TaDa Featured Designer – Tracey Wilder!

Greetings from snowy, cold Ohio!  I’ve been instructed to introduce myself to all of you, so HELLO!  I’d shake your hand, but it’s freezing here, and mine are always cold, so for the sake of keeping warm, consider yourself hugged.

As today’s Featured Designer, I will share a few things you may not know about me:

I have lived my entire life in the same little corner of Ohio, always within driving distance of my parents and my four siblings, who I see or talk to on a near-daily basis. If I ever get the nerve to move, it will be south, where it’s not freezing or below-freezing for half of every year!!!  When I’m not scrapbooking, I’m caring for my three kiddos and/or cleaning my perpetually disorganized home.

I mostly prefer to create layouts versus cards or altered pieces, because I love that I can take a memory from my mind and put it on paper, where it is remembered forever, even long after I am gone. And then, of course, there’s the chance to play with pretty papers and cool embellishments and glue…it’s a childhood dream come true!

I am blessed to have a great, big studio in a large corner of our basement, where I am stocked up on scrapbook supplies until approximately 2069.   That many supplies, of course, means that it is also perpetually cluttered.  It’s also surrounded by the kids’ play area, so if I can navigate the piles of toys covering the floor, then get to my desk, then create something cool amidst the piles of supplies on my table, I consider every creation a triumph as well as a minor miracle.

As for inspiration, I am always excited to work with new product. Always!!! Something about it being fresh and new appeals to my senses, and sends my mind in a new direction. I also get excited by cool new color combinations, and of course, I’m definitely inspired by my fellow scrappers!

My favorite TaDa product these days is the Abode a la Mode line! The awesome colors and funky patterns just make my creative heart sing! It doesn’t hurt that several of the papers are a perfect match to my baby-blue–and-chocolate-brown scrap studio.

My favorite creation right now is this layout about my sweet little niece, Brianna, whose smile lights the world. It utilizes my favorite pattern from the Abode a la Mode line, Alfresco. Enjoy!

The Shape of the Season

Good morning!

At this time of the year, some have already made a list and have checked off several items. Others have gotten as far as thinking “hey, I should probably make a list of everything that needs to be done”. I fall into the latter category. ‘Tis the season where I appreciate shortcuts and all things quick and easy. (Okay, I appreciate that at any time of the year, but especially during the hustle and bustle of now.) This Christmas card definitely falls into the quick and easy category.

I used the Pocket Notes and the Tag-a-ma-jigs from the Whirly Gig collection. At first glance, the Whirly Gig collection may not seem like a Christmas line but I rather like it for this card. The wings are paisleys from the Pocket Notes and is in one piece. I then added the quarter circle and small circle from the Tag-a-ma-jigs and mounted them with pop dots. I adhered the entire piece to the card, added rubons and created the entire project within minutes. I think that gives me enough time to actually begin writing my to-do list.

Happy Holidays!

Terri

Credits:
Tag-a-ma-jigs and Pocket Notes from the Whirly Gigs Collection
Bazzill Cardstock
Doodlebug rubons

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers and friends for supporting TaDa Creative Studios and its design team members. We are truly grateful – thank you!!

Brunch, anyone?

The Holiday season is coming into full season. (Well actually, if one would go strictly by store displays than it actually began in late September.) Lots of celebrating and get-togethers occur at this time of the year, so I thought I’d share a recent project within that theme.

It’s a brunch box, perfect for serving as a gift or favor box. It was easily created with punches for the border and sun middle. The rays were trimmed and torn. The bird face was cut from a Tag-a-ma-jig and the neck was inspired by the patterned paper and hand cut. Obviously, not specifically a holiday themed project but good for any time of the year.

Supplies:
Green Pastures, Country Quilt and Barnyard Line up patterned paper; E-I-E-I-O Tag-a-ma-jigs from the E-I-E-I-O collection byTa Da Creative Studios
lunchbox by Maya Road
alphabet stamps by Close to My Heart

Happy celebrating,

Terri Davenport

TaDa Technique #12 adding dimension to your stamped projects

I love having dimension in my projects.  Creating dimension with stamps is easy.  Here are the steps to create this fun card:

You will need the following:  TaDa papers: Scalloping Along and Blooming Dots, Blooma Bloom stamp, cardstock, inks, pearls, and ribbon.

1.  Take your Blooma Bloom stamp and stamp it on white cardstock. 

2.  Stamp the top of the blooma bloom stamp with the 2 colors that you want for your flower top.  I used a purple and a pink shimmer ink. 

3.  You will need to do some fussy cutting for this step.  Cut the 2 flowers out.  Cut the whole flower top of the color you want the petals.  Cut only the center of the other color. 

