Tilda Sharing her Tea DDC#25

Isn't this a cute idea? I found this on a blog from overseas (of course with the internet, does the ocean really matter anymore?) called Double Dutch.

This is a little tea bag shaped holder. You fold the paper so there is actually a slot on both sides where you can slip in a little item, probably a tea bag. I am going to put my favorite Twinings Cinnamon Apple tea in this for a friend, so I found some cinnamon sticks and tied those at the top instead of a bow, so the recipient can add a little extra zing to their drink.

Isn't that flower Tilda holding so darling? That's covering up a mistake that I made, just so you know! There is no such thing as perfect stamping! Have a great weekend. Thanks for looking.

Stamps: Magnolia, Papertrey Ink (sentiment on tag)

Paper: Orange is Bazill, dotted is Papertrey Ink, gingham a gift from a friend and the striped yellow is a random scrap, watercolor paper for Tilda

Accessories: ribbon from Hobby Lobby, reinkers to color Tilda, SU WWC for her face, raffia, PTI buttons in lemon tart and melon

First Wow Inspiration challenge

My friend schirmcat on SCS recently started a blog and she already has issued a challenge. She is going to do a weekly word challenge and since this is her first week, I thought I'd play along. You can find her blog here.

The word for inspiration this week is 'new.'

The story behind my card creation is kind of long, so you can skip this part if you're busy.

The first thought for the word 'new' that came to my mind was an event years ago (I have no idea why I thought of this particular event today) when I bought myself a bouquet of flowers not long after a divorce. It was the first bouquet of flowers I'd ever treated myself to and it was just sort of symbolic of the new life I was starting, so I wanted to use a set with a flower image.

This is a new set sent to me by the lovely ladies at Flourishes called Beauty in Nature, a set that I won in their Fit for Royalty card contest. I have won stamps in the past in a random blog candy draw, but this was the first time someone gave me a prize based upon their opinion of the card I created. That sort of validation was new to me too. Thank you ladies so much.

I had three small children at the time I bought the bouquet and they are represented by the three ribbons crossing the washi paper in the background. That paper is lovely and was a gift from Siobhan! Thank you Siobhan. I have never used that style paper, that was new to me too.

And the four butterflies are myself and my three children flying into our new lives. They are gold to help highlight the gold in the washi paper and gold because they are so precious to me. At that time when I bought the bouquet, my children were all age seven and younger. I had no idea how the years would go. Today they are healthy, in college or almost in college and I am just so proud of them.

The butterflies also are gold because of the verse in Job 23:10, "But He knows the way that I take and when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold." We had so many trying times fluttering about in our little family, but we are fine today and thankful to the Lord for the many, many times He provided for us, protected us, and helped us come forth out of trials into new beginnings. Thanks for looking.

Snowmen and Toasters Don't Mix . . . Teapot Tuesday Mystery

The inspectors are CLUE-less as you can plainly see, searching high and low for the culprit to help Inspector Clousseau . . . to no avail. Yet . . . their playing cards could provide a clue were they only to look up!!! Innocent snowman by day . . . sinister character by night? Butter wouldn't melt in his mouth! (well no, he is frozen). And WHY is he carrying a toaster (plugged IN too, in case you didn't see the cord!) near figures made of frozen . . .water!?! (Sorry, unlike Marilyn Preston, the most lethal stamp I own is a toaster. :) But it works with snowmen). Someone warn them before it is too late. I think its time for a cup of tea . . .alone! These teapot tuesday tea parties are getting tooooo dangerous!

Now, I know I'll never be able to send this card to anyone, but I was laughing while I made this. Hope it might make you smile. I created this in response to the challenge for Mothermark's Teapot Tuesday. For more information on the Teapot Tuesday challenges, look for Mothermark's blog on my side bar under dork sisters.

The Midnight Madness Sketch Challenges (this card is a little out there!!!) can be found here. Thanks for looking.

(characters casted by Whipper Snapper, Inkadinkado, props by Clear Dollar Stamps and Martha Stewart)

PTI August Blog Hop!

