Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Pick of the Week 10/27/10

Hey guys.  It's Wednesday and you all know what that means.  Time to highlight something that was posted in the gallery here at CUC over the course of the past week.  This is always a difficult decision because there are always so many wonderful items to choose from.  This week, I was able to narrow it down to this fantastic card posted by Barb:

The reason I finally narrowed it down to this card was because it's got so many fun elements that work together so well, like the wiggle eyes and the shape of the card. Plus the fact that it's Halloween week, makes this card even more perfect as pick of the week.

I hope that you make it over to the CUC Gallery and leave Barb some much deserved lovin'.  And While you're there why not post some of your work as well because we love to ohh and ahh over every one's creations.  Plus, the more you upload, the better the chance that your project could be chosen as Pick of the Week.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Design Team Reveal -- October 25

Today is the last of our design team reveals for this month's sponsors -- Punky Sprouts, Whisker Graphics, and Unity Stamp Company. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we have thoroughly enjoyed using the wonderful products so generously provided by these companies.


Let's start off this week with Sarah's adorable layout -- check out her amazing banner!

For this layout I used the Divine Twine to make a super simple banner. I just punched and inked the 1" circles, folded them over the twine and secured with a glue dot. I then tied little bows and glued them to the ends. 

Layout features my baby sister Jessica and her son AJ. 







And next we have a beautiful layout created by Shawna -- so bright and fun!


For this layout i used the little bird stamp and the yellow bakers twine. Even though i messed up a little with my stamping i actually like the distressed, imperfect feel it gives the layout.






Tamara takes her turn with two fun, creative cards. 


This first card was created using the Fizzy Feelings stamp set from Unity Stamp Co.
I used stickles to give it a little sparkle.







This next card was designed using Whisker Graphics Divine Twine yellow and orange.








Next is Sandy's fabulous album -- you're sure to flip over this one!


This week's project was sooo fun to me. I loved working with the Punky Sprouts Album. I was given the Savvy Sprout Album to work with and it was perfect for this Halloween Album. Now that I have the album completed, I just have to add my pictures, which I will get when the kids dress up. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do:








There are several more fabulous pages! Be sure to check them out on the Cookin' Up Creations forum
Tabitha also has some beautiful cards for us. 


This week I created two cards. i used the Whiskers Graphics Divine Twine. Can I just say I am addicted to this stuff. I love using for everything,  so great to work with and it comes in so many colors to choose from.






And here is Nordica's lovely project:


This week I had the opportunity to make an altered item. I chose to alter a full size clip board to give to one of my sons' teachers as a Christmas present. I had such a good time working with the fun and funky Divine Twine by Whisker Graphics, using it to stitch on this My Minds Eye paper from my stash! For the "Bliss" I used a stitch template to mark the paper where I wanted my title to be and then I used a cross stitch/embroidery needle to stitch with the yellow Divine Twine. Along the bottom I punched the paper with a border punch and used the same size needle to thread the orange Divine Twine through the holes made by the border punch. The Divine Twine was easy to work with and added such a cool dimensional texture! I also added the "sweet' ATD puffy message sticker, some Prima flowers, misc. gems, and some faux pen stitching. Thanks for looking!






Jo also created a beautiful layout for us this week:


For this week's layout, I used Whisker Graphics Divine Twine in several different ways. Of course, it belonged in my buttons, but from there I also used it around letters in my title and stitched it down the side of the matting. Then I decided it would be perfect for the flower centers too! This Twine can be used in so many different ways!






When I showed my daughter the layout, she asked me if I had any more of the twine to make friendship bracelets with! I think I am going to have to order more because the bracelets turned out so cute and bright...in fact she has already given one away!






And here are two cards created by Barb:


I love making cards, so I was happy that my assignment this week was to create two of them. 

For my first one, I used the Unity Stamp Company's "Berry Good Life" stamp set. I used a masking technique to include two stamps on the front of the card:





Don't you just love that cute saying? I used watercolor crayons and a blending brush to add the color. For added interest, I wound some Whisker Graphics Divine Twine around the stamped block. (The green is my favorite color -- it goes with almost every patterned paper I own!) 



And of all the holidays, my favorite card-making one is Halloween. I just love all the wonderful papers and embellishments available! For this one, I used the Divine Twine to add little accents:






Want to see the way Barb decorated the insides of her cards? Then go here!


And now we have Cassy, with a bright and colorful layout!


For my layout this week, I wanted to document some of my daughter's firsts in sixth grade which include moving to a new school, getting lockers, etc. So I used some Sassafrass Lass pp, Divine Twine, tickets, Maya Road Rub-ons, Pink Paislee Chipboard letters etc. to embellish her school photo layout page. I also created a mosaic apple which I covered with diamond glaze to give it some shine. TFL!






