Sunday, April 29, 2012

Mother's Day Card with Magnolia, Sweden Die Cuts

Good morning ladies and gents,

Well, it hit just under 100° this week. Uggghhh - misery from heat until the end of November. I always dread this time of the year. Give me the crisp cool temps of winter any day! I have tomatoes on my plants already! My Bridlewreath plants have bloomed and passed within a week. I love those bushes! Our lilacs bloomed, too. The ducks and geese have flown over our home on their way back north.

Oh, guess what? We had an earthquake! We were watching TV when, all of the sudden, our house jolted sideways! Our lovely son, who was home from Oregon, said, "What was that?" I said, "I think the house just moved!" So, the conversation went on, and we concluded we had a minor quake. I checked the website that gives seismic activity in real time, but nothing was registering. However, when I checked the following day, there it was on the map. I love the science of Plate Tectonics. I knew by the movement we had that a plate had slipped beneath another plate as if the plate that was moving had been snagged and broke loose. When we lived in Vegas, I felt several quakes. One time, when I was teaching, I had a small reading group on the floor around my chair. I could see the carpeted floor ROLLING! Then, another time, when California had a huge quake, we felt it in Las Vegas, too. At that point, we heard it before we felt it. Our cat knew it was coming before the sound even hit! He ran to the bottom of the bed and splayed his little legs for better traction. Then, I heard the sound which was followed by the shaking of the house. I looked outside into our back yard and the water in our pool was sloshing around like a bathtub. The "waves" were so obvious that the water was spilling out over the top and onto the cool decking. That earthquake gave me pause for concern!

Now on to the good stuff. My favorite site for gorgeous flowers, Hooked on Craft, has a perfect challenge for spring. It's FLOWERS! Your challenge is to incorporate flowers into your creation. You know that it can be in the paper, elements, embossing, stamped image, embellishments - anything! The challenge runs from April 30 - May 26. What a perfect time to make that Mother's Day card! Why not go for it? Here is the prize Karen is awarding:



I'd like to share my card with you. Here it is:



The front of the card utilizes sever die cuts from Magnolia (lamp post, fence, tag background and foreground. I used my corner die and added some matching pearls. It's hard to see, but Tilda has a basket filled with glittered fruit. The flowers, of course, are from Hooked on Craft!

I thought you might like a closeup of the "garden."



Of course, I HAD to tuck some calla lilies in there. LOL I also took apart a stamen cluster to add individual baby flowers for additional interest. The leaves are perfect with this arrangement.

Here are the images for the card's interior:





Once again, I've used machine stitching, die cuts, corners w/ matching pearls and a pretty little envie. Inside the envie is a sweet tag for a hidden message. You could also remove the tag and insert a gift card instead. Aren't the interior flowers pretty, too? I love, love, love the colors. Did see that burgundy calla lily? Gotta have one in every cluster! LOL



The inside features more die cuts and another sweet Tilda. The blank space is perfect for writing a personal note.

This is how the interior looks when opened:



Here is my flower supply list from Hooked on Craft. Just click the name of the item to go directly to the page at Hooked on Craft.

Pink Berry Head Stamen
Yellow Calla Lilies
Orange Chrysanthemums
White Chrysanthemums
Fuchsia Chrysanthemums
Cherry Blossom
Paper Rose
Fuchsia Carnation
Small Peach Carnation
Medium White Carnation
Green Linear Mulberry Leaves
Lobed Mulberry Leaves
Teeny Tiny Green Mulberry Leaves
Medium Green Mulberry Leaves

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you got some inspiration from my creation. I also hope you consider making a trip to "The Land Down Under" for your flower needs. These gorgeous blooms are only a click away! Hooked on Craft

XO,
Chris

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

My Sheri Crafts #84 - ends 5/12 - April Showers Bring May Flowers for Mum
The House That Stamps Built - DCC 425 - ends 5/8 - Card for a Woman You Love

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Magnolia Tilda & Edwin Easter Card

Happy April, Tootsies!

Were you fooled yesterday? I was fooled into thinking that my knees wouldn't hurt - ha! They do - a bunch! Ugh - the joys of aging!

I have a delightful Easter card to share with you today with is available on ETSY. I cannot believe that Easter has arrived so quickly!

This card featured three Magnolia stamps - the basket, Bunny Tilda, and Bunny Edwin. I've accented their costumes with touches of matching glitter and also did the eggs in Tilda's basket. There is lots of layering and distressing. Aren't the flowers gorgeous? They are from Hooked on Craft. I have listed the items from Hooked on Craft as well as their links below. If you EVER want to invest in beautiful paper flowers, please look at the items at Hooked on Craft. You won't be disappointed!

Let's take a look at the card I made for the Easter Challenge. This challenge will run from April 2 to April 28. So, get your jelly beans all lined up and create something wonderful!

Here is the first photo:



I love the carrot treat boxes and thought they would work perfectly to help set the stage for the Easter card. I know the card is hard to see because of the size constraints. There are close ups below.









Let me take a sec to draw your attention to the flowers. I am so in love with the calla lilies. I chose to use both pink and blue calla lilies for this card. There are also small pink roses, a larger white rose, and perfect white leaves. The other flowers are from my stash. I love the metal charm and the metal eggs. It just adds a special touch.

Here are images of the inside of the card. Aren't the butterfly and felt bunny on the bow too cute? Love 'em!







Here are the related links to the items on my card which are available at Hooked on Craft:

1. White Rose - 20 mm

2. Pink Calla Lilies

3. Blue Calla Lilies

4. Pink Roses - 14 mm

5. white leaves

6. butterfly

7. pearls

I hope you like what I've created. I love the springtime feel. Do come back often to see what I've been up to.

Happy April!

XO,
Chris

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

1. Addicted to Stamps #27 - ends 4/13 - Easter

2. Creative Inspirations Paint - ends 4/7 - Easter

3. Magnolia Down Under #140 - ends 4/6 - Easter

4. Paper Sundaes #114 - ends 4/7 - Easter

5. Totally Papercrafts#110 - ends 4/8 - Easter