In the Works...

Cookie Jar Blog

It dawned on me recently that I had overlooked telling everyone about smART Cookie Design Team's blog!  How did that happen?!?

Well, regardless, let me do so now -- The Cookies named their blog {from the cookie jar}, and it's a great place to see a lot of smART creations without a lot of "wordage" -- All you get are cards, cards, cards!

Additionally, a click on any given project will cause it to pop up into a larger version, which allows you to see all the important little details... Very nice!

Beyond that, and even more wonderful, to me, is that fact that each creation has been tagged with the names of all the smART rubber the Cookie used on it... Sooooooo just click the name of a stamp set, and you see an assortment of all the creations made using that set.  Oooooh, baby!  Ideas galore!!!

To get there, click on the link above, or hit the Cookie Jar button in the right sidebar.

Have a great weekend!

Blessings Are Where You Find Them

Yesterday, a packet of cards arrived from smART Cookie Design Team member, Donna Duquette.  It was the highlight of a very long day filled with taxiing parents to appointments and shopping.  Even though I had the precious packet in hand before picking up my parents, I made myself wait before opening it.  Just knowing the treat I had in store for "later" seemed to ease all the driving, and the waiting, and the "Are you sures..."

Once my parents were situated back in their home, and I had returned to mine, I suppered the family, saw hubby out the door (off to his second job), made sure the boys were set with doing homework, brewed a cup of hazelnut coffee, sat down, opened that envelope, and savored...  The rest of the day melted away... I was in a stamper's oasis...  Almost as good as if I had time to stamp myself.

It's interesting, because the card which struck me as my momentary favorite of the bunch displays the words "Count Your Blessings," but that didn't really register until I was scanning it to share with you... I had simply fallen in love with the unexpected use of the rubber, the colors, and how fabulous the Brilliance Pearlescent Rust ink looks on the dark paper.

I actually had counted receiving Donna's cards a blessing, and had already thanked God for knowing exactly which day the packet needed to arrive... 

God is so incompehensibly good, and I know just visualizing this card in my mind, and the reminder it bears, will continue to be a blessing and get me through even today... Another day on the road with many miles to go for my mother's eye treatments, and a 2-1/2 hour wait while she has them... Thanks again, God... and thank you, Donna. 

Donna's "Wreath of Blessings" uses the natural florals from FL-16 Real Stems and Blossoms (catalog pg.21), and the saying from WD-56 Pumpkin Blessings (pg 33).

My tip for you today is try the Brilliance Pearlescent Rust on a darker rust or brick colored paper -- It is gorgeous!!!!

Almost Empty...

Almost empty, but not quite... there's still one more Cookie in the smART Cookie jar...

This Cookie's name is Trish D'Antonio, and her stamping style can best be described as "technique-y" (a label given, courtesy of Figgy Cookie, Dina Kowal, during the application process).  In general, this means Trish loves to have fun and experiment with a variety of techniques, then use them in highly creative ways...  See for yourself, by visiting Trish's blogspot, Tah Dah!

Hello!  My name is Trish D'Antonio (Tah Dah! on SCS), and I'm deeee-lighted to be a smART cookie!!  I am a city girl from Montana who married a farm boy from New Jersey.  We met while attending college in Texas, and now live in Philly suburbia.  We celebrated our 11th anniversary earlier this summer, and have two adorable kidlets: a 4 YO boy and a 2 1/2 YO girl.  I am now a full-time Mom, but in my pre-children days I worked in various capacities in Human Resources.

I have been crafty all my life, and have made everything from soap and candles to dolls from mops.  I also used to sew a lot, and even made my own wedding dress.  But all those pursuits seemed to fall to the wayside when I discovered stamping.  I bought my first rubber stamp in '96, but it wasn't until I attended a convention in '99 that my eyes were opened to the amazing possibilities.  I was hooked, and have been getting inky ever since.  I signed on as a demo with Stampin' Up! in 01 and really enjoyed introducing others to this great art form.  I am no longer a demonstrator, but will never stop stamping.  Time is precious with two young children in the house, and I love that I can sit down and create a card in 20 minutes.  Definitely a creative outlet for this mommy!  Besides stamping, I love to read, sing, cook, snap pictures and chat with friends.

