia & Co. digi stamp by Lori Boyd); So Random Sentiments (Claudia & Co)
Ink/Coloring:  Memento Ink (Rich Cocoa); Copics (E00, E01, R20, E55, E57, E59, R81, R83, R85, YG93, YG95, BG0000, BG000, 0); White Gel Pen (Inksentials)
Paper:  Chocolate Chip; White (GK); DP - Echo Park (Little Girl) 
Embellishments:  Ribbon (Pink); Brown Bakers Twine; Button;  
Tools: Sewing Machine; Nesties; Scallop Punch; Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Swiss Dots); Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart); 3-D Dots




Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Claudia and Company New Releases

Welcome to the Claudia & Company Blog Hop.  If you didn't arrive here from Taylor's blog, please head back to the Claudia & Company blog to start the hop.  Remember to leave comments at each and every stop, because one lucky hopper will be chosen to win the entire release!  You will have until March 3rd, 11:59PM, to comment.  The winner will be announced on the Claudia & Company blog March 4th.   

In case you get lost along the way, here is the complete blog hop list:


 Now here are my projects:
Hot Air Balloon (digi stamp Jane's Doodles); So Random Sentiments; Cosmo Cricket (DeLovely); Memento Tuxedo Black

When I saw this image it just made me happy, so I wanted my card to reflect that.  I decided to layer the hot air balloon image and print it on blue patterned paper and then paper pieced it with bright patterned papers.  To make the hot air balloons look more like they were actually in the air, I cut some clouds out of white felt, and chose turquoise and yellow as cardstock colors (representing sky and sun).  


Bird House (digi stamp John Grutta); So Random Sentiments; Basic Grey; Memento Ink; Prima Flower

For this one I chose more of a "natural" color scheme.  I colored the image with copics and after looking at it decided that I wanted more of a weathered look on the bird house ~ I played around with different copics and I think what I decided to use in the end turned out ok.  For my embellishment, I made a looped bow, sewed on a flower and button and then added some more thread to the button so I could tie it in a bow on top.  The "brads" are actually paper punched with a regular hole punch and then covered in crystal effects.


Your next stop is Tanya, but before you head on over to see her wonderful projects, remember to leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fantastic day! :)

 
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