CARD AND TAG SWAP - AUGUST 2011

Happy Tuesday/Wednesday fellow crafters!  I'm back with my Card And Tag Swap (CATS) for August.  My partner is the wonderfully talented Mama!  It was a bit nerve wrecking for me because Mama does beautiful work and I'm so many notches below her caliber but I bit the bullet and thought as soon as I got my swap done, my stomach would settle down and there's no more fingernails to bite on LOL!  The requirement for this month's swap was to use ribbon.  Sounds easy enough right?  WRONG!  I wanted to use it in a different sort of way besides just tying a ribbon around my card and tag and adding a bow, so I decided to make little ribbon flowers.  (Caution:  Long post!) Okay, enough blabbering so here's my humble card for Mama:

About a month ago, Sugar Nellie came out with some new images for the Sherbet Pips line and here I've used "Candy Pip" on the cover.  I put some teeny-tiny buttons on her dress and added some small bows to the top of her head and on the flourish leaf.  

For the inside of my card, I used "Cherry Pip" and added a picket fence on both sides, some die-cut grass, and pink ribbon flowers and a little bow for her hair.  The "jotting" piece fits just inside/behind the picket fence and here I used some pleated ribbon topped with some velvet ric-rac trim, added a flower and the butterflies.  I wanted the jotting piece to look like a "house" behind the picket fence but I didn't do a very good job at it.  Below you can see the jotting piece removed from behind the fence:

Lastly, I finished my tag with another Cherry Pip.  I made it so that the cover swivels open:

Well, that's all I have to share today.  Thank you for being so patient in viewing all the pics.  You can join in the fun and sign up for the next quarter's Card and Tag Swap by

visiting Joy's blog and at the very top, you can click on Joy's message for more info.  Have a wonderful week, and thank you for taking the time to stop by.

Warm Aloha Hugs,

C.A.T.S. July Swap from Joni!

Happy Aloha Friday!  Today I have a DELIGHTFUL card to share with you!  I signed up to play in Joy's "Cards And Tags Swap" (CATS) and if you'd like more info, check it out here.  For July, I was honored to have as my partner the super talented Joni of Crafty Hula Hands.  This month's challenge is a color challenge and we were asked to use the colors Red, White, and Blue.  Gulp!  I'm NOT good when it comes to coloring or working with blues!  Poor Joni, but lucky ME!  Look at what she made for me:

Isn't this the CUTEST card and tag set?!!  THANK YOU, JONI!  I LOVE THIS!  Joni has colored Marci to perfection.  If only you could see it IRL!  I love how the pretty blue bow really picks up the same shade as the blue in the DP, and the red punched border and flowers brightens the card.  Joni also added some crystal lacquer to Marci's swim tube...like real plastic!  Wow!  So much detail to her coloring and layout.  Joni also sent me those beautiful silver charm butterflies!  I LOVE butterflies, so thank you, Joni!  I need to get me more shades of blue Copic markers, so I can practice!  It was truly a fun swap.  Thank you Joni for being my partner, and thank you Joy, for hosting this swap!  

I wish you all a fun-filled weekend, doing what you love, and being with the ones you love.

Warm Aloha Hugs,

Congratulation Tilda Helps Celebrate a Friend's Birthday!

Good morning crafty crafters!  Hope your week is off to a great start.  I believe challenges helps motivate me and gives me the inspiration to create something.  I decided to play along with the Just Magnolia and hÄnglar and stÄnglar challenge this week and they want to see "Pink, Purple, and Pearls" so this is what I came up with:

Okay, I'm not good at photography, but the dotted "tan" looking DP is really lighter IRL, like the top portion of the card, but I just could not adjust the pic to show the true colors so please ignore it for now.  Here is "Congratulation Tilda" #233 from Diana's Magnolia-licious web store.  Simple click on her store icon on my sidebar to shop 24/7.  I stamped this image with Memento black tuxedo on PTI CS and paper pieced her dress, party hat, and gift using DP by Maja Design.  I also punched out the butterfly using my Doohickey butterfly punch from the Maja DP and also from PTI CS and layered it.   The small purple roses beneath the pink rose looks almost black! Sorry about that.  I've added pearls to her shoes, the butterfly, and a white pearl flourish beneath the butterfly although it's hard to see in the pic.

