Enjoying the little things!

HI Divas & Dukes,

I'm sitting looking at my Christmas tree trimmed with all the ornaments given to us by dear freinds over the years and I'm feeling truly blessed.

This has been a tough year for so many families ALL over the world.I'm finding myself enjoying the little things. A handnmade gift given to a dear friend,a cup of tea with homemade goodies given to us by someone special. Sitting gazing at our tree with Buddy the cat sitting on my lap or him lounging under the tree where he thinks he's invisable!

These are the moments I wish for you and your family this year. The Christmas madness starts so early and I just want us all to take a moment and breathe in the smell pine cones, cinnamon, or the fragrence of your favorite candle.

I hope you find the time to share with us some on your Favorite Christmas traditions.

Happy Holidays!

Diva Danielle

The Diva Doctrine

HI Divas And Dukes,

It's Monday and I love to see what all my friends are up to thru Twitter. I feel like I'm connected to them thru the "Crafting Cosmos"(tm) even though we live all over the globe.

So, I'm reading Cathy Murillo"s (The Crafty Chica) tweets and on them I see the infamous word "Judging" and I look at her Blog. OMG! I was so upset for her. She's one of the most sweetest,talented,ladies you'll ever have the great pleasure to meet.

She tells the story of her helping and encouraging someone in the "Art' community and then being snubbed by this individual and her friends. They felt she wasn't worthy! Being the Leo that I am and fiercely loyal, I just wanted to jump on a plane and find out who this sad person was and tell them they're NUTS!

Instead, I've decided to write my frustrations out on our Blog. Rayme and I try to keep it our Blog Creative and positive but we always have the conversation of "Why are people so judgmental & why are women so hurtful to each other?" This is something I've puzzled over for decades(since I was 7).

Being in the theatre you're always judged. You know "Life is a constant audition" but you learn to accept that as part of the process to get another gig! One of the most challenging and rewarding adventures was jumping head first into the crafting world 10 years ago! I think it helped that I wore a ball gown and my tiara!

It always floors me when I hear about the mean things people say and do to each other. Like "La Chica" said, She just blesses and releases them! But really! Why do we need to go there in the first place!

So, you're asking yourself "where is she going with this?" The Diva Doctrine of course! "Dare to be BOLD , Different,and always KIND" Every week I sign off the show with that little saying for a reason. I want you all to go out there and do something that you wouldn't normally do. I want you to experience something different and wonderful and I REALLY want you to be KIND to yourself and others.

Here's our challenge....This is for me too! We're going to stop ourselves from saying and doing things that we'll regret later. We're sending loving, positive things out into the universe to spread happiness and joy! Pollyanna? maybe, but what a great world it would be if we all did this. One Diva & Duke at a time!

Love & positive thoughts,

Diva Danielle

September Already?????

September! It didn't hit me until Danielle and I were talking on our radio show today about the date....September!!! Wow!
I know I say it a lot, but as we all get busier in our lives, hanging on to and recognizing every moment as a precious seems to be more vital now than ever. For me, I'm keeping that consciousness going....and going....and going....;-)

There's been a lot of creative opportunities going on and I so look forward to the fall. I'm looking forward to creating new greeting card designs using more things around the house and of course, the things I happen upon in my garage. It is stuffed with all kinds of boxes of craft stuff, yard stuff, you name it, it's there. And if you happen to have a garage and you have the slightest bit of creativity (which we ALL do), then you know exactly what my garage looks like....YOURS!!!

It's fun to go shopping in there! AND, I've already purchased it! Time to pull out those old living room paintings in their out-dated frames and have some fun with them! I love taking things like that and making them into cards. This means taking the canvas and tearing it up...so be EXTREMELY careful that you're not unwittingly tearing up an early Picasso!

But this time I want to take the same idea and re-arrange the small squares that I have torn up and make a colorful collage out of it. Re-dress the picture frame, perhaps spray paint it jet black or maybe a smooth silver, and put the new work back in the new frame. I'm playing more with arranging the squares to give it more of a mosaic look and I sure do love the process as much as I like the final out-come. And with the mosaic theme, (although I haven't done this yet and it is popping into my mind as I write this), it might be really cool to fill in all of the cracks between the squares with a fine glitter! Talk about an added POP!

