Snowy Hug...

Hello Again!!! Wow, what an exciting weekend we had! On Saturday I taught a class showing how to watercolor with distress inks. Shout out to you ladies!!! We had really great turn out and I think everyone had a good time and learned a little. I met some great ladies and I'm hoping to see them all again at come card classes and workshops in the future.

Now I'm trying to put together some monthly card classes and quarterly workshops, so let me know if you live in the southeastern Michigan area and might be interested.

So, also on Saturday, I received more yummy new Christmas stamps and I finally got to ink one up today. I chose to start with a stamp that includes a snowman because I love them so much. I hope you like it...

Snowy Hug

Doesn't that look like a nice warm hug on a cold and snowy day? Oh how I love this stamp! Tilda looks so pleased with the little snowman that she built. This little cutie is called "Snowy Hug".

The dp's and tags are from my favorite MME "Holly Jolly" collection. I know it's soon, but, I just had to use them again. All cs is from Bazzill. I cropped the image to a 4x4 square, used a corner rounder punch, and then matted it with two pieces cut with my new Cricut 'Christmas Cards' cartridge. Just love it! Those gorgeous flowers are by Prima. I grabbed the ribbon and brads from my stash. I applied diamond and stardust Stickles all over the place. The pretty little gems are by LYB. This is a 6x6 card by the way. I usually use 5.5x5.5, but lately I've been using some larger images and they don't leave much room for embellies with the smaller card.

I colored this image with a combination of Copic markers and watercolors with Ranger DI's. The details are as follows:

Copics: E00, 000, 02, 41, 42, 43, 44, R20, C1, 3, B00, BG93, W1, 5

DI's: fired brick, antique linen, walnut stain, tumbled glass, weathered wood, black soot

I hope you enjoyed my project. Thank you for stopping by. As always, thank you for the lovely comments that you leave. I read every one and they always make my day.

Ciao,

Angie

Snowman with a Star...

Happy November Everyone! Wow, can you believe it's November already??? I can't! The time sure does fly by. Did you all have an awesome Halloween last night? We had a ton of fun. Some friends of ours came over and went trick-or-treating with us. My hubby was in Nashville working so we had friends and family over to keep us company. My parents handed out candy while my friend and her kids went all over the neighborhood with my son and I. I still can't believe how many kids there are in this neighborhood. I don't think it'll be this busy in the area that we're moving to. I guess we'll find out next year!

This week we have meetings scheduled with two builders to discuss designing and building our house. Did I mention that we're moving? We purchased a vacant piece of land in Bloomfield Hills so we can be closer to my son's school and friends. So, now I get to design a house. My hubby said that all he wants is his garage space and I can design everything else. He means it too! I must say, I'm a little nervous about getting overwhelmed with it all. But, I guess that's why you hire a builder and architect! We have three months to design the house as our goal for breaking ground is February 2011. I hope we make it!

I've been sooooooo lucky this week! I spent every day in my craft room!!! Yay me!!! Last Saturday I received my DT package from Magnolia and I've been working on my next magazine submissions ever since. I think I'm almost done. Maybe one more! I can't stop! It's a sickness - hehe.

And now for the reason we're here today! I was challenged to make a shaker card using any Magnolia image. I've never made a shaker card before now, so I was a little nervous about it. I kept it in the back of my head all week, trying to figure out what to do with it. Finally, on Thursday, the weather in Michigan cooled down to a chilly 50 degrees and it was my inspiration! I thought, if something is going to 'shake' in Michigan in November, it's got to be SNOW! And 'snow' made me think of a SNOWMAN!!! I just happened to have a Magnolia snowman image. I took it out of my 'Christmas' drawer and away I went. I just love the result! Thanks so much Barb for the challenge!!! I never would have made this if it weren't for you :-)

So, without further delay...here's my card. I hope you like it!

Snowman with a Star

OMGoodness! Aren't Magnolia snowmen the most gorgeous snowmen stamps ever??? I just love them. I'm sorry to say that this is the only one that I have. I'm going to have to order the others! I just love them!!! This one is Snowman with Star and he's just perfect!

These gorgeous dp's are from My Mind's Eye 'Holly Jolly'. I LOVE THEM! I've purchased a lot of Christmas papers lately and these are among my favorites. You'll be seeing more from the collection as the weeks go by. The pale blue silk ribbon is from the same collection. I used my favorite smokey brown cs from Bazzill. The large snowflake is from the craft store's Christmas decor section. The small one is by Petaloo. In the center of it is a small little blue gem from Little Yellow Bicycle. I used the largest Spellbinder's 'Lacey Squares' die to cut the frame around the snowman. I filled the space between the image and the transparency with Martha Stewart 'Tinsel Glitter' in crystal. I also applied Stickles in Stardust and Icicle to the snowman's hat and the snow on the ground.