Who can believe its time for another PTI blog hop? Fall is my favorite season, great theme for this hop and I am sooo looking forward to all the beautiful and clever creations!

I got to use some new toys, my Enchanted Evening ink, my new Autumn Abundance and Damask Designs stamp sets and a pretty shade of purple called Violette.

For the first card I stamped Background Basics Spots and Dots in Enchanted Evening, put a Martha Stewart scalloped lace edge on some Spring Moss dotted paper and added Summer Sunrise dotted satin ribbon. Flowers are watercolored with reinkers. Buttons are melon.

Next card I used SU really rust ink on the damask designs stamp. I never get even coverage on acrylic stamps with those inks, and I was looking for a sort of uneven, faded effect, a bit country. I used rust, mustard and pumpkin with violette in the circle using the Life set, added some dotted papers and a bit of chocolate satin ribbon. Summer sunrise button, bit of twine. Thanks for looking and happy hopping!

J-j-j-j-Jojot Inspired!

It isn't often I get a chance to play in the Featured Stamper challenge on SCS, but this week's hostess is da Muddermark (muchas smoochas!) and the Featured Stamper is Joanne, or jojot and I know how much she looooooooves glitter! So I had to play! Joanne, this one is for you. Not literally, I need a birthday card for my daughter on Tuesday, and I wouldn't send you a glitterfied card anyway.

Joanne always frames her panels in black, for a very striking setting. Her creations are lovely and you can find lots of information and beautiful cards on her blog here.

I like to tease Joanne about glitter, because I brought a project once to a gathering to show everyone how to make the glitter window without knowing that Joanne has an eye condition that causes her to completely avoid glitter. So you can guess what happened . . . we had a glitter explosion which covered her head to toe in glitter.

Glitter window is time consuming but always produces a very sparkly, pretty result. Simple instructions for glitter window . . .

1. Stamp your image on acetate.

2. Using Art Institute dries clear glue, apply one color of glitter at a time.

3. Allow it to dry at LEAST fifteen minutes inbetween applying the next color of glitter. This is a great project to do when you have lots of little housework chores, set the timer, go about your business and when the timer beeps, go back and apply the next color.

4. Flip your image over and use glue dots or brads to attach the acetate to the layer underneath.

This also fits the Midnight Madness sketch challenge for the week, MMSC15 on Priscilla Styles blog. Thanks for looking.

Stamps: PTI Damask Designs (sentiment), Outlines for main image

Paper: Doodlebug Designs designer paper, SU black

Other: Art Institute dries clear glitter, Martha stewart glitter pack, SU vanilla hardware, black (glittery!) brads, Basic Grey fiber

Hollyhock Tilda

I have been busy getting two of my rosebuds ready to go to college and yesterday we dropped off the second one. It is an odd phase of life. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy for them in their life choices so far. I am still a mom, my youngest is seven, so I am far from done being a mom, but it feels like I have one foot in the next stage of life and one in the old, so I feel a bit disoriented?

My daughters think Tilda always looks a little sad, so perhaps I enjoy playing with these because it mimics my mood lately! A little sad at all the departures.

I had fun with the colors on this card. I found the gorgeous teal with silver in my scrap drawer and took the teal and celery from that. I thought I'd use my hollyhocks wheel from SU for a bit of background for Tilda. Then I used Priscilla Styles's tutorial on chiffon flowers because the round shape reminds me of the hollyhocks in the wheel.

This Tilda is dimensionalized, which means parts of her are popped up, as you can see in the next photo. I popped up her wings, her dress, her face and hair and her braid. That is part of the monthly challenge at the Just Magnolia Too blog, and you can view the other entries here.

And lastly, I am sharing a picture of four of my roses, we took the photo two days ago when everyone was still home. It is our tradition to take a picture by the front door on the first day of school, and the first day of college is still school, right?

Thanks for looking.

