Make your own embellishment

Good morning!  It's time for me to share another challenge with you from The Latte Lounge.  This time around I am asking you to make your own embellishments for your creations.  You can find tutorials all over the web for flowers, rosettes, butterflies, etc...  The challenge will run for 2 weeks so you have until Feb. 3.  I can't wait to see your creations.

Here is a card I made for inspiration...

The sentiment is from The Wild Flower Patch. The DP is DCWV.  I got the tutorial for the butterfly from Barbara's World of Whimcees.

Reminders:

TLL challenges...

Sporty Saturday: ends Jan. 22

Something New: ends Jan 24

Sentiment Only: ends Jan. 26

January Winter Theme: ends Jan. 31

We are having a Digi Day this Saturday, Jan. 22 from 8 to 10 EST.  We will have some challenges, games and fun chat.  Also, aong with Digi Day we will be having a Secret Sweetie exchange.  Be sure to sign up for that by tomorrow and we'll hand out the names during the Digi Day party.

Thanks for looking.  Have a great day.

~Rhonda

Reminder Wednesday!!!

Happy Wednesday all!! I hope everyone's week is going well so far. Just a quick update of the current happenings--

Fist don't forget DIGI DAY this weekend - Saturday from 8-10PM EST!!! Lots of challenges, games, chatting and prizes. You can find the fun here on Saturday night!! Also if you're interested in playing Secret Sweeties sign up by Friday Jan 21st in the group found here!!

So far you have an awesome chance of winning the Sentiment only challenge so be sure to create a project and post it on the thread.

Current Challenges -
Happy Birthday - due 1/20/10 (that's tomorrow)
Sporty Saturday - due 1/22/10 (that's this Saturday)
Something New - due 1/24/10
Sentiment Only - due 1/26/10
Winter Themed Project - due 1/31/10

OK think that's it for today!! Rhonda will be here tomorrow with a new challenge!!

Have a blessed week!
Melissa

Featured Member - Brenda Dean!!!!

This week our Featured Member is a wonderful lady who brings so much to TLL. I really enjoy getting to know our members and hope you do too. On a personal note, I have Brenda to thank for my beginning to dabble in Digital Scrapbooking!! :-)

Let's get to meet Brenda -
After many years of working in the hectic, high-stress Corporate world, I left it all to be a part-time church secretary by day, full-time papercrafter by night. And I've never regretted a minute of it! I live in beautiful (but currently snowy) Upstate NY with my husband/best friend of almost 27 years and our 2 feline babies, Chevy and Callie Ann.

How long have you been paper crafting? Does drawing portraits as a 6-year-old count? If not, 7 years in all, almost 4 as a Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

How did you get started in paper crafting? A longtime friend and her sister came to see us in our new house in Connecticut and brought cards that they had made. I was intrigued and the sister invited me to her house for a stamp camp. I came home with a Stampin' Up! Catalog and spent hours and hours browsing through it. I was hooked from that point on.

What crafting item can you not live without? This is a tough question but I would have to say my Stamp-a-ma-jig. I use it to stamp images where I want them, i.e., straight!, and also to preview what a card will look like if I add an image or sentiment in a certain spot.

What is your favorite paper crafting company? I love Stampin' Up! I know that the ribbon will match the cardstock which will match the ink and the patterned paper. They have taken the guesswork out of color matching which leaves the fun part of stamping to me!

What is your favorite coloring medium? One of my goals is to learn how to watercolor better but I have to say that my go-to coloring medium are the Stampin' Write Markers. I will use them directly on the rubber or I will use them with a blender pen to color a stamped image. Oh, and I have to tell you that I will scribble the marker on the plastic of my beloved Stamp-a-ma-jig and pick up the color with the blender pen. Yup, I love my Stamp-a-ma-jig.

Do you have any other hobbies? Digital photography is probably my top hobby right now. My goal is to photograph barns this year (older barns have always intrigued me!). And I love to read when I have time.

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself? People are always amazed to discover that I have 2 Masters degrees and that I was a computer geek in my Corporate life (million dollar computers not personal computers). The geeky side comes in handy when I want to make changes to my blog.

Here are some of Brenda's beautiful work -




Be sure to stop by Brenda's lovely blog and say hello!!

Thanks for coming by today. Blessings!!
Melissa

Something New Challenge Mid-Way Reminder

We're halfway through the Something New Challenge. I used my new Big Shot with a Cuttlebug Thank You embossing folder to make this card. The image is from Some Odd Girl and she's colored with Copics.

There are so many fun challenges and special events going on:

Stacie is sponsoring the "Sporty Saturday" challenge for another week.
You still have a few days to enter Rhonda's "Happy Birthday" challenge.
The MONTHLY CHALLENGE, hosted by our lovely Melissa is to "Create Anything with a Winter Theme".

Secret Sweeties: A special gift exchange for Valentine's Day. The sign up deadline is Jan 21st. You will get your "Sweetie's" name on Jan. 22nd at our Digi Day!

Digi Day:
When: Saturday January 22nd. with LIVE chat from 8-10PM EST
Where: at the Latte Lounge
What: the theme is Valentine's Day
Who: everyone is invited... RSVP at THIS LINK so we'll know how many cups of Latte we'll be serving up!

Happy Crafting!

Jennifer

Sunday Update...

Just another quick update with the happenings at The Latte Lounge!!

