Magnolia-licious Inspiration Challenge - Use Buttons!

Hello sweet readers,

How are you this fine Tuesday? It's officially Fall! Woo-hoo! This is the start of my favorite time of the year which lasts until late March! The downside is that the natural lighting in my craft room is now really poor since the angle of the sun is so different now. That means relying on electricity. I know my photos will look dull and flat now. Ugh!

Before we get to the Button Challenge details, the winner of the last random draw (chosen from those who left comments) is...

#14 - MYRNA

Myrna, if you will e-mail your address to me, I'll get something out to you shortly! My e-mail is to the right.

DISCLAIMER: My husband while watching a football game in the family room was asked to pick a number. If you didn't win, blame him! LOL

Our new challenge at The Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog is to find inspiration by using buttons in your design! How fun is that? You will have two weeks to complete the challenge. One lucky gal will win... **drumroll please,**

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How fun would that be to win? I love, love, love surprises! Diana is so very generous. I hope you will take the time to do a little creating! Make sure your card has a Magnolia image as well as buttons. That's all there is! Here is the inspiration photo to get those creative juices flowing:

Here is my card design based on the button inspiration:

For my card, I chose to modify my Tilda with Heart Balloons stamp. Then, I replaced the balloons with buttons. I layered the "ground," and added some punched Autumn leaves as well as a die cut fence, tree, and little flowers. The following products may be found in Diana's amazingly supplied store:

Tilda with Heart Balloons - Sweet Crazy Love Collection

Spruce Doo-hickey die - Sweet Christmas Dreams 2011 Collection

Magnolia Cloudy Sky paper from the Bon Voyage 2010 Collection

Fence

Let's look at the interior panels. I had a lot of fun with the top one. I remembered I had a bag of chipboard buttons. My sweet husband found the Rubbermaid bucket that holds my chipboard and after emptying the entire bucket, I found the package of buttons at the very bottom! LOL Figures, huh? I took the button paper that I used for the card and glued it to the chipboard to cover the top surface. Then, I covered it with Crystal Accents (I think that is what it is called), and allowed it to dry for 36 hours just to be safe. Add a doily, a tag, ribbon, buttons, and flowers, and the top was done! Here is the photo:

You can find the Doohickey Scalloped Tag here.

Here is a photo of the bottom panel:

As usual, I kept this panel simple so that the person sending it can add a personal message.

I hope you will take the time to visit the other Design Team Members' blogs and see their gorgeous creations! We love to shop at Magnolia-licious and take full advantage of poor Diana by making sure we get our 2% credit dollars, Diana's wonderful prices, preorder opportunities, and free shipping on orders over $75! I love those credit dollars. I've been so surprised when I wanted to get something and there was the money right there for me to use without actually spending it from my wallet! Diana had saved it for me!

Thank you so much for visiting. I hope you will leave a comment for me. I can't wait to see what you create!

XO,

Chris

Magnolia-licious Color Inspiration Challenge for September

Hello Dearest Readers,

I am so very excited to have been asked to join the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog Design Team! This is my first submission, and I hope you like what I have done!

Before I share my newest card, I'd like to congratulate the winner of my last blog entry candy draw. My sweet husband picked a number at random, and he picked.....

Number 4 - Candy!!!

Candy, please e-mail your mailing address to me so I can send you a little somethin' somethin'.

I'll be doing this again using the comments from this blog post. Just leave a comment for me and you'll be entered into a random number draw to be announced when I post my next card! How's that?

Here is the photo that I used to draw my color inspiration for my card:

When I looked at the colors in the photo, I saw burgundy, pink, green, cream, and brown. From that, I chose to emphasize the burgundy, cream, pink, green because we're heading into the Fall season. Here is my creation:

I chose to use Goosebump Tilda which I masked so I could use the Open Gate image from the 2010 Hoppy Easter/Spring Collection. I have colored my images using Distress Inks.

