Congrats - Sweet Baby Girl

Hello everyone!

Boy, the weekend went by so fast. Too fast! The next one is going to be a long weekend and I am already so looking forward to that one.

I have created this card for a co-worker at the office who just gave birth to a baby girl--beside making the card for the challenges that is, LOL.

For Kellie's Sketch Challenge #2, Kellie has provided this wonderful sketch which I used for the layout of my card.

This card is also for the Cute Card Thursday challenge. Challenge 75 - New Beginnings! This week we want to see your cards for new things in your life/those you love...new baby, new home, new car, new job...whatever new beginning you like.

A third challenge, somewhat similar, is from Stampin' for the Weekend Challenge Blog. The theme for their Challenge 13 - Anything Baby goes!!

And I'm sneaking my card into a fourth challenge at Creative Inspirations Challenge Blog. Their theme is STITCHING. I've sewn real stitches with my sewing machine, and also did some faux stitches around the edge of the circle.

I haven't done too many card with the opening at the bottom --my usual is at the side--but I have done it with this one.

And I've decorated the inside of the card leaving plenty of blank space for the office crew to write their good wishes and sign their names.

Stamps: Magnolia Tilda with Baby, Congrats sentiment from Hampton Arts G Studio, Recollections clear stamps Sweet Baby Girl.

DP's: Chatterbox Scrapbook Walls Rosey Flowering Vine and Loft Bias Plaid. Tools: EK Success border punch and corner punch, Marvy Uchida scallop circle punch, McGill flower punch.

Purple Passion

Hello. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

This is my card for the Magnolia Down Under Challenge #21.

I hope that you will hop over to MDUC and check out the wonderful cards from the other DT members and also join in the challenge. There is a prize, a $20.00 voucher from our sponsor for this challenge, The Scrappin' Kats. Now back to the card,

The challenge this fortnight is….. A Recipe - 1 flower, 2 ribbons, 3 brads and 4 papers/pattern papers.

I think the hard part was finding the 4 DP's that would go well together. But knowing that I was going to make this a monochromatic card made it easier. I chose the colour purple because this card was also created for Passion for Promarkers. Week 14 Challenge - A Passion for Purple! The colour combo this week is at least two purples (you can choose from lilac, lavender, amethyst and aubergine).

For the layout, I found Beatrix's wonderful sketch to use for this card, at Everybody-Art-Challenge for their week #54 challenge.

This is how the inside of the card looks.

Nothing more to write about.....I've been sitting here for the past 10 minutes and I've drawn a blank. I guess this has to be it. Ciao and have a wonderful weekend.

Stamps: Magnolia Tilda with Butterfly, MSE clear stamp set Thinking of You, Inkadinkado Cheerful Wishes.DP's: Hot Off the Press Joy's Vintage Paper Collection and Jacie's Vintage Paper Collection.Tools: Martha Stewart Butterfly punch, Marvy Uchida daisy punches, scallop circle punch, Colluzle oval and circle templates.

Fall Card & Treat Box

Happy Monday!

I've got a couple of projects to show you.

As a set, the card and matching treat box, it is my entry for the Magnolia-licious Hilites challenge. Click here for the details and also to participate in the Tricks-n-Treats Magnolia-licious DT Blog Hop. There are prizes galore!! As you can see, because I don’t have any Halloween Tilda, I went with the Fall/Autumn theme instead.

In creating the card, I used this wonderful sketch provided by Rach for Just Magnolia Challenge Blog.

I had actually started this card using the colours that were provided for the Roses on Paper previous challenge—it was a fall-colour challenge: orange, brown and warm red. But I took too long in completing the card, that I missed the deadline. However their current challenge is to …incorporate the use of punches in a Sketch Challenge of your choice! So this card is for their Challenge 19.

At the Truly Scrumptious Challenge Blog, their current challenge is not for a card. “We would like you to make anything BUT a card.” So the treat box is my entry for their Challenge 14 as well.

I was browsing through the Scor-Pal website trying to decide which project--from among the the dozens provided there--to make for this 2nd part of the challenge and had almost decided on one. Then I was at my local DeSerres art store yesterday and saw this cute little see-through box that I thought would do instead. The staff must have been wondering what I was up to. I was turning the box upside down, side to side, this way and that, trying to figure out how it was made. Got out my pen and piece of paper, did a quick sketch and wrote down the approximate measurements. When I got home, I rework the measurements so that I only have to use one piece of letter-size paper (8 ½” x 11”). The box in the store is bigger than mine. I’m pleased of how this box turned out.

This is a picture of how I decorated the back and the sides of the box.

Okay, that's it. Sorry if this posting is too lenghty. Thanks for for visiting me. Have a wonderful day.