Thank you for stopping by today.  I'm sorry I haven't been blog hopping lately, but I've been cleaning up my craft room AGAIN because I somehow lost my "workspace" and had to put things back where they belong and it ended up taking quite a bit of time (sigh!).  I'll be visiting blogs shortly and wish you all a wonderful day!

Hugs,

A RAK FROM SHIRLEY!!!

Just look at this BEAUTIFUL card I received from Shirley!  It is so lovely and elegant, just like her!  Her coloring knocks my socks off!  I'm such a bad photographer and I know I'm not doing her any justice, so I apologize.  She is so detail oriented and there are so many elements she used and put together so beautifully!  Just look at her gorgeous coloring!  You can find more of her wonderful creations here.  Thank you so very much, Shirley, for sending me one of your masterpieces and the SB Fancy Tags Three that I will definitely put to good use.  What I appreciate and treasure most is the friendship we have developed, and I am grateful for that.  Ahhhh, the wonderful world of blogland!

And here's a close up of her card:

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY, EVERYONE! 

Sharing Calendar Artwork for July, August, and September 2011

As promised earlier, today I'd like to share calendar pages for July, August, and September, made by Tammi.  My pics don't do justice to her beautiful creations.  They are so dimensional IRL, and I get to enjoy them every day.  I still can't believe it's July already!  Please enjoy these wonderful works of art and I know it will give you inspiration.  Today, my GF and I went to a rubber stamp expo and bought some cute 6" x 6" mini albums and we thought we'd make calendar pages for 2012 . . . keeping fingers crossed we actually make them LOL!  Anyway, please enjoy these calendar pages:

Have a glorious weekend, stay safe, and enjoy your Fourth of July celebration!  Tomorrow I will have something else to share with you so stay tuned.

Hugs,



Butterflies!

Hello Maggie friends out there!  Hope your week is going well.  It's almost mid-week or it already is for some of you.  The deadline for entering the Just Magnolia and hÄnglar & stÄnglar Week 112 Challenge is almost closing so I'd better post this quickly.  The theme is:  Butterflies!  I've chosen to use some paper from DCWV Mariposa and the papers are very glittery in gold and covered with butterflies so I've kept my embellishments on the very simple side with not much frills or it may be overkill.  I don't know why, but in the picture, the twill ribbon I used from PTI (Sweet Blush) looks pink whereas IRL it's quite similar to SU!'s Blush on the peachy side.  Anyways, here's my card:

See how pink the ribbon looks?  My card base is also PTI Sweet Blush, 5.5" square, and the mat pieces are a gold metallic CS.  The lonely flower is from Magnolia.  I colored Tilda with Hawaii Flower with Copics and added some gold Spica gel pen over the butterfly and her hair for some sparkle, although you can't see it in the pic.  Here's a pic of the inside of my card:

On the bottom of the card, the black "border" you see is actually part of the print on the DP.  I cut a slit on that black line to create a "pocket" for my notecard to slip into.  It's rather hard to see because the notecard blends in a bit.  The next pic shows the notecard removed:

I folded a piece of the PTI Sweet Blush CS and die-cut it with my SB Labels One die leaving a bit of a hinge on the top, then die-cut two more pieces from the DP to cover the front and back.
Well, that's it for this card.  Thank you very much for taking the time to stop by.  Have a wonderful day wherever you are, and happy crafting!

