Christmas in April ????

So as you know I am contributing as GD at the Sweet Stampin Challenge Blog this past month and this week the theme is "anything but a Birthday card". So I decided, why not a Christmas card? I know it is a bit early, actually insanely early but then again, I am always running and trying to finish all the cards in December so head start is good, right?
Anyway, this is the card I came up with - my first Christmas card for the year 2013

 It may be hard to think of Christmas when the weather is just about warming up but how can one not fall in love with Jingle Jangle Tilda. At first I was planning to make her the focal point of the card but when I cut these stars from Memory Box dies and layered them, I knew they have to get the sweet spot. The topmost star is from Spellbinders.

 The papers are from DCWV and the sentiment is Justrite stamps. The three little ornaments are cut from Spellbinders die Heirloom Ornaments - the smallest die in the group. Tilda is colored using alcohol markers incl. Copic, Faber Castell etc. ( I really should start writing down the exact markers used).

 The inside of the card is lined with the same papers. The sentiment on the right is written on the computer and printed. I decided to add another Tilda stamped image inside - after all, it is my first Christmas card.
Here are a few close ups

And the other side

And before I end, I would like to thank the team at Sweet Stampin Challenge Blog. It was fun and so easy being a GD for them - so well organized and helpful too. Thank you, ladies.

Along with submitting this at Sweet Stampin Challenge Blog, would like to submit for the following

Christmas Stampin All year Long

Stampin For the Weekend

Crimbo Crackers

Addicted to Stamps and more

Simon Says Stamp Challenge

Thank you for stopping by.......

Polka dots, bows and buttons..

The theme at Sweet Stampin Challenge Blog this week is Polka dots, bows and buttons. When I sat down to make the card I was still not sure which route I wanted to take - the sweet card or the fun, sassy card - and then my eyes fell on this Wee Stamp Silver Fairy image which I had colored a while back and never used. And well, the decision was made - I collected the papers and the ribbons and the......and here is the card

The papers are from DCWV stack and so is the "ADORE" sentiment.  The gold organza ribbon for the bow is actually a recycled item - I recently won a gift basket at my son's Choir benefit auction and it came with this beautiful ribbon tied up all around it. Definitely worth keeping :)

The Spellbinder die cut creates the border between the two papers.

 The tag was made using Lifestyle Crafts die. The end stamps are from the Justrite -Noel Christmas ornament collection.The sentiment is Inkadinkado.
 Along with submission as GD for Sweet Stampin Challenge Blog , submitting for the following:

Addicted to stamps and more

7 kids challenge blog

Flutter by Wednesdays

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Hey you....

So if you haven't guessed by now, let me state it - Magnolia Tilda stamps are my all time favorite stamps ( and really, I ain't even getting paid to say that !!! ). I just adore all the images and they look wonderful whether done in soft pastels or bright colors - I know I have tried possibly ever color :)
So when I was told that the theme at the Sweet Stampin Challenge blog was Pastel Colors, who else could I go to but my trusted Tilda?
I started with the sketch over at Crafting Life's little pieces blog

And this is what I came up with

 I decided to keep the card primarily pink - not something that I often do. The stamped image is Tilda with little pocket ans she is minimally colored with a combination of Copics, Faber Castell and a pink prisamacolor pencil.

The papers are all from the same DCWV stack - the Princess collection. I love the pattern on these but they are a bit thick to be matted before layering so I went with the clean look - just a lot of faux stitching on the margins. The layered butterfly is Martha Stewart. While the bottom one is liberally glittered, the top one is shaded in pink and then just slightly glittered.

 The inside of the card is relatively simple - remember the thickness issue? The single flower though is shaded and covered with glossy accent to give a rich, shiny look. Tons of liquid pearls and glitter finish up this card.

Along with a submission as Guest Designer at Sweet Stampin Challenge Blog, submitting for the following:

Crafting Life's little pieces

Papertake Weekly Challenge  - Bingo

Marvelous Magnolia Challenge

  Thank You for stopping by.......

Sweet Stampin....

It has been a while since I published a post and I do really have a good reason for that..Really...A few weeks back we made a decision to move to Tokyo ( hubby dears job) and that created a bit of a chaos at home. Add in to the mix the fact that last week I had to travel to Tokyo and then back, all with in a span of 5 days, and you can imagine how jet lagged and brain dead I am. The only thing that kept me sane was this great Guest Designer opportunity at Sweet Stampin Challenge.
I am a GD at this wonderful blog for the month of April and the first Challenge theme is Scallops / Circle card. And this is what I came up with

 This card also represented a few other firsts - my first circle card and also my first card using a stamp from "My favorite things". You know how every crafter has a technique or a thing that they know how to do but are always a bit of wary of doing it? For me, that's a circle card. All that perfect measuring, cutting, gluing...Not my cup of tea, usually. But, I guess I did OK.