Stamps: Magnolia Tilda with Broom and Standing Fall Tilda, Inkadinkado clear stamp set Autumn Foliage.
DP’s: Provo Craft Fluttery Things, Over The Moon Press Natural Leaves, KI Memories Choices Collection Organized Tailgate
Tools: EK Success Swirl punch, Fiskars corner punch Leaves.

Life is Sweet

Hello. Happy Friday!

I've made a card for 3 challenges.

This is the sketch that I've used from Sketch Saturday, provided for their Challenge #64.

And for Penny Black Saturday Challenge, this is Week 62 for them. ...this week's challenge which is a colour combo
BLUE.....TAN & CREAM.

Ahha you say! There’s none of those adorable creatures from Penny Black on the card. I used a couple of other stamps instead: the duo of flowers and a sentiment for inside the card.

The 3rd challenge is from Cupcake Craft Challenges. They're celebrating their 1st birthday. "...this weeks brilliant challenge which has been chosen to coincide with our 1st birthday celebrations and the theme is something sweet. There is also an optional extra to include a cupcake."

I do have a standing Tilda image holding a cupcake in my collection. But I wanted to use a sitting Tilda instead, that I could perch at the edge of that oval cut-out. So this Magnolia image is actually the Tilda With Bee. I sent the bee buzzing bye bye. I stamped a Tilda With Cupcake image on a scrap piece of cardstock and cut out the cupcake with the hand holding it. I glued that to the spot where the bee used to be. Turned out real well I thought. Okay, okay, the hand-and-the-cupcake image is actually a smidgen too big, but I couldn’t tell that until I took a picture of the card and see it in my posting here. Oh well.

The flower is actually perfect for doing decoupage. No time to do it for this card, but I will do that the next time.

TGIF. Have a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping by. And I appreciate any and all comments.

Stamps: Penny Black "T for Transparent" Flower Gallery (duo flowers) and Enjoy Life (sentiment inside of card), Hampton Art{Foot Long} Cupcakes (Life is Sweet sentiment and cupcake).DP's: Fiskars Heidi Grace Designs Meadow Flower Decor, Chatterbox Scrapbook Walls Courtyard Blossoms, the tan colour dp with flowers - unknown maker.

Tools: Fiskards border punch Flowers.

Embelishments: Kaiser Craft pearls.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Sunday to all!

(Sorry, sorry, I am so... late with this posting. Although this Sunday morning here, it is already in the evening down under. I meant to do this late last night, but I was too tired and fell asleep and of course this morning I overslept. Isn't that just how that usually works? LOL.)

Anyway this a Happy Father's Day Card. Yes, that is correct. Although Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June in the United States, Canada, UK and several other countries, in Australia it is celebrated on the first Sunday in September.

So this is the fortnight challenge of Magnolia Down Under Challenge #20-- A Father's Day Card. I would love it if you can visit us at the MDUC and see the beautiful creations of the other DT members and join us in the fun. Also, their names are listed in the side bar, here and at MDUC, and you can click on their names and see the details of their individual cards.

In creating this card, I have used this wonderful sketch shown to the right that was provided by Beatrix at the Friday Sketchers Challenge Blog.

I am also using the colours from the challenge at Colour Create Challenge Blog. The colours are Blue, Sand, Silver and Black.




This elegant-looking Edwin on the card is the Magnolia Lucky Edwin image.

The hat charm near the bottom of the card is a late addition to the card. I had this spot blank at first. Looking at the sketch, I was suppose to put flowers there, but this being a male card, I was not going to do that. Men may very well like flowers, but I just do not consider flowers as male-card embelishments. I have the hardest time with embelishments when it comes to male cards. I couldn't think of what to put there, so I had it left blank. So I was the happiest person when I found this hat as I was rummaging throught my stash. Yeah! I've forgotten that I even had it.

That's all folks. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Thanks for visiting and if you have a moment, please leave me a comment.

Later on in the afternoon, I'm off to see Ponyo. I am so excited. I am just a big kid at heart. I love, and I mean luvvvv..., animation. And I am a huge huge huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki.

DP's: DCWV Tahiti Bch Yellow Flowers Gltr, Chatterbox Guest Plaid, American Crafts Elegant Gown.Embelishments: Karen Foster Design Mini Charms Dance, Making Memories brads, Kaiser Craft pearls.

JOY

Happy Saturday!

Can you tell that I love Christmas? Anyway, the challenges are just begging for Christmas/winter cards and I love making them. So, here's another one.

This is my Christmas card for Just Christmas and Birthday Cards challenge blog. Using Kirstin sketch to the right here, I've flipped the sketch 90 degrees to it's side. I did not use a centre box for this card, because if I were to put a box big enough to put Tilda in, it would have covered too much space, I thought. (This is one of the bigger Tilda images I found.)

