Tilda's Grillin' While Chillin'

Hello Sweet Readers,

Nothing much has been happening since I last wrote. Life is just moving along at a nice pace with no problems! Life is good!

I have a cute little card to share with you today. I was thinking about how we gather with friends over the BBQ during the summer months and thought it might be nice to create a grill themed thank you card featuring our sweet Burger Tilda. I know that one of my friends would love a hostess thank you! I got my stamp at MAGNOLIA-LICIOUS. I know that Diana would be more than happy to order one for you as I think she is out of Burger Tilda at the present. She may have already reordered them, so check with her. It is such an adorable stamp and would make a great addition to your collection! I just think it is one of the best themes for summer cards. Check it out!

My flowers are from Hooked on Craft. This Australian flower source ships worldwide, so take a look at Karen's lovely flowers! I just love them and am so addicted!

Now for the card! Here is a photo of the front:

Isn't she just the cutest stamp? I don't know why the bun looks red. It is definitely a shade of brown, LOL. I had this BBQ stamp and thought it was a good pairing in size with the Tilda image. Gosh, I just noticed that the hot dog looks red and the burger looks charred! LOL No, they aren't those colors IRL! The paper I used is from my scrapbooking days and is filled with BBQ related words. Too bad I had to cover them all up, LOL! That's one less thing in my paper stash!

Here is the inside:

I was going through a container looking at my charms and came across this plastic slide holder. It was in a baggie filled with slide cases in several different colors. So, I chose the yellow one and used it to "frame" the metal spatula charm. One less thing in my stash! Using it made no dent! LOL. On the right side of the card, I chose to use the Magnolia BBQ which you can find at MAGNOLIA-LICIOUS HERE. I thought the size better suited the interior as an accent.

I hope you liked my latest card. Thank you so much for stopping by. I love your comments and hope that you will leave one for me. Next Wednesday, I will draw a name from those who left comments. The person whose name is drawn will receive a somthin' somethin' from me! Woo Hoo! Please come back soon!

XO,
Chris

Autumn Splendor's Tilda with Beets and Carrots

Happy August 1st Sweet Readers,

Oh, how time is flying by! Remember when we were kids and the days just seemed to drag by? Now that I'm older, I wish I could slow down time!

I have had the privilege of being asked to be August's Guest Designer at Magnolia-licious,! I am pinching myself, I'm so thrilled! Never in a million years did I anticipate THAT happening!

Our hostess this month, Diana, has chosen the theme "Autumn Splendor" for the Monthly Challenge at the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog. I would love to see you participate in this challenge! Diana has the best prizes ever! This month, you are playing for a $25.00 Gift Certificate to the Magnolia-licious store! Woo Hoo! Now, here are the rules:

You must create something using the current theme, Autumn Splendor. You have until August 31 to post your project. Your project MUST include at least one Magnolia stamp and must be a NEW creation.

I decided to create a card to go with an Autumn themed birdcage! LOL Here are the images for my first project this month.

I filled the interior of the birdcage with Autumn colored flowers, gourds, and pine cones. Then, I created a tag using the larger version of the Autumn Wishes stamp. The link leads you to the mini version of the sentiment. I'm sure Diana would be happy to order one for you. I also used one of the Autumn Sunflowers from the new Turning Leaves Collection. I stacked two of the flowers and separated them using dimensionals. Next, I cut a third one apart. I elevated the center portion of the flower using another dimensional and cut out random petals which I partially glued to the flower below. This allowed me to curl the petals.Here's a closeup:

Now for the card. All of the stamps are available at Magnolia-licious. I started by using the Turning Leaves Collection Stamp, Tilda with Carrots. I wanted to add some red beets to the basket because some of the carrots looked like beet tops to me, LOL. Also used is another stamp set from this collection on the cover. It is Autumn Oak Leaf and Acorn. I also stacked the lower right center acorn. There is a hidden tag under the mat. Here is the image:

Want to see the inside?

I love texture, so the addition of the burlap strip was essential for me! The Tilda stamp is "Tilda with Magnolia Branch" from the Summer Memories 2012 Collection. Diana doesn't have any in stock right now, but I know she will order it for you! I covered the magnolia flowers in Tilda's hand with little acorns I had in my stash. They were a perfect fit and matched the theme! Once again, I used the Sunflower stamp with dimensionals. I also used the autumn leaf and acorn set.

I hope you like my project. Please feel free to leave a comment if you wish. I treasure your precious words. Thank you for visiting. I hope you will return soon!

XO,
Chris

Congratulations, Birthday Tilda

Hello Dear Readers,

Here I am again with a card to share with you.