FIRST is our upcoming Digi Day --


When - This Saturday January 22nd. 8-10PM EST
Where - The Latte Lounge January Digi Day Group
What - fun, challenges, games, trivia and PRIZES!!!

Also don't forgot to sign up for our Secret Sweetie!! You'll receive the name of another gal and send her some goodies and in turn someone else will have your name and you'll get some goodies!! We did at Christmas and it was wonderful fun!!

Current Challenges -
Monthly - Any Winter Themed Project - due January 31st.
Happy Birthday - due this Thursday 1/20
Sporty Saturday - due this Saturday 1/22
Something New - due next Monday 1/24
Sentiment Only - due next Wednesday 1/26

We sure hope you'll come by and share the fun!!!

Latte Lounge News!

There is so much going on at The Latte Lounge!

We have challenges, chats, groups, discussions, events and more fun than you can imagine!!

There are FOUR challenges going on RIGHT NOW!!

I (Stacie) am sponsoring the "Sporty Saturday" one!
Rhonda is sponsoring "Happy Birthday" til the 20th
Jen (JLJ Designs) is hosting "Something New" which runs til the 24th
and our MONTHLY CHALLENGE, hosting by our lovely Melissa is
to "Create Anything with a Winter Theme".


So, there's something for everyone!!


And it's not just for card-makers!!


You can submit ANY project to ANY of our challenges!!


Using the "Basketball" Cricut cartridge, a 12" x 24" mat, red, white and blue vinyl and my Cricut Expression, I made this wall art for my 8-year-old!

Super-sporty, eh?

While you're deciding how many projects you can enter into our challenges,
here are a few upcoming Latte Lounge events you'll want to put on your calendar:


Secret Sweeties: A special gift exchange for Valentine's Day.
Sign up deadline is Jan 21st.
You will get your "Sweetie's" name on Jan. 22nd at our Digi Day!


Digi Day:
When: Saturday January 22nd. with LIVE chat from 8-10PM EST


Where: at the Latte Lounge


What: the theme is Valentine's Day


Who: everyone is invited... RSVP at THIS LINK so we'll know how many cups of Latte we'll be serving up!


See you there!!

Featured Member - Heather Dennis

Welcome to our first Featured Member of the new year. I am so excited to introduce you to Heather Dennis. She is one of the kindest and sweetest ladies I have met in my life!!


Here's a bit more about Heather --


I am an almost 32 year old stay at home homeschooling mom of two. I have been married for 12 ½ years, have an almost 9 year old daughter and a 6 year old son. I have been drawing since I was born, pretty much. When I started my venture in homeschooling, I got very stressed and started to feel I was losing myself. I found paper crafting (and coffee) and life got better. That was just the release I needed!!! Art and coffee! After a while I wanted to start drawing again, and then was introduced to digital stamps. I started my business around August 2009 and just opened my own online shop in October of 2010. (Added by me -- Heather's store is Fresh Brewed Designs - check it out!! )

How long have you been paper crafting?
I started making cards and paper crafting in early 2007. I started my blog in June of 2008

How did you get started in paper crafting?
Oh I can’t remember? I just thought one day to make a card….and it was TERRIBLE… but I was forever hooked. I found some groups in a place called Café Mom, met some wonderful friends, grew a little then started my blog… the rest is history

What crafting item can you not live without?
Paper? What would this craft be without paper? J and all things shimmery … and my paper trimmer. I am not at all indecisive!!! ;)

What is your favorite paper crafting company?
I use a lot of American Craft Papers, but there are SO many wonderful companies out there. It would be impossible to choose a favorite! I also love Papertrey Inc. basic white cardstock. It is so thick and lovely!

What is your favorite coloring medium?
Prismacolor Markers, and my Bic markers

Do you have any other hobbies?
I love to cook. I also paint birdhouses, ornaments and other things like that from time to time.

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself?
Oh… well, you already know everything about me if you have seen my posts here. I am pretty open to share everything about myself. I sing with my husband at church on the praise team. He plays the guitar too. I am a homebody and I can usually be found here… cooking, cleaning, teaching the kids, stopping fights and so on. I do not have many friends here, but am so blessed with wonderful online friends. God always places people in your life and reaches out to you in ways you could never expect or imagine. He has blessed me daily with my online friends and I thank him daily for each and every one of them. It really amazes me when I sit back and think about it. God is so good.

Now check out just a few of Heather's fabulous creations. You can find more inspiration on her blog -- Heather's Coffee Break.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Something New Challenge

My challenge for the next two weeks is to use Something New. It can be a new image, new papers or embellishments, a new technique, or new tools. The prize is two images from The Stamping Boutique.

My first card uses a new image (at least to me) - Princess Jennifer Latte Shopping for Shoes.

For my second card, I used a new technique AND

a new image. I used a new-to-me image 50s Sweethearts from The Greeting Farm. I tried flocking for the first time, which is really fun - check out the fuzzy heart. The papers are from Hearts and Flowers by JLJ Designs.

There are some other great challenges going on at TLL:

Rhonda has a Happy Birthday challenge until Jan 20th. Stacie has Sporty Saturday (say that 10 times fast)! The January monthly challenge is winter.

We have some special events coming up too. You can join in Secret Sweeties for a Valentine's "candy" exchange. Mark your calendars for our first digi day of the year on Jan 22nd.

Happy Crafting!

Jennifer