Cute blog award

This came to me all the way from South Africa! Ah the wonders of the internet, but even more wonderful is friendship. I love meeting fellow stampers from all corners of the globe, don't you? And seeing all their beautiful creations, getting a little glimpse into their lives.

This is from Lee, thank you very much. You can see her creations if you click on Pumpkins Creative Patch under Papertrey Princesses bloggers group on my side bar.

She has quite a way with Lauren Meader's templates from PTI. :)

I am supposed to list five things I would like to do:

1. Some day I would like to visit Ireland, Scotland and England.

2. I would like to find the time to either swim or jog to get back into shape.

3. Like Lee, I would like to find the joy in each day, joy having a very distinct definition that separates it from happiness. Joy is within, happiness is circumstantial.

4. I would like to find a solution to a very vexing, ongoing family situation because it would bring emotional healing to someone who desperately needs it.

5. I would like some day to be a fabulous grandma as my children get older and have kids of their own.

I am supposed to pass this along, pondering that. Hoping to get inky again soon. :)

Beauty for Ashes

That was the song that was running through my head when I started using a technique that Priscilla Styles posted on her blog for making that chiffon flower at the bottom of my card. You have to use flames to sear the edges of the chiffon and as I was making the flower, I was singing Beauty for Ashes. How often life descends into the flames, but with God's help he makes beauty from the ashes that we thought initially might destroy us.

The chiffon flower technique is very cool, I can see using it again. You'll find the instructions here.

The card layout fits the Midnight Madness sketch challenge #14 and I used my Flourishes Sweet Pea set for the first time, it was just the right size for this sketch and perhaps it suits the Flourishes challenge to make a card fit for royalty. The flowers are all shimmery because I painted them with Twinkling H20s, I love using those shimmery paints for flowers, because when teh sun hits the petals of a real flower, they so often shimmer beautifully.

I used a combination of Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette and Pixie Pink to paint the chiffon with an aquapainter to match the colors of the sweet peas. The flower looks more like a rose than a sweet pea, but I'll play with the technique some more and see what I can do. There are pink stickles along the edges of the petals and a PTI blush button sewn on with silver thread to match the silver threads in the ribbon underneath the flower. Thanks for looking, hope you like it.

© copyright Crystal Lewis
(Isaiah 61:1-3)
He gives beauty for ashes
Strength for fear
Gladness for mourning
Peace for despair

When sorrow seems to surround you
When suffering hangs heavy o'er your head
Know that tomorrow brings
Wholeness and healing
God knows your need
Just believe what He said

He gives beauty for ashes
Strength for fear
Gladness for mourning
Peace for despair

When what you've done keeps you from moving on
When fear wants to make itself at home in your heart
Know that forgiveness brings
Wholeness and healing
God knows your need
Just believe what He said

He gives beauty for ashes
Strength for fear
Gladness for mourning
Peace for despair

I once was lost but God has found me
Though I was bound I've been set free
I've been made righteous in His sight
A display of His splendor all can see

He gives beauty for ashes
Strength for fear
Gladness for mourning
Peace for despair

Tidbits of this and that

Many thanks to my fellow blogger Leah for passing along this cute little bear blog award to me. I am thankful for the friends I have made online. In addition, the amount of talent and beauty that you can view on the internet is nothing short of amazing. My husband smiles and asks me if I'm looking at 'eye candy.'

I am to pass this blog award along to twelve friends (I chose a baker's dozen) and this time I'm going to list names right away! That way I won't forget! And please pass the love along, I'd like to list the names of everyone I know, but this gives others the chance to play too.

Siobhan

Traci

Beth

Lori

Joyce

Karen

Vikki

Stephanie

Toni

Derby

Jojot (Glitterdot)

Michelle

Denise

Also, one of my other fellow bloggers, Grace, is offering a big batch of blog candy! There is a link on the side of my blog or right here.

Midnight Madness Bloom

My great-grandfather was a china painter. Glad I asked my mom to clarify that! I am lucky to have a whole piece of his china in a cabinet in my home. The style when he painted was very ornate, lots of gold, lots of floral images. When I saw the challenge this week on Midnight Madness (sketch 13) I wondered if it would be possible to recreate the look of old china for their sketch.

