My Mellow Maggie!!

Fellow Maggie enthusiast and cardmaker extroidanaire, Cabio, selected this photo for inspiration on the Magnolia-Licious Challenge blog.

There is something very soothing about this buttery palette and I just had to give it a try. Also new to me on this card is black hair. My Copic collection is meager in the yellow dept. but it it worked somehow. Mellow tones of yellow are rare ones for me but I think it turned out okay and I'll definitely try them again.

I followed the ingredients on the Magnolia-Licious HiLites blog as well where the recipe is 4 flowers, 3 DP, 1 ribbon, and 2 Magnolia images. My second image is the Tilda sunflower stamp.

Rosalie so kindly wrote and asked me for the Copic colors I used. I will try to post them more often in the future! Here goes:
Flesh - E0000, E00, E33, E50, R00, R11, R20,
Dress - Y00, YR21, E000, E50, C1, E99, E25 (see only 2 yellows used)
Socks - E50, E000, Y00, YR21
Shoes - E50, E33, E25, E99
Hair - C1, C3, C5, N7
I used my colorless blender on the hair, shoes/socks, & dress ruffles. Since I am still building my Copic collection I have to improvise but it seemed to work on this!

Challenges I'm entering:
Magnolia-Licious Challenge Blog
Magnolia-Licious HiLites

This card was a lot of fun but DH thinks it's too busy!

OWH Principals of Design FREE Online Seminar

The instructor for this series of free seminars sponsored by OWH, holds a B.F.A. from Parson's School of Design, New York. She has 25 years design experience and works as a Sr. Graphic Designer for a small Connecticut printer. Her freelance work includes public service campaigns for a wide variety of national organizations including the American Heart Association, NFL and National Parks Foundation. Check out what Paula has to share and participate please!!

The series begins today, January 29th but is totally self-guided so you can start at anytime. I'll add photos of my attempt to this posting on Sunday. Please check back to see more and go check out OWH if you're not familiar. This is a wonderful, worthy organization all cardmakers can love!

HUGE Thanks to Danielle and ABC Design Team...

What a surprise! I'm very humbled and honored...please thank the academy, etc. AND definitely Fitter Twit who nominated me back at Christmas time. Be sure to visit her fun blog too.


My cute little handmade treat/coffee/etc. bag took First Place over at ABC Design Team for the January "Baby It's Cold Outide" challenge. I'm really honored and thankful!!

Amazing New Stuff...

Cosmos Cricket has introduced a wonderful new product I can't wait to get my sticky little fingers on...they are GLUBERS!! They are large circles of glue that are perfect for making things like ribbon flowers and those accordian pleated rounds I love.
Be sure to visit their blog for a cute video on them and join me in patiently waiting for our favorite suppliers to start carrying them. Sheesh...I'm not so good with patience but I'll try. Here's a photo of the package I snagged from their website so you'll know them when they start popping up.

Janome Sew Mini

I have always debated whether to sew on my papercrafts or not and apparently, I'm not alone. I'll be back this evening to elaborate and complete this post so be sure to stop back...Click here to check out a wonderful tutorial. This is an amazing bunch of information for anyone considering sewing on papercrafts.


I think one of these little sweeties is in my future! One of the members of a Yahoo group dedicated to Tilda that I love pointed us in the direction of this tutorial and it comes highly recommended. Darn, wish I'd seen this before Christmas!

The Mini Sew can be found at Overstock.com with shipping for just $2.95 or at Hancock Fabrics as mentioned in the tutorial...there is no sale on them currently so you might want to find a coupon! If you want to save a couple more dollars visit Overstock.com through the Ebates.com portal and please use my link here. (We'll both get a bonus when you buy your Mini Sew!)

My suggestions are to be careful with the needles selected, thread tension, and type of thread. The tutorial also gives great guidance on thread so you should be set to get busy sewing on paper! Have fun :-)

Let me know if you buy a Mini and how it works. For me...there's a new TOOL to put on my wishlist!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Oh yes! It is in the 20 degree range here today. A good day to enter my cute little card in the ABC DT Challenge for my final entry! I had so much fun entering this challenge I just kept making cards for it. This is my fav by far tho'! The black/white/hot pink colorway is so much fun and any excuse I can find to use the black & white gingham ribbon, I'm taking it! It is one of my favorite embellies.
The large pink faux crystal heart is a leftover from Valentine's Day 2010 by Recollections and a focal point for the card. This really isn't a Valentine card but more a seasonal card that reminds one of where we are in the year.
The sweet little digital image I used on the card is from the Pure Innocence collection by Heather Ellis. The rubberstamp is available at All That Scraps too.