In addition to the stamps, I also used some delightful Magnolia dies (as well as other dies) to add those extra special touches to the card. The first die is called Tilda's Doily Doohickey Cutting Die. Also used, but tucked behind the mat, is the So Wrapped Lovely Heart Folded Tag Doohickey Cutting Die. Inside the card, I used Leaf and Swirl Doohickey Die #4

Here are the images for the interior of my card:

I saw something romantic in the photo of the chair and corner grouping. I wanted to add a little romantic look to my card as well.

I hope you will join in the Magnolia-licious Challenge! There is always a wonderful prize for one lucky participant!

Have you seen the new Magnolia Ink magazine? What a source of inspiration! There is something in that treasure trove for everyone including step-by-step tutorials, new products, contests, and oodles of perfectly beautiful and adaptable cards! One thing you may wish to consider is ordering a yearly subscription from Diana so you can lock in current prices. Remember, the value of the US dollar varies from day to day and country to country. If you click the link below, you'll find the subscription signup in the column on the left!

If you haven't been to Magnolia-licious, you don't know what you are missing! Click the link above and browse through the wonderful products Diana carries for us to use. Diana's prices are wonderful, you earn credit dollars with your purchases, and her preorder stamp collections have the best prices ever! You won't be sorry! You'll be addicted! Diana's customer service is the best I have ever experienced!

I hope to see your wonderful creation entered in this month's Color Challenge!

XO,
Chris

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

Hiking Edwin Celebrates a Birthday!

Good morning, Sweet Readers,

Well, another month is coming to a close. Thank you for always coming and visiting my blog over the months. I so appreciate it!

Life has been quiet. The end of summer can be felt in the air. There are flocks of geese heading south. I've seen three flocks just this week! I'm waiting for my little hummingbirds to leave "home" and head south. This brings me to a "Soapbox Moment." LOL

I was thinking about how often I hear the word "AMAZING" being used. I watched a TV show the other day. A woman was describing an ice cream flavor as "AMAZING!" To me, something that is amazing is our ability to reproduce! What an AMAZING miracle that is! The fact that my little hummingbirds fly over a thousand miles, as tiny as they are, to their southern roosting grounds only to return, the following Spring, to the SAME place they left in the Fall! THAT IS AMAZING; ice cream - not so much, LOL The hummingbirds manage to remember the way to and from, remember the location, and manage to survive! I'd love it if you left a comment telling me something YOU feel is truly AMAZING! I'd love to read what you believe is amazing.

Oh, let's pick a winner from those of you who left a comment on my post, "Tilda Sends Sew Much Love." The lucky gal is ---

#12 - LESLIE TURNER

Please e-mail me using the link on the right so I can send a goodie out to you!

I have a really fun card to share with you today. The challenge at HOOKED ON CRAFT is...

CREATE A CARD FOR A MAN

How fun is that? The sentiment is up to you! All we ask is that you make it a masculine card! Oh, of course, there will be one lucky person who will win something I would love to win! How about a

Here are the details: This challenge will run from August 27 through September 29. You are being challenged to create something for a male. Think about Father's Day (in Australia), a birthday, Congratulations. It's up to you. HOOKED ON CRAFT has the most gorgeous flowers! They have beautiful colors and are very well made. Karen does ship world wide! Take a peek and give her flowers a try if you haven't done so yet. You will NOT be disappointed!

Here is my creation to help your creative juices start flowing. The flowers found on the front and inside are from HOOKED ON CRAFT

For the front of my card, I used the following HOOKED ON CRAFT products. Just click the link to go right to the store's listing.