Give it a try and let me know how it turns out for you!

Keep it JOY-FULL!!!!

RAYME ROYALE

CHA Summer & Carol Duvall!

Hi Divas & Dukes!

I've just returned form CHA Summer in Orlando, Fla. I have to say it's not my favorite time of the year to be visiting Fla. You know it's humid when you walk outside with your sin glasses on and they fog up in 1 second! But I'm SO HAPPY I went to the show!

I had the honor and privilege to hang out and chat with Carol Duvall on Monday evening! I have to say I was so thrilled to be able to talk with THE crafting Icon. She's so gracious and very witty! Just like her show. Boy, I miss her show. Maybe we can talk her into coming on for a chat!

I loved the products I saw & the companies that attended . It gave me a chance to really check out the products and chat with the great people who are heading up some wonderful products to keep us really inspired!

As always we broadcast Diva Craft Lounge "Live from CHA". This time it was a little challenging because I had to scope out all the companies in less than 8 hours. Thank goodness for comfy shoes! A big thanks to Rayme Royale & our producer for making that possible!

A special thanks to Richard Wilk from Mark Richards for hosting us in their booth! I loved being surrounded by all the Bling!

AS promised Here are the companies we chatted about! Here we go!


Mark Richards www.markrichardsusa.com
Provo Craft www.provocraft.com
Graphic 45 www.g45papers.com
Shirley's 2 Girls www.shirleys2girls.com
Jill-e Designs www.jill-e.com
Doodles-n-Art www.DoodlesnArt.com
International Arrivals www.intlarrifvals.com
Clear Snap www.clearsnap.com
Nikki Sivils www.nikkisivils.com
My Little Shoebox www.mylittleshoebox.com
Pink Paislee www.pinkpailee.com
Hambly Studios www.HamblyScreeenprints.com
Stamping Station www.stampingstation.com
Bella BLVD www.bellablvd.net
Glitz Designs www.glitzitnow.com
Kaisercraft www.Kaisercraft.com
Crafters Companion www.CraftersCompanion.com
Maya Road www.mayaroad.com
Judikins www.judikins.com
Ta Da www.tadacreativestudios.com
Buttons Galore www.buttonsgaloreandmore.com
Tattered Angels www.mytatteresangels.com
DCWV www.dcwv.com
Spellbinders www.SpellbinderPaperArts.com
Sparkle N Sprinkle www.sparklensprinkle.com
Snowy Lane Crafts www.snowylanecrafts.com
Clover Needlecraft www.clover.usa.com
Plaid Enerprises www.plaidonline.com
Clear Scraps www.clearscraps.com
Harmonie Loisirs Creatifs www.loisirsharmonie.ca
Viva Decor www.vivadecor.us

OK That's it! Oh my Gosh, I'm ready to create/play just thinking about all those great companies with wonderful products. Can't wait to bring some of these Diva-lish companies on Diva Craft Lounge Radio.

Have a Diva Day!

Diva Danielle

Warm Days, Warm Things To Do!

Hey Divas and Dukes ~

Not like the rest of the country at the moment, San Diego is in a heat spell as well. I know I can't complain because we are at least 90 percent of the time in Paradise weather. So when it gets to the high 80's or more, we tend to be a bit of a 'wilting lilies' here. Such as we are!

But with the hot weather there is always new things to do and try. I don't know what it is this summer but almost every home or food magazine I have picked up this season has been talking about making your own ICE CREAM SANDWICHES!!!! What could be a better combo for summer anyway?

Tonight, my mom, (Mama Royale) is in town visiting and we just finished making a set of delicious ice cream sandwiches for a birthday dinner tonight. SUPER EASY! Okay, if we went through the trouble of making our own cookies and our own ice cream, like so many of the magazine articles I have read say to do, then, yes, I too would be a rival of Martha Stewarts. But since the warm weather calls for quick and easy, I will give you my EASY recipe for ice cream sandwiches.

Are you ready?

Get cookies of your choice at the store. Larger ones work better.
Get ice cream of your choice at the store.
Leave the ice cream out to soften.
Turn a cookie upside down on a large plate, place a generous scoop of ice cream on top of it, place the other cookie on top of that, smash it down a bit, trim the excess ice cream off the sides with a knife, wrap in a piece of plastic wrap and freeze for a couple of hours.