This is also my entry for Lili of the Valley ChallengeBlog. The theme for their Challenge 34 - SO CHARMING. "...we would like to see charms or a charm somewhere on your creation."

The Magnolia image I used here is the so adorable Tilda with Candle. The tinsel in her hair I've covered it up with some blings/rhinestones.

The DP is from Basic Grey Wassail collection, Laurel Leaves.


I used a lot stamps for this card beside the Tilda one. They're listed below.

And that's all for today. Enjoy your weekend.

Delta Rubber Stampede Etched Holly 3442E, for the JOY--Anna Griffin monogram alphabet stamp set, for the tag--Magenta Christmas 95058.3, for inside the card--Hampton Art Sentiment andle JD4879.
Embelishments: Angel charm from Blue Moon, Kaiser Craft pearls.

Baby it's cold outside

Happy Thursday everyone.

This posting is sort of a two-parter. There's a second 'to be continued' part to this posting, but more of that later .



This is Tanja's sketch for the Friday Sketcher Week 64 challenge that I used to make this card.

Adding a few more challenges for this card:

Winter Wonderland theme for this week is Twinkle Sparkle.

And at the Dutch Dare Card Challenges, their challenge # 58 is Christmas in August.

The Magnolia image is Tilda with Hood. Isn't she just adorable?
The Christmas DP's I used here are from Basic Grey Wassail line, Snowdust and Laurel Leaves.

On the white fur edging Tilda's hood and cape, I've added some glitter.

And before going outside, Tilda did a switcheroo with her winter outfit--LOL.

The paper with the snow-covered fir/pine trees is the 2nd part to this posting. I created those trees myself. The 2nd part I mentioned is a tutorial, if you want to try your hand at making your own winter background (or you can even you it as the main feature of your card). The tut is in a separate posting below this one. You can scroll down or click here--snow-covered fir/pine tree tutorial.

Thanks for stopping by . If you have a moment, I'd love it if you can leave me a comment. Much appreciated. Have a wonderful day!

Tutorial - Snow-covered fir/pine trees

This is a tutorial to make something like this.

This was done free-hand. I learned how to this from the 'glitter lady' at a demo night that our local stamp store was having I think a couple of Christmases ago.  (That lady, I later learned, was Deanna Pannell, creator of Dee's Distinctively Dies and Glitter Ritz.)  This is so cool and so amazingly easy that I want to share this with you. These are the tools and materials that you need: 

1. Craft glue – most regular type of craft glue will work I think, e.g. Aleene’s Tacky Glue, Elmer’s Glue All, etc.—we do NOT want the thick kind. I used the Sobo glue pictured above. 

 2. White acrylic paint (you only need a small amount – approx. 25 drops). Any brand will do. I use the one above, because it was on sale--LOL. 

 3. A small empty bottle with a very fine tip (.9 mm aperture). You can buy these at your art or craft store. Got mine at Michaels (in their fabric paint section). 

 4. Glitter—white and/or transparent with highlights--I prefer cool highlights. (Or any colour glitter you want.) The type of glitter is used is Jewel Glitter Ritz Micro Fine Glitter. 

 5. Card stock—the heavier the better. It is ALMOST impossible to find a glue that dries white. Although your craft glue is white in colour, they will dry clear—which is preferable at any other time, as you don’t really want to see globs of glues on your craft projects. But for our purposes here, we want a glue that dries white. The small amount of white paint is required to make your own dries-white glue. If you want the snow on your trees to look white, you need this glue. Otherwise your trees will have a tint of your paper colour. I've taken pictures to show you the difference. This was done using white glitter. The one on the left is with clear glue and the

 

one on the right with white glue.

This one was done using tranparent glitter with cool highlights.

Again the one at the left is with clear glue and the right-side one is with white glue. See what I mean?

If however you want to do your trees in any other colour of glitter, then clear glue is just fine to use.

So a little preparation ahead of time. Fill your bottle about ¾ full with the craft glue and add about 25 drops of the white acrylic paint. Shake it well to mix. 

 Basically the trees are made by making teardrops of glue placed haphazardly to form a picture of a tree and then covering it in glitter. Practice a few strokes of forming tear drops on a scrap piece of paper, by squeezing out a small dot and then dragging it to make the tail. Now, it’s easier to drag down than up, so they’re upside-down teardrops. So what you will be doing is making the tree upside down. ( If you find it easy to do it the other way, by all means, do so. There’s no set rules to this–whatever works for you.) The first 3 dabs of glue you’re going to place on your paper is a guideline to how tall and how wide you want the tree to be. Since it’s easier to SHOW you how to do this rather than tell you, I’ve done a couple of short videos here. I've taken these with my camera, so they're amateurish. I mounted my camera on a tripod, focus it on my craft table and stood behind the setup. I was trying to set my eyes both on what I was doing on the table and on the screen a the same time. LOL. This was fun to do. Had to do several retakes before I ended up with these 2 vids. (There's no oral instruction --I don't like the sound of my own voice. Whenever I hear it coming out of some kind of device, I think I sound...funny, lol.  