 The base of the card is made using the Lifestyle Crafts nesting dies. The DP is from a DCWV paper stack. The image was colored with my trusted markers - Faber Castell, Copic etc. The sentiment is also from MFT. The sentiment is soooo true - as every mother of a college kid knows. Kids come home and all they want is a home cooked meal - at every meal time. I guess, happiness is home made :)
The inside of the card is similarly lined. I used a Spellbinder die to frame the writing area.

 

So this was my first card as a GD and hopefully as my addled brain comes back in to focus I should be able to crafty more and post more :)

 Thank you for stopping by.....

The first day of Spring...

Officially it is the first day of spring today. Someone sure did forget to mention that to Mother Nature 'cos it definitely doesn't feel spring-like outside. Thankfully, it is sunny today but brrr....is it cold or what? Anyway, in celebration of the coming of spring ( or to convince Mother Nature) I made this Spring card with kind of a vintage feel to it. Frankly ever since I put it together, I am having a hard time describing it. So here it is...

The stamp is, of course, Magnolia Tilda and the green background DP is an old DCWV paper stack. The papers are heavily distressed with Tim Holtz Distressing Pads, as you can tell. The butterfly border ia also Tim Holtz - one of my newest acquisitions :)
I used three spellbinder  dies on this card - as a backing for the image and the for the big pink/peach flower. I used a glossy accent on the petals after coloring / shading it in. My handy punches are responsible for the leaves and the single red flower on the right :) The other spellbinder was used on the inside

The inside was kept simple. I love working on the inside too but I had to mail this international and the post office always makes me fill up a custom form if the envelope is too thick :(
So...sweet and simple on the inside ... And that's all for now

Submitting for the following challenges

Addicted to stamps challenge

Use it Tuesday Challenge

The Shabby Tea Room

ABC Challenges

Sentimental Sundays blog  

2 sisters challenge blog

Tilda's town

Oh Poor Men......

Or rather "us poor women" who have to shop for or make cards for men / boys. Toughest thing ever. Making cards for girls is so much easier - a nice cute stamp and all the embellishments in the world - and you have a card. But boys / men - embellishments usually don't work, really nice, elegant shapes/ die cuts don't work. So what a poor crafter got to do?????
But this week the challenge at Sweet Stampin' was to make a card for "males" and I decided, heck, why not? And here is the card..

 

 It is a simple card for a boy who is always dreaming of exploring places, traveling the world....Apt image, don't you think? The stamped image is Mo Manning and the lighthouse is a digital image from  Cedar Chest Designs - I won this image and it is so adorable :) 

The papers are from my ever growing collection of DCWV and K& Company paper stacks...

I left the inside very simple and serene. After all, even an adventurer needs some calmness in his life :)

Submitting for the following challenges

 Sweet Stampin Challenge

Critter Sketch challenge blog

Cut it up challenge -  Spellbinder nestabilities oval die cut was used

Thank you for stopping by....

Mirror, mirror on the wall....

As a young child, I loved all the fairy tales that I could hear / read. A typical girl, I guess - loving the beautiful, charming princess, hating the evil stepmother / witch etc. etc. and waiting for the Prince Charming to come and save the day :) Snow White was my all-time favorite especially because of the seven dwarfs. I mean, aren't they adorable or what?
My next card is a take on themost famous line of the story " Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" And of course, it is the wrong answer by the mirror which sends our evil character in to a fit...But what if the question was different? Hmmm.....

 This is a double-gate fold card with a lovely LOTV stamp. The thing about these stamps is that one really doesn't need to have wonderful coloring skills ( case in point, ME ) to make them look amazing. Just a few strokes of color here and there and they are good to go....The flowers are a combination of die cut and punched out. The bright orange one is made from a quilling strip I had. The sentiment is printed. And to complete the question, "Mirror , mirror on the wall...", one needs to open the ribbon and take away the image....

 And isn't that more important than being the fairest? I think so....

The papers are K&Company. The sentiment, again, is printed - I love the font - so appropriate in a royal fairy tale kind of way :)

 The inside sentiment is handwritten..Unfortunately, I forgot to take the pictures before writing my message. On the right inside panel is another place to write / sign etc.

Submitting for the following:

2 Sisters Challenge

Addicted to Stamps

Twisted Tuesday Challenge

Cutting and Stamping Challenge

Creative Card Crew

In the Pink Challenge

Dutch dare card challenges

Thank you for stopping by......