My choice of Copic markers were in keeping with the color scheme I chose for the card but would work with almost any color due to the neutral gray/black & white on the coat & scarf set. For the first time in my postings, I'll post the Copics I used:
Coat/hat - C1, C3, C5, B00, O (to tone down/blend the B00)
Boots - RV21, RV23, RV25, RV29
Face - E00, E33, E50, R000, R20
Its tough to see the Diamond Stickles used on the coat and snow and also, the shimmery metallic finish to the gray background paper by SEI that I used an MS punch. Additional embellies include MS snowflakes with faux crystal centers and white Robin's Nest pearlized decos. If I've left off anything important please leave me a comment and I'll try to answer...Oh...AND I love comments and followers. Please stop by again soon!

Cute Little Calendar for Play Date Cafe PDCC64

This is the wonderful inspiration photo at the Play Date Cafe this week! I have to say this is one of my favorite colorways! I carried a photo with the same colors with me forever as I decorated my house near the ocean. Don't you think it is the perfect set of colors for a house near the beach?
These serene colors make me think about the beach and ocean I love so I wanted to make myself a little prezzie! I decided I could keep my own craft and enjoy it all year if I made a little desk calendar to use when I'm talking to potential renters of my place at the beach. Don't you think its adorable? I do!!
My little calendar is just 4" x 4".
To make it I used two 4x4 white unprinted bleached coasters. I scored one thru the center and adhered them together, gluing only one half of the back. The unglued portion become the easel back.
Another generous blogging crafter suggested www.printablecalendar.ca for free calendar templates and I found it to be perfect for this project. I used 2 taupe colored DP for the background, distressing & sewing then punching and lacing up one side where I added 2 beads for a little fun. 2 coordinating ribbon tabs add a little more color as does the 2011 date I cut with my Cricut Plantin Schoolbook cartridge. I used a vintage set of Stampin Up "Fish Frolics" stamps for the seahorse & bubbles. I added a little Glossy Accents to the bubbles, seahorse & 2011 for a little fun dimension.

I really enjoyed this project and like the idea that I'll be able to enjoy my little present to myself all year long! I hope you'll try making one...they make perfect teacher's gifts AND it's quick & easy.

Thanks to PDCC for this.........

ATS & ABC Challenges

The challenge at All That Scraps this week is to use something with a "snowman" theme. Stamps used have to be carried in their store. The rubber of this cutie is in their My Favorite Things collection here (tho' I believe its currently out of stock.) I made mine from a digital image that I purchased online somewhere ages ago.


My easel card was a fun one to make from a pack of MS seasonal papers I purchased back before Christmas and never used. I distressed and sewed the layers together and added gingham ribbon with a red buttons. I love the "snow day" theme to the paper and wanted it to play prominantly with the card so I left the front pretty simple and used the sentiment inside. The interior is decorated with old red cluny lace a hand punched snowflake layered with a adhesive glittery foam snowflake, metal asteriks, & red pearl.


Hurry on over to All That Scraps to check out this challenge. It ends today! Over at ABC Design Team the "Baby Its Cold Outside" challenge runs until Jan. 22th and you can enter as many times as you like. I am working on another entry for this week too! Winner will be announced Jan. 27th.

All That Scraps Woo-Hoo!!

Excited...who me????? Oh my!! It feels really good when one of your favorite online places gives you an award. Seems like weeks ago when I entered their "Winter Near You" challenge with my New Year's tiara. Pam Sparks surprised me with a nice little email letting my know my creation made Top 5. Woohoo again!!

My granddog, Daisy, will be happy to hear about it too. Good girl, Daisy :-)

Wonderful Quote & Sneak Peek...

Today, I've spent most of the lunch hour blog hopping for the wonderful Itty Bitty line of Unity stamps. If you haven't done so be sure to visit their blog and check it out too. They are giving away 25 stamps to a lucky hopper...hope its me. I bought my first Unity stamp at Christmas time and fell in love.