The new challenge at Hooked on Craft this month has the theme "LET'S CELEBRATE!" How fun is that? There are so many ways people celebrate, and we'd love to see a creation from you using this theme! This challenge will run from July 30 until August 25. So, you have plenty of time to create something wonderful! Here is the prize that Karen has for one lucky gal:

I just ordered some of these leaves for Fall cards. They are really versatile! I love the colors. I hope you will join in the Hooked on Craft Challenge!

This card features a fabulous die by Die-Versions. This die is one of the Solo Sentiments Line Dies. You can see the full line HERE. Die-Versions are fabulous dies that cut well have the capability of also embossing (when done with care, though)

The beautiful flowers throughout my card come from Hooked on Craft. I have typed specific product links beneath each page of the card. These flowers are absolutely GORGEOUS! The colors are breathtaking as are the types of flowers. Visit Karen's site and check it out! New varieties and colors are always being added to the store. Karen ships to the USA, too!

The stamped image is available through
Magnolia-licious. This stamp is "Congratulations Tilda" from the You Are So Special Collection

Here is my card:

Does that catch your eye or what? LOL I couldn't resist the urge to use this lovely blue glittered cardstock for the die cut. You cannot see it well, but the white mat behind the sentiment has also been embossed in a plaid texture. It looks great in real life! I also added a die cut in turquoise glittered cardstock. This has been elevated on a pop dot. I enhanced the card with machine stitching.

Here are the links to the elements found on the front of the card:
Die-Versions Solo Sentiment - Congratulations

Aqua Tiger Lilies
White Daffodil
Light Green Daffodil

Here are the images for the interior of the card. Links for the flowers and stamp are listed after the images.

Congratulations Tilda from the You are So Special Collection
Magnolia Doohickey Die - Doily Flowers

Aqua Star Flowers
Green Daffodils
White Aster

Magnolia Doohickey Die - Doily Flowers
Green Daffodils
Aqua Star Flowers

The photos don't seem to show the rich colors found on the paper and on the flowers. I don't know why they aren't showing well on Blogger, but on my computer, they are very vivid. I give up!

Thank you so much for stopping by. Please visit the shops I've listed and see what wonderful treasures you will find!

Love to you,
Chris

Tilda says, "Hello" or "Goodbye"

Hello Dear Readers,

I bet you thought I had fallen off the planet? Naw, I'm still here! I have been so busy creating cards! There just aren't enough hours in the day!

Last week was so unexciting. The temps outside were 114° for at least three days. Needless to say, Murphy's Law kicked in and, sure enough, our air conditioner decided to be uncooperative! On Tuesday, it stopped sending out cool air about noon. It began working again about 11 PM and took over two hours to cool down the house! The stinker decided that it would have an encore performance on Wednesday. Remember, it was 114° outside! We called the repair man again who came out in the afternoon. It was then that he gave us the bad news. On Thursday, we didn't have air because it took all day to put in a new unit! Our new baby has a Seer Efficiency Rating of 16 (whatever that means)! It was time. We would have gone to a hotel, but we chose to stay and suffer with our fur babies. Poor little things. They found cool spots on the tile. I worked during the heat. I think it made me more productive! LOL I "Went Ninja" a couple of times on my DH - I did apologize, LOL! I guess the Italian in me kicked in, and my heat tormented short fuse blew!

Are you ready for some cards? The first card I'd like to share with you features our sweet Tilda waving hello or goodbye to someone special who is in the military. Here she is:

I added red foiled cardstock as well as blue glittered cardstock to make the card have that special festive touch. Her hankie has been covered with a microfine glitter to add sparkle. There is also a touch of glitter on her tear.Some of the flowers have been imported from Australia. You can find them at Hooked on Craft.

Here is the inside of the card:

The banner is backed with red foil cardstock while the sentiment is backed with the blue glittered cardstock. I also added tiny red, clear, and blue rhinestones to the corner die cuts.

This time, I chose to complete the back panel of the card. It features a pocket for a personal note. Here it is:

I hope you liked it. Here is the next one to share with you!

The next card doesn't have anything Magnolia on it, so if you don't want to know about it, stop reading here, LOL!

This card features a wonderful line of dies called Die-Versions. Visit their website here to see their gorgeous dies! The die I chose to use is called Precious Cargo. Here is the image:

I made the flowers out of white glittered cardstock so that they sparkle. The center of each flower has a teeny tiny pearl. There is also a hidden tag under the mat.