FERN LEAF - I thought it looked like a nice shrub.
Green Leaves
Brown Calla Lilies
Peach Carnation
Medium Peach Carnation Bud
Small Peach Carnation Bud
Green Tiger Lily

I loved creating the scene so that Edwin wasn't just standing there with nothing behind him. I finally had a use for the Magnolia airplane stamp! I added Diamond Glaze to the windows so that they look like glass and KindyGlitz to the waterfall and clouds. The clock and tree dies are Tim Holtz. Just before falling asleep, I got the idea to have the plane pulling the birthday banner, LOL. Talk about a time when my brain is creative - right before I zonk out! LOL The stamps are available at MAGNOLIA-LICIOUS. If Diana doesn't have them, just contact her and I'm sure she will order them for you. MAGNOLIA-LICIOUS has the best prices on Magnolia stamps! There are great discounts as well in addition to store credits accumulated with purchases. Customer Service is the very best! Please look into shopping at MAGNOLIA-LICIOUS! I do!

Waterfall Background - 2009 Pet and Animal Collection
Hiking Edwin - 2012 Turning Leaves Collection
Airplane - 2010 Bon Voyage Collection

Now for the inside. Here it is:

I wanted to keep the very rustic theme of the card. I love the background paper that I found in my stash. LOL **I just can't throw anything away!** The moose and the tree are rusted metal. Years ago, I bought a ton of these rusted metal embellishments. Again, before dozing off, I remembered I had them somewhere in my scrap room. The operative word is "somewhere." I had NO idea where I had put them! LOL I carried over the burlap strip from the front and repeated it on the inside. I also added some Autumn colored feathers. I love, love, love feathers on cards. Here is the list of flowers I used from HOOKED ON CRAFT. Just click the link to go right to the store's listings.

Peach Carnations
Aqua Tiger Lilies
Brown Daffodils
Brown Fern Leaf
Large Brown Leaves

Thank you so much for visiting! I hope you will come back again! I love your visits and reading your sweet, supportive comments. Thank you for taking the time. Remember, leave a comment sharing something that you think is AMAZING! I'll have our son pick a number, and one lucky gal will win a little somethin', somethin' from me, OK?

XO,

Chris

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

It's the Magnolia-licious Back to School Blog Hop!

Hello Lovely Readers,

Oh, August is just flying by, isn't it? The kids here are already back in school and most moms are getting things done that they had put on the back burner while their sweeties were home for the summer! Where does the time go?

It's the third Monday of the month and that means it's Magnolia-licious Blog Hop time! The theme for August is "Back to School!" We'd love to see a Back to School gift for a teacher or student! The sky is the limit, and what a great topic, too! If you've reached my blog via the effervescent and extremely talented Suzanne Dean's Scrap Bitz Blog, then you are where you are supposed to be! If not, you'll want to start back at the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog so you don't miss a single fantastic creation by the gals on the Magnolia-licious Design Team!

I'd love to share my project with you! It has lots of components, so there will be tons of photos! Let's take a look, shall we?

In this photo, you see the first in a series of teacher gifts. Inside the box are even more goodies for this year's teacher. Now for the closeups:

Here are close ups of the vase:

Now for close ups of the box and Tilda:

Here is the card that goes with the set. The darling little alphas are from DIE-VERSIONS as is the frame on the interior left panel. The book stack and pencil stamps are Magnolia.The flowers are from Hooked on Craft.

Are you still with me? I told you there would be a ton of photos! Let's see what was in the box:

I had fun with these components. The first item is a notepad that is handy for taking to a staff meeting as well as jotting down things that need to be remembered. After teaching for 32 years, it's easy to forget things during the hectic times. So, having a little notebook helps keep you on track. Here is a close up of the notebook:

Next is a journaling duo. Inside the container are strips of journaling prompts. The little notebook goes with the prompts. I thought it would be a nice keepsake.

Here is a listing of the stamps used in my project. Please contact Diana at Magnolia-licious if you are interested in adding any of these precious stamps to your collection.