You can check out these and other projects created by our Design Team by going to the Sponsor Spotlight for October in the Cookin' Up Creations gallery -- just click here! We all hope you have enjoyed this week's reveal and that you'll join us for more challenges, games and fun in the Cookin' Up Creations forum. Have a fantastic week! 








Make-Up Monday...

Yep...

Today is Monday again. I don't know about you but I look forward to Monday
at Cookin Up Creations. It is a great day to get to what you have missed out
on all week with all the Design Teams Blue Plate Specials. I know I am behind
and I have a list here waiting to get started. In case you need to jot them down
this is what the specials were last week.

Tuesday we had Tamara and she created a beautiful layout using 3-d flowers.



Wednesday we had Sandy show us how to use the wonderful Bakers Twine




Thursday we had Barb she transformed plain ordinary bird houses into a work of ART.



Friday Jo created a wonderful layout using Doilies


Saturday Cassy came up with a cute card Sketch from Page Maps



Last but not least Wanda gave us some wonderful Sunday inspiration from these gorgeous bits of fabric.




So get your pen and paper ready and get these BPS jotted down so you can create your heart out.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

LOTW 10-20-10

Hi guys, Sandy here posting for Tamara.  This week it was her week to pick the layout of the week and I must say she picked an awesome one.

Here is what Tamara had to say about her pick:
I picked this layout for a lot of reasons.
1) It is a two page layout and most of the ones I do for my books are two page because I have so many photos.
2) I love the title in the banner hangers with glitz just like Vegas.
3) I love the fairy dust comment from the creator who was working with glitter.
4) I love how the first page compliments the 2nd page and flows so well.
5) I love the style of the papers and the Eiffel tower.
6) Just because!! :cheerleadergirl: 
 
And here is her pick:
It's titled Las Vegas and is by the wonderful Jen King

You can check out Jen's layout, as well as some other fabulous work by our members in the CUC Gallery right: HERE
We would love to see your work as well so feel free to join and start adding your work to the gallery.  Who knows, it could be chosen as pick of the week
 

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Design Team Reveal

Happy Tuesday all.  I hope that you all enjoying what the design team has been creating with the products our wonderful sponsors have provided.  Our sponsors this month are Punky Sprouts, Whisker Graphics, and Unity Stamp Company.  Make sure you check them all out for some fun products to use on your projects.  Now, on to the reveals...

First we have this awesome Punky Sprouts album created by Jo:
This week I was lucky enough to be able to complete a project using the Punky Sprouts mixed medium album "Sweetie Sprout" These albums are great because they combine acrylic, canvas and chipboard pages and give you the option to punch your holes where ever on the pages you want! Since my daughter had just turned 13 and had several different activities surrounding her birthday, I created an album just for her. As soon as I saw the album, I knew I had to use some My Mind's Eye "Dreamy 2" papers that I had been hoarding for quite awhile. I also used some paints and Glimmer Mists to color the canvas pages.




I love the clear acrylic cover...I added some Stickles around the edges to make them stand out because we all need more bling! The album also came with this cute little bird...I just covered him with some cardstock and paint.
Make sure you check out the rest of her pages to this album in the Sponsor Galleries here: Punky Sprouts Gallery.

Moving on from the Punky Sprout album reveal to cards, we have Shawna's fabulously fun cards:

For her two cards this week she used both the Unity Stamps and the Whisker Graphics twine. They are both great products for card making.
Sarah's bright cheery cards:



The adorable Margarita Moments stamps from Unity are absolutely PERFECT for making cards for your girlfriends! She paired them with the Whiskers Graphics Divine Twine in bright happy colored to make these cards



And Cassy's awesome cards:
For this first card, I decided to layer the beautiful sunflower stamp and when I cut out the first layer, I glued the center and bent the petals up for a 3-D look. I filled the center with dots of Cinnamon Stickles, tied the stamped image with Divine Twine, and embellished with ribbon and a Unity Stamp Company phrase.



For the second card, I was inspired by all of the amazing handmade flowers out there and thought, why not stamp an image, layer it, and see what happens. So I stamped the image 5 times, cut apart the layers, crinkled toward the center, and sanded the pp a bit. Then I layered the flower using zots, added some Stickles and voila - a handmade rose. I sanded the edges of my patterned paper and embellished with a swirl of paint, Unity Stamp Company saying, some Robin's Nest pebbles, mini-brads, and stitching. Thanks for looking.

And finally today we will end the reveals with the layouts.  First up is Barb's adorable LO:
This week, my assignment was to create a layout. I went back into my family "photo vault" (a cardboard photo box from JoAnn's) and found photos of my youngest daughter, at age 5, in her Halloween costume. She had begged that year to be Belle from "Beauty and the Beast".  The movie also featured characters named Mrs. Potts (a teapot) and her son Chip (a teacup), which made Unity Stamp Company's teapot and cup stamp from the "Berry Good Life" set a natural choice to embellish my journaling card. I created a border using my Fiskars Threading Water border punch, with Whisker Graphics' Divine Twine laced through the design and tied in a bow. It created such a girly touch for a girly layout!