Here are the inside shots:

The inside is very basic. I just love the embossed stamp carriage in the center of the photo. You can find it here. The stamp is one of a set of four that comes with, not only the four little embossing folders, but the cutting die as well. It is a limited edition. Happy Scrappin' only has a few in stock, so take a peek. It is such a nice addition to a card. I also added tiny pearls to the hub of the wheels. I used imported papers for this card. I fell in love with the softness of the color and had to order some.

Quite a while ago, I had written something that ruffled the feathers of a reader. She sent me an extremely snotty e-mail, which I thought was odd since I didn't know this person. The issue that upset her, in my mind, was something many of us automatically do - do more for others if we can. My husband and I live by that philosophy. People who know us know that we are very caring and giving people. When I ordered this paper, I inadvertently ordered two sets of the paper. Since it isn't sold in the USA, I wrote to the person who had ripped into me and offered her the second pack of paper. It was an effort to extend an olive branch. I just don't like upsetting others. I explained who I was and basically said that we should just agree to disagree. Then, I explained that my purpose in writing was to offer her the second set of paper because I had noticed that she uses that particular brand many times on her cards. She never answered. This sure told me a lot! I don't get it. Why stay in a snit? Life is so short.

Tomorrow, I go in for another eye procedure. This time, it's on my dominant eye. If you are reading this, and would like to say a little prayer, please do. I'm a bit worried that my vision will leave me unable to see at my current level of sight. I'm in the Lord's hands. I hope it goes well. My poor eyes have just been so beaten up by repeated surgeries over the last 20 years in an attempt to save my vision. It's been quite a battle. It's frustrating because I cannot control it.

OK, I've bored you enough! I hope you will come back again! I love your visits and your comments. I treasure each one.

XO, Chris

I would like to enter my cards into the following challenges:

Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog - photo inspiration - ends July 25

Two Magnolia Cards to Share

Hello sweet readers,

It's nice to see you again! I am so glad that you've stopped by! Pull up a chair and let's chat!

How has your week been? Ours has been hot. Our state has had so many wild fires, too, due to wind, human error, and a lack of rain. It's heartbreaking to see the thousands and thousands of acres of trees going up in flames. People have lost homes, animals, their lives. I applaud the fire fighters who so valiantly fight to save anything in the path of the fiery monsters that are ravaging the hill sides. It's just so heart breaking.

I saw a new Opthamologist about my vision. I'm going in to have a procedure on Thursday and then have it repeated on the other eye the following Thursday. It seems that, after I had my cataracts removed, there is a clouding in the fluid between the implant and my own lens. So, using a laser, little holes will be made to drain the cloudy fluid. It's supposed to be a "no brainer" of a procedure. I just hope I don't sneeze while the laser is doing it's thing! LOL That would be SOOOOOO uncool! LOL

This month, our challenge at Hooked on Craft is Christmas in July! OK, I have to admit that it's so hard to think Christmas when the outside temp is "a hundred and stupid!" I was had a hard time on this challenge, LOL. I just want the pool, cool temps, and cold drinks! For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, I expect gorgeous cards with lovely wintery themes! Do it for me! LOL. What are you playing for? How about this:

How cool is that? Think of the gorgeous flowers you can get from Karen's shop! Oh, her flowers are just amazing and so pretty! The colors are fantastic as is the variety of flowers. You know my first love are the Calla Lilies, but, I have to tell ya, the Tiger Lilies are creeping up into first place in my book!

OK, here are the details - The challenge runs from July 2 to July 28, 2012. Please have Christmas as the theme of your card or layout. Then, upload your project HERE

OK, here is my card. For this card, I chose to use the Magnolia Sweden ornament stamp. I stamped it with embossing ink and then heat embossed each ornament using green, gold, and red embossing powders. It looks really cool IRL. I also embossed the sentiment and elevated it with pop dots. I chose the dotted paper because the colors matched the colors of the ornaments and the shapes matched the Christmas bulbs. I added a touch of sheer, gold trimmed ribbon for a more festive look.

Here are the links to the amazing flowers available at Hooked on Craft

Large White Gardenia

Two Tone Red and Yellow Tiger Lilies

Medium Green Mulberry Leaves

Red Rosebuds

White Rosebuds

Red rhinestones

I hope you will join in our Christmas in July challenge. Just put on that favorite CD of Christmas Carols and let the music take you where it may! I cannot wait to see your creations.

Now, I would like to share a card with you that gave me fits! Thanks to a sweet angel who was wonderful in giving me some ideas on how to make it work, I finally got it done. I hope you like it, too.

As you can see, I've used lots of layers. I love layers! I added tons of pearls to the front of the card as you can see on the sides as well as in Tilda's hair. You cannot see it, but I have covered Tilda's tail fin and bra, along with the sea horse fin, in a microfine glitter so that it sparkles. It looks so cool! Here is a look at the inside:

I love the charms I attached to the card. The whelk shell you see in the top half just adds a nice touch to the flower area. The tag is removable for that addition of a special message.

