Top

Distinctively Diana

Creating hand-designed touches for everyday life & festive occasions

Celebrating a Year as Part of the Younique Team

It’s hard to believe that a year has already passed since I joined the Design Team at Younique Scrapbooking Store in Guelph, ON.

When I answered the call to join the team, I was hoping to fulfill one of my bucket list items: to be on a Design Team for a papercrafting company. I had previously been a Guest Designer, but hoped to become a team member. The opportunity to join the Younique team seemed right up my alley: it was located in my hometown of Guelph, ON, Canada and it would give me the opportunity to try various mediums and work with products from various manufacturers in the industry.

I also told the owners, Heather and Dan McCallum, that I would be open to working in the store one day a week. I’ve always loved working in retail and had kept my hand in doing it throughout the years, even as I ran my own PR and Marketing business.

I’m not sure what sold them, but in the end, I started working in the store and on the Design Team in November of 2022. And boy has it been a busy year! I’ve done two Facebook Live workshops on the company Facebook page each month https://www.facebook.com/www.youniquescrapbookstore.ca , created kits for workshops I’ve done, and worked in the store every Monday for the past year. That’s in addition to my part-team teaching job at Conestoga College! And working with clients too. Oh, and in May, I started doing a bi-weekly newsletter for the store as well, which seems to have been well received by customers.

One of my greatest joys has come from helping new and returning papercrafters find their way to this world.

Starting them on their journey, explaining tools and helping them feel a little less overwhelmed is so gratifying. I also love seeing the regular customers come in every week and chatting with them about the new products that have arrived and what we are expecting and sharing ideas about what we are working on and trading thoughts.

One of the reasons I wanted to add something else to my plate was because I wanted to make the time to get into my craft studio more regularly. I was finding everything else was getting in the way — work, family, house chores — I was letting all the other stuff get in my way of finding my creative outlet time. I thought taking this on would ‘force’ me into my studio. And it has. Deadlines do have a way of doing that. But it has also reinforced just how much I love this world and being creative. And how I love sharing it with others.

I am grateful I have had the opportunity this year to get to do this.

Cute critter challenge accepted!

It’s Saturday (thank goodness, I think this was the looongest week ever!) and that means the start of another challenge at Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps. Krafty Girl Brigette is the hostess this week and she chose the theme this week: Critters! I always say the cuter the better when it comes to critters, and there is no shortage of cute critters when it comes to the selection of stamps at Kraftin’ Kimmie!!

I chose to use the newly released Awesome Possums because I just think these little guys are way too cute! And they colour up so fast and that was really nice today I have to admit. Did I mention it was a long week? I literally pulled an all-nighter…and I’m the professor! Yes, it was that kind of week!

So, I wanted to quickly create a card, but have it still be awesome possum…ya I know, but I couldn’t resist!

I cut a quick 6×6 square cardstock base, and used a dark navy smooth cardstock for the bottom layer. I used a Your Next Die and diecut a layered large fishtail out of some Recollections blue foil paper and Rose Gold cardstock from Michaels. I first ran the blue foil through my Big Kick with the Happy Hearts Kraftin’ Kimmie Stencil to emboss it. Next, I used a YND die and cut out the windows. I glued it all onto the card base. I also used a die to cut out the letters. It is a brand new die from Picket Fence Studios. Just arrived in the mail today.

I stamped my little possums up using Kraftin’ Kimmie Kolours hybrid ink in Wicked Black and then coloured them in with my Copic markers. I used R20 on the nose, R000 in the ears, tummy, tail and paws. I used N0, N1, N2 & N3 for their fur. I’m liking that colour combo for these little guys.

I tied some gold and white twine onto the card and then tucked the one hanging little guy onto the twine, using foam dots. I actually cut under his chin to stick it onto the twine. The single head I popped foam dots on and placed him in the box.

I added some other interest by using the cut out squares unde the twine and then popped some sparkly embellishment candy dots on them. Final finishing touch was Stickles in Stardust on the edges.

A little hello for a friend…just what we all need these days!

You can have so much fun with this week’s challenge theme – using adorable little animals or sweet little bugs! Each and every Saturday, we post a brand new challenge for the week and you are welcome to enter as many times as you like. These must be new creations and you are welcome to use any stamp, however, using Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamp https://www.kraftinkimmiestamps.com/ products will earn you double entries! The monthly prize is a $25 voucher to the Krafty shop!!! Woohoo!

There are two ways to enter: you can link up your creation on the Kraftin’ Kimmie blog page https://kraftinkimmiestamps.blogspot.com/and/or you can upload your photo to the album in our Krafty Friends FB group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/703784819658640/

Also, if you need a little extra inspiration or a jump start to your mojo, we have a new sketch each month! Feel free to use it any time! And don’t forget about this weekend’s Frugal Friday Specials!! https://www.kraftinkimmiestamps.com/product…/specials/ We’ve got a selection of gorgeous stamp sets on SALE 40% OFF this weekend while supplies last!! Be sure to check out all the fun projects the Design Team has come up with in the links below!