4.  Adhere a pop dot to the center of the first cut out. 

5.  Add the small center over the pop dot. 

6.  Add 2 pop dots on your fully stamped original flower. 

7.  Add the “cut flowers” over the pop dots creating the dimension. 

Enjoy!  You can do this to any stamp to add a dimensional look.

TaDa Featured Designer – Margie Higuchi

Hello from Chicago!
Today I am “TaDa Featured Designer” and am thrilled be a part of a company that has hip and new ideas! Hope you are enjoying TaDa Creative Studio products as much as I have…and continue to for years to come!

What do you like us to know about you?
My family and I live in the northwest suburbs of Chicago for close to 3 years. My husband and I have two teenage boys (well…the youngest will be in January but he acts like one NOW. LOL!!).

What kind of paper crafter are you (Layout? Card? Mixed Media?)?
I am a mix of all of the above. But I did start out as a layout person and then with all the materials I had around, I dabbled in mixed media such as altering items. Thanks to the talented ladies on this design team, I started to do some card making as well. I love all things that pertain to paper crafting!

Where is your workspace and is it cluttered & crazy or clean & clear?
Well, today is a total diseaster zone! LOL! I guess it depends on when a deadline is coming or I am in a crazy creative mode like creating four to five projects at a time. So I would consider my workspace a constant cluttered and crazy but an organized mess ;0P

My workspace is my dining room and it is also where I hold my scrapbook workshop for my Japanese students. I am able to speak Japanese (thanks, mom!) so I use that to my advantage and teach what I love. I hold Japanese workshops several times a month and I get to practice my Japanese too! Oh, this is the only time when my workspace is clean! LOL!!

What inspires you when you’re working on a project?
Inspiration for me comes from all over. I could be walking down the street and come across a store window with a great display or a tree full of fall colors by the sidewalk. Or something I come across online like a scrapbook gallery or a blog. It’s not one thing – it is what strikes you and moves you to create from it. Hope that makes sense :0)

How did you hear about TaDa Creative Studios?
The summer of 2007, I was working at the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) trade show and came across TaDa’s booth. It was their debut and they showed some wonderful designs – just loved their style. Then on a scrapbook message board, I read they were looking for scrappers to join their design team. I applied and was fortunate enough to be selected along with some awesome crafters who inspire me! This is my second year with the team…again, so blessed to be a part of it!

Out of all the TaDa Creative Studios’ products which one is your favorite?
My favorite of all products?! GGRRrrr!! That is a hard one! But I have to go with is TaDa Signature Collection. I used it to create my first piece that was used for the design team call. It was also the inspiration of a make’n take I did as a cross promotion during CHA-Summer 2008 for TaDa and LaserLine. I designed a paisley-shaped chipboard mini album and used TaDa pattern papers.

My second favorite will have to be their My Scraptopia line. It is a new product, a chipboard house frame, but it doesn’t end there. It can be a shop or a townhome complex display for a job project. It can be a dollhouse for your daughter, niece or granddaughter. Plus TaDa even has furniture and people to add if you desire…they left nothing undone! LOL!! This is where my altered mind is spinning next!

Thanks for stopping by! If you like to read more about MargieH, please visit her blog “Scraps of (my) Life.”

Hey, anyone up for a challenge?!

Take a look at October’s challenge and see if you can win a prize! This will be the last challenge of the year as we will be getting into the holiday season and we have lots to show. So come on and join the fun!!

Challenge update

Hi everyone,

This month’s challenge was to create a 3D card. Couldn’t resist such a fun challenge. I made a pocket card and then a few stick puppets to place inside the pocket. The patterned paper from the E-I-E-I-O collection made this card super quick and easy.

All the details for this challenge can be viewed here. (Rumor has it that there’s a prize involved for the winner.) Looking forward to seeing your projects!

Terri Davenport

TaDa Featured Designer – Julie Detlef

Hi everyone!  My name is Julie Detlef.  I have had the pleasure of working on the  TaDa Creative Studios’ Design Team since February of 2008. 

I love the quality of papers and stamps that Tada Creative Studios offers. It has been a privilege to work with Mary and Annette and the rest of the design team. 

Here is a little about me:

I have been scrapping for 12 years now.  I love to scrapbook my family.  I have been married to my best friend, Don, for almost 12  years now.  We have a 6 year old daughter named Sydnee and a 2 year old daughter, Shay.  Of course I scrap the “big” moments, but I mainly just scrap those special everyday moments.  My family is the main reason I scrap, and they are the main subjects of my layouts.  I also have a Book of Me album, a garden album, and a recipe album that I like to work in. I like to do an occasional mini album or cards, but layouts are my passion.  I am a fifth grade teacher by profession.   I reside in Ohio.