While I was hopping around the internet this morning I came across a quote that sums up some of my feelings about friendship and wanted to share it with you...
"A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself-
and especially to feel, or not feel.
Whatever you happen to be feeling at any moment is fine with them.
That's what real love amounts to
- letting a person be what he really is."
— Jim Morrison
Pefect message my friends! Be yourself...I like you just the way you are. Be well and have a great day.

Please go hop and come back later this weekend. I'm wrapping up my Valentine masterpiece for 2011 and might even have one to sell on Esty.com. The photo above it a sneak peak!!!

Bags Are Quite The Thing!

I've been blog hopping today before getting busy on a new project and was struck by how many bag crafts I happened across. Either my sister bloggers and I are on the same wave length or bags are regaining in popularity OR both!

I wanted to point out a couple great spots of inspiration I came across that I intend to revisit soon:

For nifty paper sack crafts I visited old pal Cindy Lyles at Starlit Studio for her rendition of cute little thank yous and nifty gifties. You've got to see them...I'm definitely going to give this a try when I make my grandgals' Valentines. Ahhh...finally a project for my heart-shaped doilies. Thank you, Cindy!!

Cindy was inspired by Mish Mash's Christmas pouches. Aren't they the cutest things ever?? She also has an Etsy.com store with lots of interesting tidbits.

And Dineen a newbie over at the Magnolia-licious Challenge blog came up with a pattern/template that works perfectly for my handcrafted bag below. Be sure to go print yourself a copy :-)

I was also very inspired by the delicate loveliness of Viola Mahr's beautiful cards and crafts. She sells lots of yummy goodness at her Etsy.com store too.

And totally unrelated to bags but looks interesting is a video classroom of sorts that might be fun... .

Please be sure to leave these talented bloggers some love if you stop by and come back to see my LOVE-ly surprise I'm working on that will be posted soon! Ohh...before I forget...how about following my blog too?

Last Holiday Party...

Tomorrow the family and I are off for our final family gathering for the holidays...so sad but my tree is down so I guess its time to tuck these memories away until November 2011 when we can make some new ones!

I'm heading down to mix up the ingredients for my coffee bag and plan to make a gourmet minty chocolatey coffee bean concoction as a small thank you. I also plan to use this style bag soon for coffee beans I give away every summer by the bag full to my beach house tenants. Can't you see these as shower or wedding favors too?? It would be so easy to print tags with names of your bride & groom and would look so special!!

The embellie is a wood snowflake with a large MS punched snowflake in DCWV glitter CS with a Prima faux crystal flower center. For a festive feel I looped a 6" length of silver lame' eyelash yarn from my stash behind the snowflakes. A couple layers of coordinating papers, one distressed make a nice base for my tag which I made with my computer covering the large "M" in Glossy Accents.
This bag was super easy to make! Start with a 6.75" x 12 piece of DP paper and just wrap as you would a gift around your largest MS punch keeping it open on one end. I used 1/8" ScoreTape down the side and on the bottom to finish off the bag. Inside I've got my beans in a cellophane sack with twist tie so the oils don't leak onto my package.
Two punched holes through both sides of my bag make tieing a sweet bow an easy way to close the package with a festive touch.

I'm entering this in ABC Design Blog's "Baby It's Cold Outside" Challenge which ends 1/22/2011...BTW, you can enter this challenge as often as you like. Be sure to check the rules for stipulations!

My Favorite Things!!

My Favorite Things is one of those interesting places one happens across online that is a true keeper. Besides the sweetest little stamps this store also has wonderful Die-namics die sets, many with stamps coordinated to fit within the die cut...brilliant!!

Well, today I was looking around this website and found another amazing service they offer which will definitely be worth a try in the future. Can you believe they also service Copic markers? Yes, you heard me correctly! You can send in your markers to have them refilled and tips changed. I've been buying refill ink lately and wondered what the heck I was going to do with all those bottles...well, this answers that for me. Next time I have a pen or two of colors I use less often, I'm sending them to My Favorite Things to be refilled. Geez...brilliant x2!!

I have a number of Ciao markers that need their nibs replaced and have dreaded doing it myself tho' am sure it is an easy task...for $1.95 I don't mind having it done for me. Enjoy the interesting tidbit...hope to see you soon with a fun paper creation.