SERVE! Thank you very much!!! (We're going to put them on a plate drizzled with chocolate sauce and then pour a jigger of Bailey's Irish Cream on top....just because we CAN!)

Instant gratification is what the hot summer months calls for, and I invite you all to take part in an easy and quite impressive dessert for you and your friends.

When you do make them, write to me on this blog and tell me what combinations or embellishments YOU did to make the traditional sandwich cookies uniquely your own!

Keep it JOY-FULL!!!

Big Duke HUGS,

RAYMe

"Daycations!"

HI Divas & Dukes!

One of my favorite things about summer is spending more time with my twin nephews. They're going into the 3rd grade and they have very busy schedules during the school year. So summer time is a great time for spontaneous get togethers. And with the economy the way it is we're taking "Daycations" Mini trips around San Diego.

Tues we decided to take a quick trip to the San Diego Zoo. It's the 2nd largest in the world. We have member passes so we can pop in and spend a few hours and leave. My sis and I have been taking them to the zoo since they were babies. It was fun for them and great exercise for us. I still cringe thinking about pushing a double stroller up those steep hills and laughing all the way!

Now that they're older they like to pick out where we go. We always have to see the snakes first! NOT my favorite! I always have the image in first the Harry Potter movie where the glass disappears and the HUGE snake is free.

I decided it would be fun to give my nephews throw away cameras and see the zoo thru their eyes. It's always fun to see what they find interesting enough to take pictures of. It's also fun to see things at their height. We're going to make a mini book with the pictures we develop. Then they'll tell their story! They love to write. It's going to be an ongoing project for the summer. Lots of great memories they can look back on with their favorite Auntie!

What are some of the places in your town you like to share with your family?

Have a Diva Day/Summer!

Diva Danielle

Full Swing Summer!

Hey Divas and Dukes!

Now that mid-July is here (and leaving FAST), I find myself in a place of wanting to purge a lot of my household items and make things neater, easier, etc. For the last few years I have gently swayed my friends to avoid giving me lovely 'coffee table' items, etc., as much as, let's go out for a special cupcake and enjoy each other's company. This is always a bigger gift for me.

So with the items that I finally start looking at seriously to decide if I still want, I am in a great place to look at them in a new light and see if they can indeed be made into something else! Thus, the creative, 'crafty' mind comes into play.

Having spoken with Jenny Doh, the editor-in-chief of Somerset Magazines on our radio show today, we tapped into the fact that our upbringings lead us to learn to be creative without a lot of supplies. In other words, make do with what you have. And from that basic thought, I love turning things into new and wonderful objects either for myself or as gifts for loved ones.

I just received some very cool vintage restaurant china dishes from a great aunt who recently passed away. I am so thrilled to have them, but alas, with the move, one of the dinner plates cracked all the way through. Not enough to get actually broken, but the crack lines are there. I gave it to Danielle who is starting to collect such items for a project she's working on and with the full permission for her to 'bust it up' if she wanted. Instead, she liked the pattern on the china so much, (lovely little cherry blossoms in pink with black stems) that she has decided to turn it into a cake plate on a stand! Finding the right piece of pink depression glass vase or candle holder will make that plate so beautiful and give it a brand new life.

So look around your own surroundings dear ones and re-invent those "I should get rid of that" items! The possibilities are ENDLESS!!

Keep it Joy-FULL!!!

RAYME

Which Box Media is Out of the Box!

HI Divas and Dukes,

I'm excited to announce that Diva Craft Lounge is part of an exciting new on line community! it's called Which Box Media. It's a place to tell your story, shop, socialize and share. It's like Flikr,Bing,YouTube,and Blogger all rolled into one! They have an ecobox, flavorbox, parentbox, travelbox, and creativebox.That's where you'll find us!

We started working with the great people at WBM last October. We were very honored to be one of the fist companies to be asked to participate in this revolutionary new site.

The hardest thing about this process was that Rayme and I had to keep it a secret! We're a little challenged that way. When we find something we love we HAVE to share it with everyone we know! And now we have an opportunity to do just that! We're really looking forward to creating & sharing new projects, new Diva-Sodes, Diva Road Trips, and interviews with the multitudes of creative talent out in the world. You'll even find some projects from our book "Designing with the Divas and Friends" on there. If you share your own stories, you can enter to win some really cool prizes! How great it that!

