Hi

Happy Sunday! I hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

We have a new challenge at Magnolia Down Under Challenge. For our #23, this fortnight challenge is a good one and cute as a….BUTTONS….Yup we want to see buttons, big or small, many or one! As long as you have buttons on your card/project we’ll be happy.
And our sponsor this week is Scrapbook Boutique. Please hop over to MDUC and see the cards from the other DT gals and you can read the details of their individual card on their blogs. I hope you will come and join in the challenge--you have 2 whole weeks!!!

For this card, I have used the sketch #24 from Papertake Weekly Challenge.

And at Cupcake Card Challenges, the theme for their challenge #58 ... distressing techniques. Boy, did I do a lot of disressing on this one. The flowers alone... My arm was ready to fall off...LOL.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Stamp: Magnolia Strawberry Tilda.

DP: Doodlebug Design Plum Bloom, not sure about the dot-embossed cardstock--Bazill probably.

Tools: Stewart border punch, EK Success retro-flower punches (large and medium) .
Misc: Tim Holtz distress ink Dusty Concord.

Tilda Exploring for Hidden Treasures

Hello all!

I couldn’t wait to show you my latest project. I’m quite pleased with how this turned out.

First things first, I want to thank Kirsten Aune for her wonderful tutorial. If you want to make a similar project yourself, here’s the link to Kirsten’s tutorial on a box with 4 drawers.

This is for 4 challenges:

I wanted to make a card for Cute Card Thursday. The theme for their Challenge 78 is Hidden Treasure. "This week we want to see a hidden element/gift in your cards/projects." I was thinking of making just a card with hidden messages, when during my blog-hopping, I came across Kirsten's tutorial and thought this would be just perfect for the challenge instead.

The image I used here I named Tilda the Explorer or Indiana Tilda, hee hee. No, actually she is called Jungle Tilda from Magnolia.

Decorating the top of the box is an actual card that I’ve created using the wonderful sketch that the ever-so-talented Jacque has provided for the Friday Sketchers Challenge 70. I’ve attached a ribbon to the card, so that you can secure the openings to keep the card from flapping around.

The theme at Stamp Something Challenge is favorite colors or paper. My favorite designer paper isn’t just one single DP, but the Scrapbook Walls collection from Chatterbox (I think this has now been discontinued). They have marvelous soft-colour combos and co-ordinating papers. Chatterbox was quite prominent several years ago, but lately I haven’t seen too many of their papers on the store shelves. It's a good thing that during a clearance sale I stocked up and now still have a good selection of their papers in my stash. All the DP's used here are from that collection. This is what the inside of the card looks like:

To put a cherry on top of the ice cream, hee hee… Well, you know how I love hand-made flowers? Or if you don’t, well I simply luvvv… them. This is a new flower I learned how to make from the tutorial that Michele Roos has done for the Just Magnolia Monthly Challenges. The challenge there for the month of September is based on the tutorial, which can be found at the challenge blog here. I used my EK Success retro-flower punches for the flowers I created.

Back to the box, for the drawer handles, I used these wooden things they called button plugs. Found them at Michaels. You get 23 plugs for $1.99CAN (probably $1.50US). I just polished them a bit with beeswax so the wood doesn't look unfinished. And attached them with a spot of craft glue at the centre of each drawer.

That's it. Sorry for this more-lengthy-than-usual posting. Enjoy your day!

Stamps: Magnolia Jungle Tilda. DP's: Chatterbox Scrapbook Walls: Rec Bias Plaid, Saddle Plaid, Rodeo Paisley, Sky Rodeo Paisley.
Tools: EK Success retro flower punches (large and medium).
Misc: Kaiser Craft pearls (the blue ones), Martha Stewart half pearls, Lara's Crafts wooden button plug 1/4".

Merry Christmas

Happy Saturday!

I've made another Christmas card. Hopefully by early December, I would have made enough.

3 challenges for this card, LOL:

The first one is Sketch and Stash Challenge. This is the sketch for their Challenge 19.
My newest stash is this gorgeous DP from Bo Bunny. I think it's one of their new Christmas papers for this year. I was in my local scrapbook store, Scrapbook Warehouse, and the vibrant Christmasy colours caught my eyes, so of course I just had to have it. Also new to me is this Magnolia Tilda image, purchased from Diana at Magnolia-licious. This is the first time I have used this stamp.