I colored this little cutie with Copic markers and then used watercolor with Ranger Distress Inks on the background. The details are as follows:

Copics: C1, 3, W1, 3, 5, 7, N9, E42, 44, 49, R39, 89, G0000, 21, 24, B00, Y11, 21, YR23

DI's: black soot, weathered wood, wild honey, tumbled glass

Well, that's it for today! Thank you so much for joining me and for all of the wonderful comments you have left in the past. They are truly appreciated and I read each and every one with a smile :-)

Ciao,

Angie

Tilda wants a hug...

Hey Ya'll!   I hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was busy and fast. I started Saturday with a birthday lunch for my cousin, while my hubby was racing cyclocross. The card I'm going to show you today was made for her. Unfortunately, she had a sugar reaction (she's diabetic) and we had to reschedule the lunch.  She's ok though.  Anyway, I stopped by the market to get the makings of Osso Buco for our dinner guests that evening. I hadn't made it in quite a while and I was really looking forward to it. It was wonderful! As was the company that evening. Sunday we made snow cones out of blueberry juice and a bit of sugar.  Then my hubby went for a bike ride, I went to my craft room, and our son visited gramma.  Before we knew it, the day was spent and so were we. Why is it the weekends go so fast!!!

I've been lucky to be spending a lot of time in my craft room lately. I have some things in the works that I can't mention right now, but I think they're exciting. All in good time! As you may have noticed, I've been making quite a few cards lately and it feels great. I feel like I'm in a really good groove with crafting right now. I'm really happy with most everything that I've produced. I'm almost afraid to say that out loud for fear of jinxing myself!

Anyway, back to the reason we're here. I made another card with one of the really versatile new Magnolia Christmas images. Here she is...

Tilda Wants a Hug

As you can tell by the title, this is 'Tilda Wants A Hug' from Magnolia's new 'A Merry Little Christmas' 2010 collection.  Now, I know I said I was tired of Fall cards already, but I couldn't help myself. I had painted this cutie with green and red and didn't want to make a Christmas card out of her since it was to be for my cousin's birthday. So, I browsed through my endless supply of 6x6 paper pads and found these lovely, rich Fall colors. I couldn't pass them up! Did you notice that I said that I painted the image first? I usually don't do that. Paper selection is usually what drives the color choices for the image.

The dp's are from PinkPaislee's 'Old School' collection and I just LOVE 'EM! The colors are so rich and vibrant. I used SU cs this time. The flowers and leaves were made using Magnolia DooHickey dies: Doily Flowers and Bon Voyage Foliage. I think they are STUNNING!  They look very '70's flower childish'. The large pearl brads are from the Magnolia shop in Sweden. The string is from my stash.

I colored this little cutie using watercolors with Ranger Distress Inks. The list of colors is as follows:

tea dye, tattered rose, walnut stain, antique linen, forest moss, fired brick

That's all I have for today. I hope you find some crafting time.

Ciao,

Angie

Gingerbread Tilda...

Hey There Everyone! I finally took time for myself this week. I was in need of some creative therapy and made my way to my craft room on Wednesday. I spent most of the day there with my friend Cissy. She's been interested in learning how to paint with watercolor and Ranger Distress Inks so we worked on that for a bit. I chose to use one of the new Magnolia Christmas 2010 stamps - Gingerbread Tilda. I colored this image several times while I was in Sweden so I was pretty familiar with where I wanted the shadows. I really like how she turned out so I decided to make a card with her.

I'm completely hooked on Christmas cards! I haven't inked up any of my new stamps from the Apples & Cherries "Autumn" collection yet. I have them sitting on my craft table and they keep staring at me begging to be used. I'm a little tired of fall colors already, so I think I'll take a looksie and see if I can use some of them for Christmas cards.  I never get tired of Christmas colors!

Gingerbread Tilda

As I mentioned, this little cutie is Gingerbread Tilda and she's part of the Magnolia 'A Merry Little Christmas 2010' collection.

 

The dp's are from Little Yellow Bicycle's (LYB) 'Christmas Delight' decorative edge tablet. I've often looked at these paper pads and wondered what I could do with them other than create a scrapbook. I liked the bow configuration at the top of these two pages so I decided to adhere them together and make a Christmas card shaped like a Christmas present w/ bow. I think it looks pretty cool actually. Anyway, cs is by Bazzill, per usual. Both the gem and snowflake are by LYB. I added diamond Stickles all over the snowflake so it would sparkle. The pleated green ribbon is by BoBunny. Yes, I said 'green'. It looks really dark in the photos. I used an EK Success punch to round out the corners.

I colored this cutie with a combination of Copic markers and watercolor with Ranger Distress Inks. The details are as follows:

Copics: E00, 02, 42, 43, 44, 50, RV21

DI's: walnut stain, black soot, weathered wood, antique linen, vintage photo, fired brick, forest moss, tumbled glass

Well, that's all for today. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you find some time to color!

Ciao,

Angie

Sneaky Tilda...

Hey Hey Hey Everyone! Well, I'm getting back into my groove again after my trip. From your comments, I could see that you enjoyed the photos. What a gorgeous country! I already can't wait to go back.