Happy kraftin’! And thanks for spending some time with me today. Take care of yourself.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


Happiness is Homemade!

Today is the second day of sneak peeks for the Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps February Launch and I’m back for my second day as Guest Designer! This featured stamp set today is Happiness is Homemade and it is super cute. Designed by artist Neda Sadreddin, it seems to be so right to launch this during February and the lead up to Valentine’s Day. Who can resist a freshly baked cookie?!!

I used the new stencil, Baking Bonanza, with Opal Deco Foil. As soon as I saw the stencil, I knew I had to try this technique out. I used Transfer Gel Duo, spreading it through my stencil with a Prima one inch silicone brush and let it try overnight. Then, I cut the sheet of Deco Foil to size and placed it into a folded sheet of parchment paper with a cardstock backer to add support. I let my laminating machine get hot and then put it through. I always let it cool before removing the sheet. I so loved the subtle effect of the opal foil on the white cardstock. Exactly what I wanted for this project!

I wanted to keep this card softer, so I used a pink square cardstock base. I cut the foiled cardstock down slightly smaller and taped it to the base. Next, I diecut two tags using my WR Memory Keepers Nesting Tags Die. Using the sentiments from the stamp set, Versamark watermark stamp pad and Ranger embossing power in Aqua Tinsel, I heat embossed the sentiments on the tags. I then edged both tags with the new Aqua Adventures Kraftin’ Kimmie Colours hybrid ink.

I used soft Copic marker colours on my little bakers: EOO, EO1, R20, G00, B45, E53, YR21, YR31, E47, E74, E79, BG0000, E40, C00, R00, E93, N0, C00, E43, E47. I Also used Sakura Gelly Roll marker pens in white for the buttons and #744 for the stove and the whisk handle.

The finishing touches were to add some embellishments from the Doodlebug Made with Love line. (Did I tell you I stalked this line until I could get in Canada and scooped it up right away knowing it was going to be perfect for this launch?!) I added Shape Sprinkles in Sprinkling of Love and Bake Me Happy. I also added some Stickles in Stardust around the edge of the Deco Foil layer to add a final touch of glitter. I’m so happy with the results!

Are you excited about what you’ve seen so far!? Are you ready for more? I hope your answer was yes because we’ve got more fabulous fun for you! Check out HAPPINESS IS HOMEMADE in so many gorgeous creations today as you hop around the Krafty Team’s blogs! You’ll also see how they used the new stencils and hybrid ink along the way! Be sure to leave some love at each stop on the hop because Kimmie will be giving away some krafty $$ to the shop! You’ll see more of our February goodies tomorrow and then everything will be released after our LIVE Online Release Party on Saturday afternoon at 2pm ET in the Krafty Friends facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/703784819658640 For now, check out all the yummy goodness in today’s hop! Thanks for spending some time with me today. See you tomorrow!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


Creating a little love

Happy Saturday morning! It’s a snowy day here and I plan to spend it crafting away. It’s been a little while since I’ve had some time to get into my craft studio, but as a Guest Designer this month with Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps, I’m loving the push that it is giving me to be creative.

Today, starts another fabulous and fun Saturday Challenge at Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps! There’s always lots of fabulous ideas for you and the team can’t wait to see what you create! This week, Krafty Girl Allison is your hostess and her challenge theme for you is: LOVE! Each and every Saturday, a brand new challenge is posted for the week, and you are welcome to enter as many times as you like. These must be new creations and you are welcome to use any stamp, however, using Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamp products will earn you double entries! The monthly prize is a $25 voucher to the Krafty shop!!! Woohoo! There are two ways to enter: you can link up your creation on the Kraftin’ Kimmie blog page and/or you can upload your photo to the album in our Krafty Friends FB group. Also, if you need a little extra inspiration or a jump start to your mojo, we have a new sketch each month! Feel free to use it any time!

I created two sweet little cards to join in on the challenge today. I used the new Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps Together is Better stamp set released last month with cute as a button Lucas and Lexie. I let each of them be the star of their own card.

The base of the card with Lexie is a salmon pink cardstock. I used paper from the Simple Stories Love & Adore You 6×6 paper pad and cut a square slightly smaller than the card base.

I have recently been using Deco Foil film and love love love! the effect it gives. I used the Kraftin’ Kimmie Stencil Happy Hearts with the DecoTransfer Gel Duo. I brush it on with a Prima 1″ stencil brush and depending on how I feel, I may also use my Deco Foil Stencil Pal. I let the gel dry overnight and then applied Pink Quartz foil, a shimmery soft pink. So girly! After letting the paper cool, I cut it into a slightly smaller square and centred it on the card.