When Trish examined her stamping style and personality to see what kind of cookie she'd be, this was the conclusion:

I'd have to say that I'm a chocolate chip cookie.  Simple and classic.  But then I like to mix it up and get fancy - so maybe one day it's white chocolate with macadamia nuts.  Still sweet, and a little nutty!  But after all, when you've started with a good base, there's room to experiment!

Pour the milk, and let's get dunking!

Get Your 'Sweet' Tooth Ready

Our next smART Cookie, Heidi Kingery, is especially 'sweet'. In fact, this was the one-word description I used to label her Stage 2 challenge submissions...

All her work, it seems, has a very sweet, simple, quality...  You can take a peek, and see for yourself by visting Heidi's blog ~ get ready for the title ~ Sweet Somethings...

Hey all!  I'm Heidi!  Also known as SweetHeidiJo (from SplitCoastStampers), author of Sweet Somethings (my blog), and Joey (by my family, Hi Mom!), but you can call me Heidi or Heidi Jo.

I am 24, in Ohio, a SAHM to 3 wonderful kiddos, and wife to my great hubby! Not to mention sister to 6 siblings, daughter to a wonderful mom, and hopefully, friend to many!

I wanted my job to be a mother ever since I can remember... Now and again when I was young, I had aspirations of being a zoo keeper or a ballerina but decided that cleaning up elephant poo and having broken toes wasn't for me in the end! Inside I always knew the title of 'mom' was meant for me! Luckily, I have been able to live that dream to it's fullest extent and have never had to work outside the home since I married my hubby! I also homeschool although my oldest won't officially be registered that way through the state until next year. I think I would have a mental breakdown on that first day of school sending her off on the bus, so I'm being a little selfish and keeping her to myself! {wink}

I have also been crafting ever since I can remember. From the time I brought home my first paper turkey made from my hand print in kindergarten, my mother and sisters always encouraged me to be creative and craft. 

However, I never got into stamping until about 5 years ago when I promised my hubby the Stampin' Up party I was attending was purely to socialize (and in my defense, that's honestly what I thought!), but I ended up buying my first two stamp sets that night. Since then, my curiosity has turned to obsession, a love affair perhaps! But it makes me happy, and I, in turn, make others happy, so it's not so bad!  Right?

My absolute favorite card to make would be a no layer card. I love water coloring with my re-inkers and aqua painter as well as using my Prismacolors and Gamsol and doing a no layer card really let's you focus on that. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE multiple layer cards and between you and me, I am a paper-a-holic! I love BasicGrey, Cosmo Cricket, MME, and sooooo many more!

When I'm not making cards I am probably taking pictures! I would love to consider myself an amateur photographer and when I am taking pictures I am in my happy place!

And what kind of cookie is Heidi?

After much deliberation I decided that I am a surprise cookie.  It looks like a yummy crisp cookie on the outside, but once you bite into it, you get a mouth full of Snickers or Milky Way (depending on how 'nutty' I am that day!). 

Just like my stamping style, I can be clean and crisp, but some days I'm as nutty as can be!

Suh-weeet!!!

Cookie Jar Upset!

Even before we had the chance to pull her from the jar and take a little nibble, our Canadian Cookie, sort of, well... crumbled out of our grasp!

Actually, Deborah March, whose stamping creations are touched with elegance, and incorporate a wide range of papercrafting techniques, has been faced with some unexpected changes in her family's living situation.  Changes which will require a great deal of Deborah's time...

Not wishing to placate us with mere crumbs, Deborah has made her apologies, and relinquished her Cookie status.

At smARTworks, family commitments always come first, so although disappointed, we wish Deborah only the best.

That said, I'm going to interrupt this week's introductions, and announce the name of our newest smART Cookie --

Trish D'Antonio from Pennsylvania

Trish had originally accepted a spot as our resident Guest Designer, but has been sweet enough ~hee hee to hop into the cookie jar, and fill the vacancy.