Editor Tilda
Tilda with Pencils
Apple
Books Stacked High - Fall '07 Collection
Edwin with Pen - Fall '07 Collection
Tilda with Pencils - So Heavenly/School/Travel Collection '08
School Pencil - So Heavenly/School/Travel Collection '08
School Ruler - So Heavenly/School/Travel Collection '08
Tilda with Slate - So Heavenly/School/Travel Collection '08
Tilda Writing in Diary - Raising the Ceiling Collection
Books with Wrapper - So Heavenly/School/ Travel Collection '08

If you are unfamiliar with MAGNOLIA-LICIOUS, let me tell you how wonderful Diana is. Her prices are wonderful and the customer care is fantastic! There are perks, too! Visit MAGNOLIA-LICIOUS to find out more! You won't be disappointed! Oh, and Magnolia-liciouscarries various dies as well as Score-Pal products!

The next stop on the MAGNOLIA-LICIOUS Back to School Blog Hop is that of the always amazing CHERYL ROWLEY at Cottage Creations! As always, Cheryl's work is to die for! You don't want to miss it!

I'll be drawing a name from those who leave comments. Whomever's name is drawn will get a little special something from me! I love surprising some lucky gal!

I hope you will join us by creating a wonderful Back to School special something for the teacher or student in your life. The Design Team has provided tons of wonderful spring board ideas to get your creative juices going! I can't wait to see what you create! The complete details may be found on the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog!

XO,
Chris

I would like to enter all or any part, LOL, of this collection into the following challenges:

Lexi's Creations #72 - ends 8/31 - Back to School

Magnolia Stamp Lovers - ends 8/23 - Fall **I hope my Back to School theme counts as Fall since kids go back to school at that time.**

One Stitch at a Time#127 -ends 8/25 - Back to School

Just Magnolia #170 - ends 8/23 - Back to School

Cute Card Thursday #230 - ends 8/22 - Back to School

My Sheri Crafts #92 - ends 8/29 - Back to School

Simply Create Too #20 ends 8/30 - Back to School

Tailor Tilda Sends Sew Much Love

Hello Sweet Readers,

Well, it's Friday! Woo Hoo! Party on!

Before I get into anything else, I want to announce who won the blog comment prize - it's you -

***Christina C.***

Christina, please e-mail your address to me (link on the right) and I'll get your prize out to you! Congrats!

Today, I would like to share a card that has been in my mind for at least two years! So many things leave my mind on a daily basis, but this thought managed to stick around! LOL I saw this card design at Waltzing Mouse Stamps so long ago. I ordered the stamp set way back then and just held on to it until.....TAILOR TILDA came out in the Turning Leaves Collection. I decided to use the sewing seamed stamp set for a birthday card featuring Tailor Tilda. Here is the final result:

This was a real labor of love. There are soooooooooooooooooooo many components to that flower arrangement! Want to know a secret? I did them twice! I had stamped them in black the first time and thought the black was too overpowering. So, I redid each and every component using a softer grey. Live and learn! Good thing I find the technique of cutting things out relaxing! Otherwise, I'd go nuts! LOL Some of the flowers have been elevated on pop dots. I'd like to thank whomever thought of the pink and blue card challenge as well as each of you that created a pink and blue card for that challenge. I loved the color scheme and thought I'd put it to use on this card.

Here are shots of the interior:

I hope the recipient likes the card. I know I like the colors. That Tilda is just adorable! Diana at MAGNOLIA-LICIOUS is currently out of this stamp, but if you contact her, I'm sure she'd order one for you. Her prices are wonderful!

Now, you know I love your comments sooooo much! I think I'll do the same thing this time around regarding a special somethin' somethin' for one lucky gal who leaves a comment. Leave a little verbal love. I'll count up the comments and ask DS who lives in Portland to pick a number. Whichever number he picks will be the lucky winner! That's what I did this time, so you can scowl at him, LOL!

Love you guys! Thanks for stopping by!

XO,
Chris

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

Craft Punked #33 ends 8/23 - Flower Power

Stampin' With the Dragon ends 8/24 - Anything but a square or rectangle

Moving Along With the Times ends 8/29 - anything but a square

Stamp and Create ends 9/2 - Stitch It Up

Simon Says Stamp and Show - ends 8/19 - Favorite Technique

Lovely Hanglar or Sweet Magnolia #49 - ends 8/17 - Flowers

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