Next up is Tabitha's LO.  The picture alone makes me wanna say "awwww"
This week I had to do a layout and again I choose to use both the Unity Stamps ( Fizzy Feelings). I thought these stamps were just so adorable and I even stamped over patterned paper to give it a little depth and then colored it in with a red brush marker. I also use the Divine Twine in green.

And now Tamara's Lo where she shows us great uses for those Unity Stamps:
On this layout I used the Unity Stamp set Eco Chic.

I stamped the background, added flowers, title and tree (all from the stamp set) and tied the flower stems with orange divine twine.
Next up is my own LO:
I had fun with this LO. It will actually have a second page that has pictures of me and DH and me and the kids and say Me, that's whoo. But I had a little mishap and messed up a picture and needed more ink so I could reprint it. It will be a mirrored image of this one (unless I change my mind on that).  I used Unity Stamps Lollipop Tree You and Me stamps and the Divine Twine.

And lastly (but definitely not least) we have Nordica's beautiful LO:
This week I got a chance to create a layout for hubby's cousin! We attended her wedding last weekend and I LOVED the way this photo turned out so I was very excited to scrap it. The Unity Stamp Company Tiny Trinity stamps were the perfect fit for this layout! I also used Prima flowers, misc. gems, pearls, and ribbon, StayzOn Ink, Making Memories paper, and misc cardstock.

I hope that you all enjoy these projects as much as we enjoyed creating them.  Make sure you visit the Gallery here at CUC for more photos of projects created with these awesome sponsor products.

Monday, October 18, 2010

October 2010 BPS Prize Package is...

the Absolutely Gorgeous Fall Memories Mini Album Kit from



Paisleys & Polka Dots





Fall is here and this adorable mini album comes just in time for your fall decorating. This mini album is designed using the Bella Blvd., One Fall Day collection. You’re going to love the different chipboard shapes included with this album. It comes with pumpkins, leaves, and the inside pages of this book are custom made which makes this book, “one of a kind.” You will also receive plenty of stickers, borders, felt shapes, and embellishments to customize your book. Kit comes pre cut with full color instructions and there is no tracing and cutting of the chipboard pages. (a $40 value)


This kit contains the following:

•Bella Blvd. pattern paper
•1 Bella Blvd. Alpha + Bits sticker sheet
•1 Bella Blvd. Cute Cuts sheet
•1 Bella Blvd. Borders and Blocks sheet
•1 Bella Blvd. partial Borders and Blocks sheet
•8 Bella Blvd. Blurbs stickers
•Various ribbon
•Various trim
•Twine
•1 Maya Road trinket pin
•1 small pumpkin die cut
•1 large pumpkin die cut
•1 burlap heart
•1 metal embellishment
•15 felt borders and shapes
•1 toothpick
•1 thin chipboard sheet
•1 (6) page custom shaped chipboard book
•1 small chipboard pumpkin
•1 large chipboard pumpkin and leaf



Please take a look at their site and all of the other beautiful page kits that they have to offer!

And please make sure you check out the weekly Blue Plates Specials at Cookin' up Creations for your chance to win this awesome Prize Package!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Fish Bowl Designs by Anne Quade - Penny H's Reveal

Wow! I had so much fun this month playing with the Fall Frolic bundle from Fish Bowl Designs!

check it out




Here are my projects using this great bundle!!




Monday, October 11, 2010

CUC Design Team Reveal

Well it's that time again.....time for another reveal from the very talented Design Team here at Cookin' up Creations...

If you haven't had a chance to check out the awesome sponsors yet this month, please take an opportunity to do so today! The team is working with Punky Sprouts, Whisker Graphics Divine Twine, and Unity Stamp Company.

First up this week is Tabitha who created an amazing album using the Punky Sprouts mixed media album...



Next up we have Sarah, who was asked to create a layout for us this week!  This is just too adorable!






Next we have Shawna created this bright and colorful layout for us.






Next up we have our reveal from Sandy who was asked to make two cards for us this week.  Whoooooo doesn't love that!










Next up is Tamara, who chose to create a zoo themed mini-album with the Punky Sprouts album this week!  Check out those adorable animals!





Next up is Jo, and she created a beautiful and classic layout for us this week...





Nordica is up next, and she created a fun and unique layout for us as well...





And next up is Cassy, who created a sweet, bright layout.






And finally this week, we have Barb. She was asked to create an altered item for us!  She created two completely awesome projects for you!



Thanks for checking in with us and I hope that you enjoy these awe inspiring layouts and projects as much as we do.