Thank you, Trish!  Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Back To the Cookie Jar...

After yesterday's little tip break, today, we're heading back to the Cookie jar...

Our third tasty treat comes by way of smART Cookie, Donna Duquette.  Her fabulous work, and versatility as a stamper can be seen by visiting her SCS, Donnarie, gallery...

Hi! I'm Donna, but you might know me as Donnarie or Dee or even Donna D. I live in East Granby, a small town in northern Connecticut. It’s a beautiful area, especially in the Autumn, and in all my 48 years I’ve never really considered leaving. My husband, Dave, and I have been married for 15 years now, and I'm stepmother to his four grown children and "Nanny" to their 5 kids.

My love of all things crafty began the first day I picked up a crayon and scribbled in a coloring book. Or was that on a wall? I can’t remember! I first discovered rubber stamping about eight years ago while Dave and I were vacationing in Provincetown on Cape Cod at a little shop called Norma Glamp’s Rubber Stamps. I wasn’t very interested in rubber stamps, but who could resist stopping in a store with a name like that? The owner was demonstrating heat embossing, and I was completely fascinated. I bought a couple of stamps out of the clearance bin, some black ink, some markers, and some clear embossing powder. I had no idea at the time, but a new stamper was born that night.

Over the next several years, I stamped as much as the demands of family, work, and night classes would allow. Then, in 2005, I found myself out of work with plenty of time on my hands. Surfing the internet one day, I found SplitCoastStampers and my life hasn’t been the same since.

I had the luxury of time, plenty of art supplies from my earlier career as a technical illustrator, and a seemingly endless source of inspiration and information. I quickly realized that stamping would satisfy my need for artistic expression, and would fit very nicely into my schedule after I returned to work. I still enjoy quilting and sewing, but these days I save those activities for weekends when I plenty of time. Rubber stamping is what keeps me sane during my busy work week!

So, what kind of cookie would Donna be?  She says,

If I were a cookie, I’d be an oatmeal cookie -- A favorite of mine because they’re simple and traditional, yet they can be dressed up for any occasion. Feeling tropical? Add some coconut, some chocolate chips, and some macadamias. Need something for the holidays? Red and green candies with walnuts should do the trick. Going for all out bling? Semi-sweet chocolate, raisins, nuts, and coconut will make 'em sparkle!

I create my cards the same way I bake oatmeal cookies.  I start off with the basic ingredients – good quality paper and ink, and a great rubber stamp or two – and then I embellish to suit my mood and the occasion.

Didn't I say she was versatile?!?

Time For Another Cookie...

Okay, Dina is a tasty treat, but there's still more to come... After all, whoever stops at just one cookie?

Today we're meeting Susan Liles, our little taste of Texas.  Her fun, inspirational stamping style can be viewed on her blog, Susiestampalot - If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.  When you visit, you will indeed find, that one thing leads to another...

Hi! My name is Susan Liles.  I am married to my sweetheart of a husband, Eric, and we have 3 daughters. Shelbie is 15, and a sophomore in high school, Lindsie is 6, and going into the first grade, and Audrie is 3 and "attached at the hip". I used to be in banking for 16 years and did everything from running a teller window to being the assistant manager for several bank branches.

After Audrie was born in 2003, we took a leap of faith and I became a stay at home mommy, which was always my dream job! We live in Watauga, Texas, which is just northeast of Fort Worth and we love it here (however, the summers are pretty dang hot!).

I have done some sort of crafting all my life, starting with sewing and painting, but dove into the world of scrapbooking back in 1994 and it became my passion.  However, towards the end of my banking career, I was introduced to stamping and other papercrafts. I didn’t really see the use in it—how could anyone sit there and color a stamp with markers to stamp one image? HA!