 Random favorites:

ice-cream…peanut butter and chip…mmm yummy

TV…anything reality, 24, Tudors, and even Beverly Hills 90210

Drink…diet coke all the way 

I have a scrapbook room in the basement.  I have to share it with my children’s toy room, but I like us all being together.  My husband put together a huge peg board area where I hang most of my embellies by theme.  This is in a separate storage area.  (Mostly so I can hide my mess)  My desk is usually messy.  I scrap almost every day which is probably why I always have such a mess. 

For me, scrapping is a process.  First, I always have to sketch out my creations before I start doing them.  Then I arrange everything like the sketch to see if it fits.   Many times I switch things up from my original design.  Finally I will adhere everything down.  I gather my inspiration from magazines, online galleries, and I really enjoy creating layouts from advertisements.  I carry a little notepad in my purse in case I see something that I would like to work with.  I have been known to scrap a layout like a dessert advertisement.

As of right now, my all time favorite line of paper is the Whirly Gig collection.  This line is so fun to work with.  The circle designs look like someone took hours upon hours layering them.  The colors of this line are so playful and fun too. 

Here are some of my creations using the Whirly Gig collection

Thanks for spending some time with me and Tada Creative Studios.  I hope you enjoy some of my work today!

Julie Detlef

TaDa Featured Designer – Terri Davenport

Hi everyone! My name is Terri Davenport and I’m this month’s featured designer. I’ve been a design team member with TaDa since February 2008 and I love, love that they are right down the road from me.  I can swing by and pick up the new release while I’m out running errands. (Makes grocery shopping far less painful.) Oh, and then I can taunt inform the other members about the new release. I’ve been given a few get-to-know-me-better questions which I’ve answered below. Thanks for stopping by the blog!

What do you like us to know about you (Where do you live? Sports fan? A Foodie? Family?)?
I live in the Toledo, Ohio area. My husband and I recently celebrated our 16^th anniversary and we have four boys. I’m not a foodie in the refined palate kind of way but I do appreciate home cooking and desserts of all kinds. (My waistline, sadly, will attest to this. I keep trying to tell it that having four boys and a washing machine in the basement should constitute as an exercise program. So far, it’s not buying my theory.) I also love to read and feel a little off-kilter if I don’t have a book waiting in the wings.

What kind of paper crafter are you (Layout? Card? Mixed Media?)?
All of the above. Started out as a cardmaker which fed nicely into scrapbooking. Now it’s a bit of everything including digital and hybrid projects.

Where is your workspace and is it cluttered & crazy or clean & clear?
Oh, it’s a disaster area. It’s always been a disaster area but recently even more so, since we are working on a kitchen project and the overflow is stashed in my craft space.

What inspires you when you’re working on a project?
It really depends. I love the storytelling aspects of layouts and that’s where the majority of my layouts begin. Sometimes though, it’s a sketch, challenge or new product that gets the ideas flowing.

How did you hear about TaDa Creative Studios?
I first heard of TaDa through design team member Tracey Wilder. It’s pretty exciting having a scrapbook manufacturer based locally and I quickly applied when they held a design team audition.

Out of all the TaDa Creative Studios’ products which one is your favorite?
I adore the E-I-E-I-O collection that was just released. I tried to subtly suggest to my kids that they might enjoy learning horseback riding or pig wrestling. I think they caught on that I was just looking for new scrapbook material and rejected my ideas. Not to worry, the line is plenty versatile enough for me use it other ways. Speaking of versatility, I also love the laser cut cardstock. (I know the question said one. I’m just going to pretend it said two.)

To end, I’ll add a layout that I created for CHA with the aforementioned E-I-E-I-O collection.

TaDa Wins Exhibiting with Excellence Award at CHA!

We are so excited to announce that we won the Exhibiting with Excellence Award at the CHA Summer Show. This award is presented at each show to a company whose dynamic display, merchandising techniques and inviting staff enhance the overall atmosphere of the show floor. This award is voted on by members of the press, consultants, and CHA staff. The judging criteria included use of floor space, visual appeal of the booth, and overall presence and friendliness of staff. With over 600 exhibitors at the show, we PROUDLY accepted this award for our 10 x 10 size booth.

We could not have achieved this without our wonderful TaDa Design Team who provided the bundles of samples to make our booth a spectacular sight. Kudos go out to them for all of their hard work. Margie Higuchi, Michele Beck, Terri Davenport, Julie Detluf, Katie Renz, Tracey Wilder and Tina Werner, thank you all!

Also, thank you to Renee at Clip It Up for the use of her wall mount rods we used as displays in our booth!

Clip It Up wall mount rods are shown above. They are great for displaying or storing paper products!

Our CHA Exhibiting with Excellence Award is shown above! Ta-Da!!!

SAMPLES, SAMPLES AND MORE SAMPLES FROM OUR GREAT DT BELOW!

Note the header on the kiosk outside the show (shown below).
The TaDa girls welcomed buyers onto the show floor!