So, Guess what? You get a special invitation from DCL and WBM to take part in this very exclusive test market. Just go to www.DivaCraftLounge.com and click on the cute Which Box banner, sign in and you can check it out. Just remember.... this is a trial run or a dress rehearsal,so to speak. They're making a ton of changes and they would appreciate your constructive opinions. So please log on and check it out. Rayme and I think you're going to love it.

We'd love it if you let us know what you think. As always we're so grateful for your support and friendship over the last 5 years! Here's to ,many,many more.

Have a Diva Day,

Diva Danielle

The Diva and Duke take a road trip!

Hello Divas and Dukes!

I wanted to share with you a quick road trip we took last week up to Laguna Hills to visit a dear friend and recent radio guest on The Diva Craft Lounge, Jenny Doh at Stampington & Company. She is the editor at large for over 31 magazine publications per year! 'Somerset' may be the most popular brand you may recognize. There is 'Somerset Studio', 'Somerset Apprentice', 'Belle Armoire', 'Stuffed' (WAY too cute!), and The Best of Stampington & Company, 'HandCrafted', just to name a very few.

Needless to say, walking into the 'corporate' looking building and suddenly being hit with tables of art and craft projects was the best kind of sensory over-load that Danielle and I could have ever hoped for! She introduced us to some of her wonderful editors who are all busy heading up different magazine deadlines. All of this was so new to me, so it was fun to see each of their offices full of creative color, texture, projects and ideas in the making hanging on the walls, sticking out of corners, displayed on shelves above the windows, posted on bulletin boards, it went on and on! We could have spent hours in just one room alone!

The tour continued to where all of the art projects that are submitted to them through out the world are brought in, catalogued and then discussed for possible publication. We saw where they do their lay outs, talk about their themes, color choices for each periodical, etc.

We even discussed the intricacies of dealing with everybody's ideas, some that may not make it into a particular publication and how they have learned to interact with each other, respect each other's ideas and move on to the next project. Time obviously cannot be wasted and one learns very quickly that it is not about anybody's ego when presenting an idea as much as it is contributing to a much larger organism that makes each magazine the unique gem that it is. They do have to move FAST with that many magazines to get out! You can see they truly have it down to a quick paced science that is one of the most impressive 'well oiled machines' that I have ever seen.

Most of their photography is 'in-house' and it was fun to walk down the aisles of props that they collect and use to help embellish the pictures that will ultimately be published. I could have spent the rest of the day in there alone! There was even a cello sitting there!

Afterwards, Jenny was gracious enough to take the time and have lunch with us where we got to really talk about the art of creativity, the business end of crafting, all of which inspired Danielle and myself to continue to do MORE of what we do!!!

Jenny is also a cellist herself, (so THAT'S where the cello came from!) and really enjoys doing her own crafting in all kinds of different mediums as well. So with Danielle and I in our singing/theatre/composing backgrounds, we were never short for conversation! The two hours went by like two minutes!

We can't wait to do it again!

Oh, and just between you and us, listen to www.divacraftlounge.com in July when we will be interviewing Jenny again about a NEW magazine that will be hitting the stands shortly. And all I can say is, YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS OUT ON WHAT THAT'S ABOUT!!!

KEEP IT JOY-FULL!

RAYME ROYALE

Purple Cows Design Team Call!

HI Divas And Dukes!

Here's the info to apply for a position on the Purple Cows Design Team. They are such a great company you'll have a blast being part of the team. Good luck and have FUN!!!!

Diva Danielle and Rayme Royale


Purple Cows Design Team Call!

Purple Cows, the “udderly remarkable” manufacturer of trimmers, laminators and creative tools is having a Design Team (DT) Round up!

We have decided to ask YOU the consumers to join us and submit your innovative projects, creative design concepts for consideration. We will be selecting eleven of you be on our “udderly remarkable” Design Team!

No matter if you own all of our tools, or you have never even seen one, we want your submissions. We are looking for fresh and vibrant Designers who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and use a little creative elbow grease! If you are interested in becoming part of our Design Team, please read the contest rules below. Please follow these rules as we will be unable to consider submissions that do not follow the required format.