The day before the grand re-opening at Magnolia, I was given the wonderful surprise gift of choosing a few stamps from the new 'A Merry Little Christmas 2010' collection so that I could use them during my watercolor demonstration in the shop. It was such a joy to see all of the new stamps sitting there just waiting for all of our little hands to get hold of them. This is my first card with one of the stamps that I selected. She's called 'Sneaky Tilda' and she's so versatile that I used her for a birthday card for my friend Debbie. Here she is...

Sneaky Tilda

 

This little cutie is Sneaky Tilda and she's from Magnolia's 'A Merry Little Christmas' collection for 2010. A friend of mine is celebrating her birthday this week, so I wanted to make a card for her. I couldn't wait to use my new stamps and this one is perfect for just about any celebration.

These gorgeous dp's are by PinkPaislee. I think the collection is called 'Sweetness'. And they are!!! I used Bazzill cs. The frame was cut using the Magnolia DooHickey 'Old Swedish Lace' die. I cut the image and the sentiment (from Catslife Press) with Spellbinder's dies. I found the pearls in one of my ribbon drawers and made a bow from them. The flowers are from both Magnolia and Wild Orchid Crafts. I haven't used many flowers on my projects lately, so I went a bit crazy with them! To add a little bling, all flowers were given some sparkle with stardust Stickles.

I colored this little lady using a combo of Copic markers and watercolor with Ranger Distress Ink. Here are the details...

Copics: EOO, 02, 42, 43, 44, 50, 57, RV21, W1

DI's: antique linen, tumbled glass, walnut stain, black soot, tattered rose, weathered wood, vintage photo

That's all I have for today. Have an awesome day and try to find some time for coloring!

Ciao,

Angie

Santa Hands Out Presents...

Hey Everyone!  There has been much going on in my life from my trip to my lovely mother-in-law's visit. Sadly, she just left yesterday for Texas. My son is missing her so much. We talked about a return visit in February but that seems so far off to a six year old. On the up side of things, once again I'm hoping that things will settle a bit and I'll be able to get into a routine. Maybe tomorrow, as my son is off school today and I have absolutely no idea why!!! Honestly. I don't have any idea why there is no school today, I just know that there isn't. See how disconnected I am these days!

Anyway, I've got another Christmas card for you today. I just love working on Christmas stuff. It always puts me in a good mood. I was asked a few weeks back to do a Christmas card for advertisement and I had this little Santa just begging to be inked up. So, I obliged. When you recieve your Magnolia Ink Christmas Issue you will see this card with the Magnolia-licious advertisement at the end of the magazine. I'm so proud of how it came out!

Santa Hands Out Presents

I worked on this card so fast because of a deadline and I didn't keep track of any of the details, like dps, markers, DI's, etc. I can tell you that I used Magnolia's 'Santa Hands Out Presents' and he's sitting on 'Large Armchair' by Alota.

Additionally, I first stamped, colored/painted, and cut out Santa. Then, I stamped the chair and colored the legs. Finally, I stamped the chair again on patterned paper, added some shading, and cut it out. The cut image of the chair was glued to the plain stamped image and then Santa was adhered over top.

That's all I have for today. Thank you so much for stopping by. Thank you also for taking the time to leave a comment. I truly appreciate and read each and every one of them.

Ciao,

Angie

Tilda the Good Witch...

TGIF Everyone!  I used to really enjoy making little scrapbooks and one of my favorites is the 'paper bag book'. So, I decided to do something a little scrapbookie and make something with a Halloween theme using a brown paper lunch bag.

Here's my creation. I JUST LOVE HALLOWEEN!!!

Tilda the Good Witch

I just think this image is so cute! She looks as if she just plunked down in the middle of those pumpkins! The image is Witch Tilda & Pumpkins and she is sitting up against the image titled Pumpkin & Leaves.  The dp's are from BG's 'Eerie' collection and cs is Bazzill. The black flower is by Magnolia. All ribbons are from my stash. I collect ribbons, paper and flowers so I have a pretty good assortment. The gems are from Little Yellow Bicycle.

This photo shows how the poem slides out of the pocket that was created when I folded the bag in half. Along the crease, I punched three holes, secured them with eyelets, and added the ribbons.

I found this poem on the internet and there was no author listed. The picket fence was punched with a new MS punch for Halloween. The embellies are from Little Yellow Bicycle.

Here's the inside of the card. The embellies are from Little Yellow Bicycle, The Paper Company and Jolee's Boutique. I used my Nestibilities to cut the jagged circles for the sender of the card to write a personalized message. The shape reminds me of a spider web, so I added the cute little spiders to it. The sentiment on the right is by Hero Arts.  The Bat is by Magnolia.

I colored the images with a combination of Copic markers and watercolors with Ranger Distress Inks. The details are as follows:

Copics - E00, 02, 42, 43, 44, 50, RV21
 DI's - black soot, walnut stain, weathered wood, shabby shutters, spiced marmalade, dried marigold, wild honey, bundled sage, forest moss, dusty concord

That's all I have for today. Thank you so much for stopping by and for all of your lovely comments that you leave behind. I read everyone of them and they always bring a smile to my face. I truly appreciate them :-)

Ciao,

Angie