The second challenge is from Passion for Promarkers. The challenge for Week 17 is any colours & polka dots.

The third challenge is from Papertake Weekly Challenge. Their theme is Faking it. I've added some faux stitching and fake lace (using a border punch) on my card.

I don't know if you can see that there are stars in the design of the paper. You can probably tell better from the piece of paper in the inside of the card. I've cut out similar looking stars out of cardstock and put gold glitters on them. The stars are in place of the flower on the sketch.

The sentiment I've moved to the top because I've moved the paper lace lower as not to cover up the trees, so that left more room at the top rather than at the bottom for the sentitment.

The inside of the card looks like this.

Red isn't an easy colour for me to do, but I think I'm improving, hee hee, just my own opinion. And yes, the Tilda in the inside has a slightly darker red dress. That's because I wasn't happy with the initial blending of colours, so kept fooling around with my markers and kept adding layers of ink until it got to be like this.

Have a wonderful weekend everybody!

Stamps: Magnolia Tilda with Braids, Hero Arts Wishing Peace and Joy.
DP's: Bo Bunny 12@ Tis the Season Deck the Halls, polka dot paper from me&my BIG book value pack paper pad.
Tools: Martha Stewart border punch. Embelishments: Making Memories metal Merry Christmas, Kaiser Craft pearls.

2-CD Case

Hello!

This was/is a very nice project to do. A 2-CD case. I have a practical use for this.

I have actually started this project for the Stamp with Fun challenge, but it took me longer to finish, so I am too late for it. It's a good thing that I have a couple other challenges for it, LOL.

For the front of my CD case, I have followed the sketch that was provided for this week challenge at Friday Sketchers Challenge Blog.

The colour scheme is from Cute Card Thursday Challenge. "Challenge 77 – Strawberry Mint Julep!... We want to see your beautiful creations using the colours pink & green."

I have finally found those gorgeous DP’s from Basic Grey, their Lemonade collection. I've been drooling over these papers when I see them on other people's cards. I found them in my local DeSerres art store (and woohoo they’ve got a 20% sale this month on scrapbooking paper). Funny how I couldn’t find them at our Michaels stores here. The one I used here is called Saltwater Taffy. I've matched this paper with another Basic Grey DP that I already have in my stash called Eva Courtier.

The CD's to be stored in this case are to be filled with summer pictures, so I've chosen images from the Magnolia Lazy Summer Days collection: Beach Tilda, Bathing Ring and Tilda with Ice Cream.

Have a wonderful day!

Other stamps: Great Impressions trio of flowers, Inkadinkadoo Remember When.
Tools: Marvy Uchida scallop circle punch, Coluzzle circle template
Embelishments: Reflections pearl stickers .

Mini Post Office

Hello! Happy weekend!

Challenge #22 at Magnolia Down Under Challenge is ...anything but a card. Our sponsor for this challenge is Just Scrap and Stamp and Tania, owner and founder, has provided a fabulous prize to be won. Check out the prize at the MDUC blog and also check out the wonderful projects by the other DT gals. You can find the details of their projects on their individual blogs and I hope you will also leave a comment.

I've combined this challenge with the one at Magnolia-licious Highlites. The DT September Sketch Project!! is to create a Mini Accordion File Folder.

Here is my 'anything but' ...

I'm calling this my Mini Post Office, as I'm now using it keep all my postal stamps organized. I'm not too crazy about that designer paper I used, but I thought it was very appropriate for this project. It's not that pretty, sort of blah.....LOL. Oh well, it's only for myself.

There are six compartments that I can use. For sending my cards, Canada Post has basically 3 postal rates: for mailing within Canada, to the States and to everywhere else.
I've labelled the pockets:
- Domestic
- U.S.A.
- International
- Miscellaneous (for 1 or 2 cent stamps for those rate increases that Canada Post seems to introduce every year )
- Airmail (for Airmail stickers)
- Do Not Bend (labels that I like to slap on the front and back of my envelopes--my little note to the postal personnel, LOL)

There's a tutorial for this from Valerie Stangle. Click here to see. Valerie uses a strip of cardstock bent over to fit into a slot to close her file folder. I've replaced this with ribbons as I find that cardstocks are not meant to be bent. After repeated use, the cardstock strip does not look very nice anymore.