Submission Rules:

1. You DO NOT have to purchase a Purple Cows product to enter this contest.

2. We would like your projects to use Purple Cows, but we won’t let it get in the way of choosing you if your projects rock!

3. You have until 11:59 pm March 31, 2009 for us to receive your email or “Pony Express” mail entries (for Pony Express submissions, the address is listed below).

4. Your entries do not have to be new for this entry, just of great quality. We will announce the winners on April 17, 2009!

5. Please choose the category(s) below that you want to submit projects for. More is better! We want you to show us your creative talents! Don’t be bashful, if you want, you may submit something for every category. NOTE: You must include the project instructions for at least one of your entries. Since projects that are submitted will be available to crafters of all skill levels, it is very important that the designer be able to articulate in writing the instructions to complete the project.
a) Scrapbook Layouts – Provide Three layouts (a layout can be one or two pages). These can be any size layouts, but they must have photos (please make sure you have the rights to publish the photos).
b) Décor Project - This can be organizational or purely decorative, just as long as you made it.
c) “Off the Page” Craft - This category is a free for all. You may choose to use any medium, or mixed media combination. ATCs, fabric crafts, jewelry, the sky is the limit. Show us your creative style to its fullest!
d) Greeting Cards – Provide three cards, any style or type.
e) Mini Album - This album any be any size you choose, any type, but it must contain photos (please make sure you have the rights to publish the photos).
f) Other – We know that there are a lot of creative people out there. If there is a design category that we did not list, that’s OK. We want you to submit your unique project too. Just tell us the category and submit! We LOVE new creative ideas that you can create with a trimmer and/or laminator! Come-on, we dare you to surprise us!

6. Please send the name of each project, and a photo of each item submitted (if you are emailing your submission, please make the photo a high quality jpeg). Make sure each “name” of your photo contains the project name.).

7. Please also include a photo of just you and a short bio of 100 words or less (if you win, we will want something to post about you right away on all our blogs and Purple Cows website)! Included with your entry, we will need your full contact information, including daytime telephone number.

8. Send entries to the name and address listed below:
a) Email - vennita@purplecows.net, (List “DT Call” in the subject line).
b) Pony Express Mail - Vennita Wilson
Purple Cows DT Call
PO Box 60843
Boulder City, NV 89006

Design Team Benefits:

What you get if you selected to the Purple Cows Design Team:

• You will receive Purple Cows products to use in your designs.
• From time to time, you will receive additional product to use in your designs. We have some great partners in the industry that are very generous with our Design Team members.
• You will be published all over the place, and have new opportunities to show off your fabulous talents to the rest of the world!
• You get paid for your accepted projects! ($25.00-$75.00 per item)

Design Team Requirements:

• Project Request - Watch for our email requests for new, specific designs, and respond with a submission. These requests will come out once a month. We will provide you with a reasonable amount of time (3-4 weeks) to create your project.
• Submission – All project proposals must be submitted electronically. The submission must include hi-res photo(s) and our submission form.
• Accepted Projects – If you project is accepted you will be notified by email. You will then need to mail your finished project and instructions to Purple Cows. Any accepted project becomes the property of Purple Cows and cannot be used by the designer without written permission from Purple Cows.
• Fun – Having fun with our tools, and share them with your friends so they know how great our products are is what it is all about!
• Forms – Purple Cows will provide all required forms to you via email.

We are excited to see your creative talents! Time is short, so please get your submissions in early.

If you have questions, email them to vennita@purplecows.net, until March 5th. We will post both the questions and answers here on March 6th. Good luck to all of you future CowPals, we can’t wait to see your entries!

Our 5 year Anniversary!

HI Diva's And Dukes,

I can't believe it but we're celebrating our 5th Anniversary tomorrow! Rayme and I want to thank all our listeners and friends in the Craft and Hobby Industry for your incredible support over the last 5 years. Who knew when we started this journey we'd be connecting the world thru our passion for crafting. It is such a joy to chat with you on a weekly basis. We LOVE hearing from you.