Hugs,
Cami

An Oldie But Goodie - Sitting Summer Tilda

Hope your weekend is getting off to a good start and the weather is being nice to all of you!  I had a chance to work on a card and thought I'd do one for the Magnolia-licious Highlites Challenge.  The theme is Black + White + Pop (one other color).  I thought it would be fun to play along but oh does my coloring "black" hair suck!  I know I need to keep practicing and that I will do, but at this point, I gave up for now so what you see is what you get for now LOL!  I chose to use red as my Pop color and I know for sure I'll be challenging myself to use other colors, too!  So, here is my failed "black haired" Tilda:

I don't have much to say about this card as the DPs and flowers are from my "supply box" and it's filled with odds and ends from previous projects.  The heart die is from Nellie Snellen  (MFD 022 Heart) and the flourish is from Marianne Design Creatables (LR0116).  I decorated the inside also but kept it very flat while trying to maintain the same theme:

My card looks bare like something is missing but I decided to stop here so Tilda doesn't get "lost" among all the dots LOL!  Kinda plain and simple but I know I'll just mess it up if I add something I'm not sure of at this point.  Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by.  I truly appreciate your critique so I can consider it in my furture cards.
Have a wonderful, fun-filled weekend, stay safe, and happy crafting.

Maggie Hugs,

Celebrating a Birthday with Tilda with Balloon!

Happy mid-week fellow Magnolia friends!  First of all, I'd like to apologize for the spam mail that went out last evening/this morning.  Deb from our Magnolia-licious Yahoo group was very helpful, patient, and encouraging while I was stressing out trying to get rid of that "virus!"  THANK YOU, DEB!!! I was working on this card to enter in the Just Magnolia and hÄnglar and stÄnglar Challenge Week 111 that calls for "Paper Piecing to dress up our Images" when the trouble began!  I won't get into too much details, but the recipe is below if you are interested:

Recipe:
Stamp:  Tilda with Balloon - You Are So Special Collection 2011; Happy Birthday seal from Whimsy "Birthday Letter Seals" by Raindrop Echo
CS:  Bazzill (white), SU! (Red Rose)
DP:  gcd Studios (Petit Blossoms - double sided)
Other:  Die from Cheery Lynn Designs - Fanciful Flourish

Again, I apologize for the spam mail, and I wish you all a wonderful evening/morning.  Thank you for taking the time to stop by and for your encouraging comments.  They are much appreciated.

Hugs from Hawaii,

Tilda With Rain Boots

Hello Maggie friends!  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  In Hawaii we celebrated King Kamehameha Day on Friday so many people had a nice 3-day weekend!  I decided to participate in the Just Magnolia and hÄnglar & stÄnglar Challenge Week #111 using a sketch by the wonderfully talented Jacque and Flowers Galore!  I'm also entering this in the Magnolia Stamp Lovers Challenge where "Anything Goes."
I found a pretty DP by K & Co called Watercolor Bouquet and I love the tiny flower print so I've used her here.  I won't elaborate since I've paper-pieced Tilda's dress, boots, and hat bow.  The flourish is from Cheery Lynn "Faciful Flourish" die.  That's about it, and here she is:

I used sage green Flower soft and sprinkled some tiny pink flowers in the grass.

I kept the inside of the card very simple and tried to maintain the same layout as the front, and added a jotting area for a personal note.
Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today.  I also want to thank those who sent me an email inquiring about how I was because I hadn't posted for a while.  I appreciate your concern and am grateful to the many friends I have made in blogland!  Have a wonderful new week and hope you get in some crafting time.

Maggie Hugs and Warm Aloha,

Hello Little Butterfly - I'm Back!

Yes, it's been a long winter for me...lost my desire for crafting for a while, took a blog break, went on vacation and just returned, and was inspired again by all you wonderfully talented peeps out there!  I came across Jacque's card using the beautiful DCWV Mariposa DPs and was so inspired to create something with that DP.  Only, mine is a 12" x 12" pad and Jacque's was smaller and more in proportion for cardmaking so I was a bit disappointed.  Then I saw Norma's front panel step card and thought I could still use the Mariposa DPs in a different layout.  So, putting the two inspirations together, I came up with this card:

I followed Norma's instructions to make this front panel step card that measures 6" x 6" lying flat.  I colored Tilda with Copic markers. Details for this card are listed below if you are interested.