Next, I stamped Lexi using Kraftin’ Kimmie Inks in Wicked Black and I coloured Lexi using my Copic markers. I used E01, E00, Y21, Y23, YR31, R85, CO, R20, R21, R32, RV11, C7, C8. I added Glossy Accents to add shine to the balloon stripe and to make Lexi’s shoes look like they are black patent. (You can’t really see it in the photo.)

I used my Sakura Gelly Roll metallic pens in Gold 703 to add highlights to Lexi’s hair and the flowers on her belt and in her hair.

I chose a Doodlebug mini doily in pink and placed it off centre, deciding that I would add one of the sentiment cards from the paper pad. I used foam dots to raise up the sentiment card and did the same with Lexi. I placed her off to the side to add visual interest. I created a tiny little sentiment tag using the Love You! stamp from the set and and a fish tail die from Your Next Stamp. I edged the tag with Kraftin’ Kimmie Colours hybrid inks in Pretty in Pink and Precious Pink. I added one heart sequin to finish the tag.

I added salmon sequins from Studio Katia, My Valentine sequins from 28 Lilac Lane and red crystal hearts from Sparkletz by Buttons Galore. The final touch was adding Stardust Stickles around the edges of the square paper layers. A sweet little card for a special person.

For that special man in our lives, big or small, I created a card featuring Lucas. He’s just so precious carrying a flower and a box of chocolates for someone he loves.

I used a red cardstock card as the base, and selected another one of the papers from the Simple Stories Love & Adore paper pad. I pulled out matching sentiment 2×2 and 2×3 cards and a strip that I though would work nicely together.

I used my Big Kick and Wonky Twisted Rectangles die from MFT to cut the paper and centred it on the cardstock. I then added a red mini doily from Doodlebug and added it not quite centre and more left. I wanted to add the sentiment cards down the right side and the strip across the bottom. I used foam mounts to pop up the sentiment cards to add dimension.

I coloured Lucas using my Copic markers; I used E0, E02, R20, B34, B45, B21, B23, R49, E34, E19, E57, E59, E74, E79, RV09, G28, R37, G07. I fussy cut him out and used tiny foam mounts to pop him up as well in the centre of the doily.

I used Sakura Gelly roll pen in Gold metallic #703 on the flower centre and Silver #553 on his buttons.

I edged the stamp sentiment, You had me at hello! also die cut from the Wonky Twisted Rectangle set, with Kraftin’ Kimmie Kolours hybrid ink in Crisp Crimson and Pink Pizazz using my Picket Fence blender brushes.

The final touch was adding black Party Time Dots from Kraftin’ Kimmie.

A card just perfect from some little cutie!

Don’t forget about this weekend’s Frugal Friday Specials at Kraftin’ Kimmie’s!! There’s a huge selection of gorgeous stamp sets on SALE 40% OFF this weekend while supplies last!! And be sure to check out all the fun projects the Design Team has come up with in the links below!

Thanks for spending some time with me and happy kraftin’!

!– start InLinkz code –>

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Sassy as Ever!

What a time we are living through right now. We’re starting June 2020 and we have endured living with the Covid-19 Pandemic since March, actually longer, but the lockdowns sending us into our homes and out of our workplaces and our social and public lives really started around mid-March. That’s when my face-to-face classes that I was teaching as a professor ended and I started teaching remotely online. It’s a whole different style of teaching! And quite frankly, it’s exhausting. It’s harder on the students and harder on the teachers. We’ve all had a learning curve. I’m now into Week 3 of the Spring Semester, which is really the summer session at the college I teach at, and I am taking a series of about 33 workshops to teach me how to be a better teacher remotely online. I haven’t had time to get bored at home! I haven’t even had time to get into my crafting studio yet!

I thought I would steal a few minutes away tonight and update my website and my blog. I couldn’t believe how long it had been since I had written a blog. Since I started teaching last Fall, my life has been a lot of marking! No markers and all marking!! But, I have realized that I really need to be taking more time for me. Self-care. And that means more time in my crafty studio.

One thing I thought I would share is that I had one of my cards published in the Winter 2019/20 Issue of Creative Scrapbooker Magazine! I was so excited to get the issue when it was finally published. I have been in the magazine before, when I won the Layout Contest at Kitchener Scrapfest in April 2015. They published my layout in the Fall issue. But, this is the first time one of my cards has been published. And, it is a saucy little card.

Here’s the way it looked in the magazine along with the info on the materials I used to create the card. It’s a Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamp.

We all know somebody that we just oh so want to send that card to, don’t we?!! But, we just take another sip of our wine and maybe pop another chocolate into our mouth.

I have a whole bunch of wonderful new goodies I’m just itching to play with waiting for me in my crafty studio, so I am going to be getting in there and then I will be posting here again soon.

Take care of yourself, stay safe and make time for you in your crafty haven.