Enjoy your weekend!

Stamps: Magnolia Tilda with Letter, Hero Arts Love Letters Postal Stamp.

DP: Gartner Studio Bon Voyage-Postage Stamps Collection.

A Happy Birthday Card

Happy Friday. Yipee!

I made this card for a couple of challenges and also for my Mom whose birthday is coming up in a week and a half, so this is the earliest I've ever had a card ready for her birthday. Usually I'm scrambling to the last minutes to get it done.

I've used the sketch that was provided at the Create4fun Challenge for their week 36.

And at Stamp Something Challenge Blog, this week's challenge is to create something with your favorite embelishments. My favorite embelishments I guess would be flowers that I've made myself. And since they've come out with those half pearls in a rainbow of colours, those have become my favorite embelishments too.

I've chosen a DP with bright summery colours since this Magnolia image is from the Lazy Summer Days collections. I think this Tilda image is called Loves Me.

I've basically followed the sketch, except for the placement of the Happy Birthday sentiment. I moved that to the top left-hand corner because I made a boo boo with my distressing. You know how it is, when instead of a nice light shading you get a blob of ink? Don't you just hate that? I used the sentiment to cover it up. LOL.

Have a wonderful weekend everybody!

Stamps: Magnolia Loves Me, Great Canadian Stamp 'Happy Birthday', Great Impressions 'Have a Beautiful Day'.

DP: from me&my BIG idea value pack paper pad Fashion District

Tools: EK Success flower punch, Martha Stewart twig punch, Provo Craft decorative scissor, Colluzle circle template.

Misc.: Kaiser Craft pearls.

Lazy Summer Days

Hello.

I finally, finally have another card to show you.

I made this card for 2 challenges.

The first one is Truly Scrumptious Challenge Blog. The theme for their Challenge 15 is Indian Summer. Yeah, I'm not ready to let go of summer yet. There is also this wonderful sketch to follow provided by Michele.

The second challenge is from Stampin' for the weekend. A colour challenge with the colours of orange, teal and pink. An odd choice of colours, I thought, but I actually managed to find a DP with these colours from my me & my BIG ideas value pack paper pad called Fashion District.

For a chance to use 2 of the images from the Magnolia Lazy Summer Days collection, which I just recently acquired, I chose a different Tilda image for the inside of my card.

Have a wonderful day!

Stamps: All from Magnolia Lazy Summer Days collection, Berry Tilda, Tilda with Ice Cream, Strawberry Ice Cream Cone and Lazy Summer Days sentiment.

Mary Tapping

Hello everyone. I hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

Well, it has been a very non-productive week for me during these past weekdays. Too busy at the office. Too much work, too little time. Have been working late everyday. Getting home too late and too tired and just had time to get some sleep and head back out to work the next day. Yeah, that's why I've been MIA. Okay, that's enough moaning and groaning from me. LOL.

I started working on this yesterday and finally put the finishing touches on the card this morning. This is my very first card ever with a digital-stamp image. I've been seeing Mo Manning's images on cards all over the place and I just love them. I now have several of her wonderful images, but decided to try my hand first on colouring this 'Mary Tapping'. Mo's images can be obtained at her blog, Mo's Digital Pencil too!

I chose this Mary Tapping image as I needed a girl image for the challenge at Passion for Promarkers. The theme for their challenge 15 is girly and glittery.

For this card I have used the sketch from Friday Sketchers Challenge blog, that was provided by Heidi for their challenge 68.

At the A Spoon Full of Sugar challenge blog, the theme for their challenge 67 is distressing.

Since this was my first digital image, I thought I'd started small and practiced colouring on a smaller version of Mary Tapping before moving to a larger image. It didn't turned out too bad I thought, so I used that image for the inside of my card.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Stamps: Great Impressions Beautiful and Special Day, Inkadinkado Have a Great Birthday.

DP's: Chatterbox Scrapbook Walls Canopy Floral and Poolhouse Stripe.

Misc.: Kaiser Craft Pearls

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.