Recipe:

DP:  DCWV Mariposa

CS:  Bazzill (white) and black linen (mat pieces, fence)

Stamp:  Magnolia - Hello Little Butterfly from the Butterfly Dreams collection

Hair:  E25, 31, Y21

Body:  E00, 50, R00 (cheeks)

Dress and Boots:  R29, 27, 24, 22

Apron:  E42, 41, 40

Other:  MS grass border and garden gate punches; small flowers from my stash, leaves from Michael's

I will be catching up with you all to see your wonderful creations.  Sorry for the long absence but things should be getting back to normal!  Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and I've missed you all!

Big Maggie Hugs,

MINI MAGNOLIAS - A SPRING SCRAPBOOK FROM SHARON CAUDLE!

Happy Sunday to all of you and I hope you are all enjoying your weekend!  Imagine, only one more week until Easter!  For me, I'm happy as a Lark and hopping like a bunny because I was gifted with Sharon's magnificent "Spring Album" that she created in February for the Magnolia-licious Blog Hop which was a Spring Themed Mini Challenge using the adorable Mini Magnolias!  It arrived in the mail today, and all I can say is, "WOW! OMG! I can't believe she sent it to me and I'm actually holding it!!!" I'm so very Blessed to receive Sharon's beautiful masterpiece...an Easter Blessing to me! I am awestuck seeing her creation IRL!  It's incredible work! THANK YOU SO MUCH, SHARON!  I love it and will always treasure this gift.  Before I share some pics with you, I know you will want to know more about how Sharon created this and you can find more info on her blog here.

This is the front of the album and below are pics of each letter that spells SPRING!

Aren't these pages absolutely divine?!!! Look at all the Mini Tildas she colored and cut out and popped on each page.  Her work is incredible and there are so many lovely details.   Sharon has lots of close-up shots on her blog here so you can see the detailed work.  It's definitely a labor of love and I am so happy to be able to hold it in my hands, and to keep staring at all the mini Tildas.  It's incredible, but we've all come to know Sharon's works of art and she is a perfectionist with great attention to detail.  If you need inspiration, you'll find a lot on Sharon's blog.  Go check it out if you missed it in February! 
I know you've enjoyed today's post and I thank you for stopping by to share with me my gratitude and appreciation to have been gifted with this magnificent Spring Album.  We belong to the BEST Magnolia-licious Group on Yahoo because incredibly talented people have the biggest hearts and share and teach all of us to keep learning and improving on our skills.  Thank you to ALL of you in our wonderful group...and if you're not a member yet, please join us here.
Maggie Hugs and Blessings . . .

Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog - Color Challenge #6 - Pink & Green

Wow!  The weekend is almost here!  Hope you are having a good week!  Second post for me this week and I'm surprised at myself.  I couldn't wait to play with my new "Tilda with Rain Boots" and decided to enter this is the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog Color Challenge #6.  You can get all of your Maggies from Diana's Magnolia-licious online store simply by clicking on the store icon on my sidebar!  Come join the fun!  Here's my card:

I started with a white 5.5" square card base using PTI CS, layered it with some Bazzill dotted CS.  I die-cut the heart with my Cheery Lynn "Heart to Heart Lace Doily" die from this pretty DP by Pebbles "Ever After".  I punched a piece of white CS with my MS picket fence punch, and also my MS grass punch from some Imaginisce "Garden Party" Collection pad.  I layered them and placed them on a piece of the DP then die-cut the heart shape.  I stamped Tilda on PTI CS with Memento Black Tuxedo and colored her with Copics. I've also added some Viva Glass Effect Gel on her boots to give it some shine although you can't really tell.  The little white flowers you see on all four corners are photo corners from Jolie's that I've had for a very long time as well as the "Love" metal sticker.  I also finished the inside very simply using the same theme.  I usually write my message on a piece of onion skin paper and adhere it over the  DP:

Copics used:
Skin: E00, 50, R20
Hair:  E35, 33, 31
Dress, hat and boots:  R85, 83, 31, RV00
Thank you for stopping by today.  I wish you all a safe and fun-filled weekend!

Maggie hugs,