There is another story of glass and china that belonged to my grandmother. She lived overseas and when she died my dad shipped home a box of glass and china so family members could all have a remembrance. The airlines must have drop-kicked the box out of the cargo bay at 30,000 feet because we didn't have anything left but glass dust when they were finished. I would have loved to have had a piece even as large as the 'fragments' on the side of my card.

So this is a combination of a remembrance of my grandfather on one side and grandmother on the other.

First I stamped the flower from Blooming Beautiful in gold craft and embossed it an the bee, then painted the images in with a variety of twinkling H20s. For the flower I used sapphire, wild blueberry and plum on the blossom. For the side china bits I stamped Belle Toile on vanilla cardstock, gold embossed it, then for both pieces I did the cracked glass technique. For those of you who have never tried it, you cover your image with versamark, sprinkle on clear EP and emboss it. You have to repeat this step at least five times to get a nice, thick layer of gloss on your paper. Other people use UTEE, I don't own any. Then you put it in the freezer for at least fifteen minutes and then when you take it out, you bend the paper to form crack lines. I used creamy caramel ink and a sponge to rub some ink on the images and a bit of it goes into the crack lines to help define them better.

For the belle toile panel, then I cut it into the squares for the sketch, to look like random pieces of broken china that someone is trying to put back together. At least, that's the effect I was trying to achieve. The flowers are those new primas, little roses, in white. I took reinkers in pacific point and creamy caramel with an aquapainter and painted them to match the blossom and the background, then put a bit of liquid glue on them and dipped them in gold glitter. Sponged the edges of the vanilla cardstock with creamy caramel.

Thanks for looking.

Stamps: SU Belle Toile, Bloomin' Beautiful

Paper: Vanilla, PTI Ripe Avocado

Ink: gold craft, creamy caramel, pacific point

Other: versamark, clear EP, sponge, gold EP, twinkling H20s, gold ribbon (PTI), prima roses, aquapainter, gold glitter

No ink! Virtual Stamp Night challenge

Tonight your fellow crafters are hosting a VSN or virtual stamp night mini challenge evening. There are five challenges posted, this one is mine. 

I have a challenge tonight to create a card without using ink. You can find the details here.  One of my fellow bloggers, Stephanie, at Papercrafterthoughts, also has a cool challenge going this evening through VSN, go to SCS and you can find out all about it. 

This card was created using punches, a cuttlebug embossing folder, crimper and a bit of stickles. Thanks for looking. Have a great evening!

Midnight Madness with Tilda

This is for the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #12. I found out about it from Grace's blog, she finds some of the most interesting challenges. It also combines for a challenge at the Just Magnolia challenge blog to use distressing. 

I started with the pink paper. I have carefully been sectioning out that one 12x12 sheet and using it sparingly, but this particular Tilda seemed like a natural to have a lovely pink dress in that paper. And I could see it right away for the tag too. 

I usually make the cards, clear some things away and then post the card a day or even a few days later, sitting at my computer and by that time I've forgotten paper and stamp names usually. Let's just say the bird and the flourish on the tag are more than likely from clear Inkadinkado sets, I know one is birds and one is Christmas. The paper is some kind of Basic Grey. (don't you love these specifics?)

I distressed the tag by crumpling it up, sponging the edges with Ranger distress ink in tattered rose to soften the pink and help it coordinate better with the Basic Grey DP. I sponged the circle of creamy caramel behind Tilda with the same ink. 

Tilda is paper pieced and watercolored with a combination of reinkers and watercolor crayons. The sponsor of the Midnight Madness sketch challenge said we could use artistic license with the sketch so it kinda sorta looks like it. . . maybe. I have the tag! And I have stitching around the edge of the tag on one side and an object in the lower left corner. Anyway, I thought the sketch was an interesting one., my first time playing in that challenge. Thanks for looking.