I was later re-introduced to it through a fabulous Stampin’ Up demo and it is now my favorite hobby besides scrapbooking!  I am also doing contract design work for Michael’s corporate office which is another dream come true (it was truly a God thing how that all happened!). I have learned a lot in the past few years and feel like I have really grown as an artist. I look forward to learning more and having fun at the same time with the other girls on the team!

Now for the question -- 'Considering your stamping style, and personality, if you really were a cookie, what kind would you be?'  Susan answered:

A sugar cookie with that yummy Royal Icing like Martha Stewart makes. A sugar cookie, because I am so sweet~wink!  And Royal Icing, because I am a Princess (and everyone who knows me, believes it and knows it!).

In real life, I mostly eat sugar-free stuff, so it would also be an outside the box type of thing for me—but then, a little splurge never hurt anyone!

I've heard being a princess isn't an easy job, but with such royally good stamping to her credit, Susan seems to take it very much in stride!

Meet Dina!

Okay, time to reach into the design team cookie jar, and start meeting (yes, meeting, not eating) the smART Cookies...

Today, I've grabbed Dina Kowal, the 'Head Cookie'.  Some of her very artistic renderings can be seen in the smART gallery, on Dini's own stamping blog (Mama Dini's Stamperia), and in my earlier 'Imagine' post.

Hi! I’m Dina Kowal!  Some of you might know me as “dini” or “Mama Dini” from other stamping spaces on the internet.

I was born in Indonesia as my Dad was transferred there with his job – now I’ve returned to Indonesia as a missionary along with my family!  We have a ministry at a training center for Indonesians who are interested in serving as missionaries to interior people groups.  We moved here in 2005.  We have 4 children, Evan, Emmaleigh, Benjamin, and Elliot.  We started homeschooling in 2006.

I’ve been stamping since about 1993. My style has evolved over the years, and I get a lot of inspiration on the internet.  I enjoy coloring, and love colors!  I couldn’t live without my Prismacolor pencils – I have a lot of fun with them, and I have every color!  Some of my stamp ‘collections’ include lighthouses, butterflies, teacups, beach scenes, Winnie the Pooh, and birds.

I’ve had cards published in the Rubber Stamper, Paper Crafts, and Card Creations, and have won several online card contests.  I stamp mainly for my own personal sanity and to stretch my creative limits, but also with the hope that I will be able to encourage others with the work and time that I put into a card just for them.

Besides stamping, I enjoy cooking & baking, reading (though who has time with 4 kids?!), playing the piano, and singing.  I call California “home,” but since I left “home”, I’ve also lived in Michigan, Indiana, Mississippi, and Missouri!

When asked, "Considering your stamping style and personality, if you really were a cookie, what kind would you be?" Dina answered (with hubby's help),

A Fig Newton because “a cookie is just a cookie, but a Newton is fruit and cake.”  More than meets the eye. Surprisingly – not what you expect.  Soft, sweet, sometimes a little crumbly.  Unique, and good for you.

Sure sounds good to me!

We Have A Team!

Much reviewing... much deliberation... much, much prayer, and upon the final cut, which didn't take place until this very morning, a little sadness... That's what it took to go from 46 applications to 4 design team members...

Besides Dina Kowal, the team leader, who makes five, the smART Cookies are:

Donna Duquette - Connecticut
Heidi Kingery - Ohio
Deborah March - Nova Scotia, Canada
Susan Liles - Texas

Although I'll be introducing these talented stampers as individuals in a little bit, right now all I want to say to them is, "CONGRATULATIONS!"  My sweet tooth is very happy to have you in the cookie jar!

SCDT Update

Today was the deadline for the smART Cookie Design Team, Stage 2, challenge submissions.

Entries arrived in typical bell curve fashion -- a few earlier than all the others, the majority all on the same day, and a few right at the last moment...~smile

All are now in review -- a fun, interesting mix of styles and talent... 

It is also very exciting for me to see how smARTworks has grown to the place of being able to even consider having a design team, and to realize what a privilege I've been given of choosing among a group of such creative individuals.  Awesome! Totally awesome!

Team members will be notified individually, and announced here, in a post, on the evening of July 31.