The bottom half is a bit more difficult for me to photograph well. Again, I've added a charm. This time, it's a clam shell. I wanted some texture, so I added the lace.

If you have any questions, please ask. I hope you will leave a comment! I so treasure each and every one.

Have a wonderful day!

XO,

Chris

Father's Day with Magnolia Edwin and DH!

Happy Monday Sweet Readers, How are you? Thank you so much for stopping by. I love that you took time from your day to visit. (((hugs to each))) I should have posted this sooner, but time got away from me! Was Father's Day a great one for the dad in your life? Because DS lives in Portland, I made it special for the man in my life - the wonderful father of our amazing son. I began the day by making him Danish Aebleskivers. These are little pancake textured dumplings. That was a big hit with my Dane! For dinner, I chose to take him from the desert to New England for a clambake! Well, we didn't really go to New England, but I did make a stove top clambake for him. He LOVED it! I used a large pot to hold all the seafood. I began with a nice, thick bed of fresh spinach (since the high desert doesn' seem to have any seaweed, LOL). This was followed by the fingerling potatoes, sweet corn, garlic infused chicken sausages, lobster tails, shrimp, clams, and mussels. I splashed a bit of chicken broth just to get the steam going. On went the lid and we let the steaming begin. Here is a photo of the finished product: Does that look yummy? With everything being fresh, the flavors were incredible. I also made a card for my sweetheart. I dressed Edwin in colors that DH usually wears. His favorite shoes - the ones I HATED - were orange and black. Thank goodness, they finally fell apart. LOL Yet, whenever I create a card for DH, I make sure the shoes are the ones he loved so much. The colors are actually deeper than I am able to get on Blogger. I don't know why that happens. Here it is: I had difficulty with it standing up, so I made a little foldable inclusion which prevents the card from flopping open. You may be able to see it here: Lastly, I also did the back of the card so that there was a special message just for him. Of course, I've blurred it because it is "mushy" and private, LOL. You get the idea, though. I colored the image with distress inks. The cardstock is Bazzill, and the paper is a very old paper by Paper Pizazz. I liked the blues and rusts. I also added some Diamond Glaze to the headlight covers and windshield. There is a sprinkling of glitter on the ground just to add some dimension. I made the flowers at the bottom of the title using a Marianne Design die. I hope you like it. I know my sweetie sure did! He has it out on his desk and says he's NOT going to file this one away. I think it all because of the shoes! LOL Have a wonderful day! I'll be back soon with more examples of my work. I so appreciate your visiting I hope you will come back again!

Happy summer!

XO,
Chris

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

Scrappy Frons Challenge Blog ends 6/30 - Celebrate Men

Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge #65 - ends 6/28 - Boy Attitude

Hotshot Craft #9 - Distress Inks

More Than Favors #72 - ends 6/26 - Father's Day

The Crafty Pad#176 - ends 6/30 - More than one fold

Tilda's Town#6 - ends 6/28 - Edwin

Tilda in Ballet Shoes

Good morning sweet readers, It is bright and early this mid June morning! I actually got up before the hummingbirds did! So, here I am. I started this morning making a bowl of chicken salad. I thought it would make for nice sandwiches. I always use Best Foods Mayo made with Canola oil to cut down on the calories, but this time, I used REGULAR Best Foods! **GASP** I have noticed that when I make a salad using mayo with canola oil, after a day, there is liquid in the container and the mayo appears to be partially dissolved. I concluded that it had to be the canola oil mayo that was breaking down. So, to test my theory, I made this salad with the good stuff! We'll see how it turns out. LOL I'd like to share a card with you this morning. I used Tilda in Ballet Shoes as my image. I just love, love, love this little Tilda. I used tons of layering, machine stitching, inking, distressing, and tons of elements. There is a removable tag inside the envelope in the upper left. It says, "With Gratitude." Here she is: I added pearls to her bow and head band. I also added two teeny tiny pink rhinestones to simulate earrings. The papers are from Papermania, the stamp is from Magnolia-licious, and the flowers are from Hooked on Craft Here is the inside: I am so not a pink person, but I love the softness of this card. The seam binding added just the perfect texture. I added the same teeny tiny pink rhinestones to each corner diecut. It also added just the right amount of sparkle without overwhelming the corner. I just love this little image! What a sweet little Tilda! Thank you so much for dropping by. I hope you will coe back again soon! I'd love a comment if you have the time! XO, Chris