I also want to thank my dear friend Rayme, The Duke of Crafts, who hangs out with me at the Lounge every Wed. You are such a Joy and Inspiration in my life. I'm looking forward to the next 25 yrs of Crafty Chatting!

Thank you to our Producer Tom who through the magic of the internet keeps us "live" in 96 countries! You're the BEST!!!!

Here's to many more years of chatting around the globe! Thanks again, I'm truly blessed.

Have A Diva Day!
Diva Danielle

Best of at CHA 2009

HI Divas and Dukes,

We're back from CHA 2009 and it was GREAT!!
Rayme and I had an amazing time. So many wonderful products and so little time to see it all. We want to thank The Paper Element, Core'dinations, Pentel, and The Purple Cows for hosting our "Designing with the Divas" Book signings. And thanks to everyone who stopped by to say HI.

A Special You Rock! to Sarah Hodsdon for her FLAWLESSlY GREEN booth in the License and Design section Check it out at www.sarah-n-dipitousdesigns.com. How blessed are we to have a project designed by her in our book.

As promised, here's a list of the companies we featured on the show and then our Top picks of the show.



The Paper Element www.thepaperelement.com
Core'dinations www.coredinations.com
Fancy That www.fancythatonline.com
Clear Snap www.clearsnap.com
Canon www.canon.com
Creative Options www.creativeoptionscrafts.com
Pentel Arts www.pentelarts.com
Duncan www.duncancrafts.com
Cookbookin www.cookbookin.com
Crafters Companion www.crafterscompanion.co.uk
bZoo www.bisous.biz
Piggy Tales www.piggytales.com
Scaperfect www.scraperfect.com
Walnut Hollow www.walnuthollow.com
Parallel Works www.handcraftedpapers.com
Center Enterprises www.centerenterprises.com
Spellbinders www.spellbinders.us
Chatterbox www.chatterboxinc.com
Diamond Tech www.diamondtechcrafts.com
Expo International Inc www.expointl.com
Cover Needlecraft Inc www.clover-usa.com
Magic Mesh www.magicmesh.com
Dove of the East www.doveoftheeast.com
Hambly Studios www.hamblystudios.com
The Tree of Life www.my-treeoflife.com
Spiral Eye www.Spiraleyeneedles.com
Earth Safe Finishes www.earthsafefinishes.com
Scrap FX www.scvrapfx.com.au
Diy Bangles www.diybangles.com

WOW!!! That's quite a List!!!!
I hope I listed every one.

Now for our Top Picks
for CHA!!! Drum roll please.......



Fuse Works www.diamondtechcrafts.com


The Ultimate www.crafterscompanion.co.uk


Spiral Eye www.spiraleyeneedles.com


Parallel Works www.handcraftedpapers.com


Scrap Fx www.scrapfx.com.au


Smooch www.clearsnap.com


Fancy That www.fancythatonline.net


White Wash www.coredinations.com


My Favorite Pieces www.thepaperelement.com


Have Fun checking out all these terrific products and companies. As always, we're always so grateful to our sponsors and listeners.


Diva Danielle & Rayme Royale

Vote for Rayme!!!

Dear Friends ~

I submitted a music arrangement for a contest to accompany a small musical piece entitled, 'Dona Nobis Pacem' played by the famous cellist, Yo-Yo Ma.

He recorded the piece solo and has invited musicians to accompany his version of the song.

Now that the submission date is over, there is now an opportunity for visitors to go to the site and vote for their favorite submission.

I would like to respectfully ask you, if at all convenient, to please go to the site and vote for my submission if you like it enough to do so. It was a LOT of fun to do, and you are free to browse the hundreds of other submissions as well. Quite a diverse variety! I was honored to be a part of it!

Here's what to do:

Go to www.indabamusic.com

You will be asked to sign in and create a password for yourself.

Click on the 'Yo-Yo Ma' competition banner.

Click on "View All Random Submissions"

Then Click on "View All Submissions"

I am located on the 3rd page, my submission was entered on December 20th and you'll see my cute little picture next to my submission. (Me in blue shirt at the piano)

Listen to it if you so choose, (and you'll LOVE it) and then vote!
One vote per person signing in.

Thank YOU ALL! And a HUGE HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
I promise to keep you posted of how it turns out!

Big Blessings,

RAYME