For the first tree:                    

                                            

The paper will buckle a bit due to the wet glue, that’s why the heavier the paper the better. But when the glue dries, the paper will flatten itself out...not 100% though. Ideally, you should wait until the glue dries before adding more trees, but I was too impatient. For additional tree(s):                                                                                   

 And you just keeping adding more trees until you get the picture that you want.

When the glue has dried, you can brush the excess glitter back to your container. This is what my end product looks like.

I used this group of trees as a background for Tilda in this card. If you want to see the posting for this card you can click here. I hope you've found this tutorial informative. Have fun with it. PS. Make sure you clean your glue bottle tip as soon as you're not using it. The glue dries fast, but its water soluble. Unscrew the tip from your bottle and put it under running water until all the glue is gone.

PPS. If you decide to give it a try and make a card or cards with your trees, I would love to see it/them. (Send me a link.)

Have a Great Birthday

Hello!

I haven't been very productive lately, but finally, finally got this one card done.

This card was done using this sketch of Kirstin for Just Christmas and Birthday Cards.

I've made the center square where the image sits into a sort of pocket, so that instead of attaching the tag permanently, you can slide it in and out of the pocket.

This card is also for Simon Says Challenge. This week's challenge is..... Buttons and Ribbons !

And I'm also including a third challenge from Dutch Dare Card Challenges. This weeks challenge: use LACE on your card.

The Magnolia image I'm using here is the adorable Tilda with Apron. The designer papers are from Paper Pizazz, Green w/Daisies and from Basic Grey, Wisteria Violet.
The sentiments are from rubber stamps from Inkadinkado, Have a Great Birthday and from Greatt Impressions, Have a beautiful and special day.

And that is it! Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend.

Just a note ...

Happy Monday!

I wan't sure I could get a card done today. It's a statutory holiday here today and I thought I had extra time to spend to make cards, but instead I ended up with extra chores to do--isn't that always the case? LOL. Anyway, I did manage to finish this.

I did this card for the Passion for Promarker challenge. The challenge - the colour combo of Pastel Pink & Cool Aqua was chosen by Maria and she has also given a sketch to use.

This card is also for Roses on Paper Challenge. Their theme: use hearts in your creation.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Stamp: Magnolia Tilda with letter.

DP's: My Mind's Eye Irresistible Love in Bloom, KI Memories Choices Collection Organized Tailgate, Sentiments inside card from Hampton Art G Studio Kolette Hall Design.

Tools: Martha Stewart border punch, Marvy Uchida scallop circle punch, Colluzle circle template, Martha Stewart snowflake punch.

Let it Snow

Happy Sunday!

This card was made for the Magnolia Down Under Challenges. This fortnight Challenge #19 is: Winter is here...

I am also using this card as my entry to the Winter Wonderland challenge blog. The theme for their Week #10 is Winter Wonderland.

The idea for this card came from Claudia at Pretty Pressings. I totally copied her Harmony card that she posted (or rather scheduled to be posted while she was on vacation) last week. I just changed the theme.

What I love most about the card is the surprise element of it. You think that you are getting a card without any cute/adorable character. And then you open it and there it is--in my case, there's Chilly Tilda sitting on a pine branch.

I wanted to add some snow to that branch, but I didn't have any of that snow stuff. I've tried using glitter just on a stamp image on a scrap piece, but it didn't look right. I didn't want to ruin this, so I'll wait until I buy the snow stuff and will add it on then.

The snow covered trees on the side panel is done free hand with just glue and glitter. It's amazingly easy to do. Perfect for background scenes if you don't have any fir-tree stamp. Leave me a comment if you're interested and I may do a short tut (isn't that just a sneaky way to get comments? hee hee).

The DP I used actually have white swirls and snowflakes on it, but they can barely be seen, so I practically had to make my own DP by stamping my own swirls and snowflakes with navy coloured ink.

This is a full picture of the card inside. The image is placed on the left side leaving a blank space on the right to write Christmas greetings on. I've added transparent micro-glitter to the white trims of Tilda's winter suit.

Please have a look at the other cards created for this challenge by the ladies at MDUC. They're simply wonderful. You can also click on their individual names on the side panel to hop over to their blogs and see all the other wonderful cards they've created.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Stamps: Magenta Let it Snow, Magnolia Chilly Tilda, Inkadinkadoo clear stamp set Season of Swirls, All Night Media Snowflake.
DP: K&Company Brenda Walton Peppermint Twist.
Misc.: Jewel Glitter Ritz micro fine glitter, EK Success snowflake punch .