Divas by Design . . . Anything Goes

Welcome to the very first challenge of a new challenge blog called Divas by Design!

This blog will host bi-weekly challenges that start every other Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. GMT starting May 4th.

"We want everyone to have fun and freedom in their creations so we don't mind if you use digi stamps, rubber stamps or no stamps! We would just like you to follow our theme for the challenge and have fun doing it! Please feel free to grab our badge for your sidebar and follow us for future fun!"

I was so pleasantly surprised when they chose me for a member of the design team, and then very humbled when I started to see the creations by the other DT members! They are fabulous!

I chose to make a card and pulled out a Tilda given to me by a friend. I always enjoy playing with paper dolls! The sketch I followed was created by my friend's daughter, she's already got her own sketch blog and she is ten years old? I think? You can find it here, Sketches by Carly.

I've been itching to use some dies from My Favorite Things, that's the banner in the corner. After I made it I realized that I should probably have put a "Y" for the last letter, I'm so used to short handing everything texting the kids now, I realize that not everyone will be able to interpret this! But the letters stand for I Love You. . . .but I used a "u" instead of a "y." Okay, time to stop rambling!

The point is, I had fun, and you are meant to have fun too, so for this first challenge, anything goes!

(And just a note for anyone who is time zone challenged (as I am). The challenges post at 9:00 GMT which is Greenwich Mean Time, so compared to EST in the U.S. that time is four hours ahead if you practice daylight savings time.)

This card fits the following challenges:

Just Magnolia: Buttons, bows and bling (buttons)

Sketches by Carly: sketch

Claudia and Co: butterflies

Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge 63 . . . Whatever is Pure

Happy Sunday stampers! Today's hostess for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge is the lovely Linda from down under, with this verse from Php 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

This comes across the bow like a breath of fresh air! The national news is nothing if not depressing and personally the news on the home front reads like a soap opera. It is impossible to ignore when you have sick relatives or friends, your husband comes home to report that it was his turn to be downsized, the bills pile up and new ones appear like magic but not the income . . . and on and on and on.

Are we supposed to ignore those things? No, problems don't just disappear if you hide under a rock. But when you run to the rock and cling to the rock and build your hope, your foundation upon that rock, that's when these news reports take their proper place in the shuffle of your life. And in the midst of planning and doing what you can to help and to solve life's problems, it helps to turn your perspective to the refreshing thoughts that emerge from a verse like the one above.

What is true? God loves me. I know this because the entire bible is his love song to me and to the rest of the world about his great gift of salvation. The truth is He created me and has a purpose for my life even on those dark days when you feel like you're slogging through the mud.

What is honest? God is always honest, He cannot lie, whereas satan is the father of lies. Shoo him away!!! That's the voice inside of you telling you to give up hope. Never listen to that voice, listen instead to the voice that is true and honest and gives you eternal hope.

What is pure, what is lovely? God fits both of those descriptions and if you look around you can find in almost any environment those things that He created that are pure and lovely. Look at a seashell, a snowflake, a determined flower growing through the cracks of an urban sidewalk . . . a sunset glowing with color, the smile on a baby's face in the grocery store checkout line just ahead of you. It helps immensely to take a break, to spend time in prayer contemplating those aspects of God's character that fit that verse and those things that he created that refresh and renew our minds. The verses preceding and just following verse 8 talk about experiencing God's peace. Refreshing our mind in the Lord will help us find that peace in the midst of the turmoil of this world.

So this week's challenge is for you to create an all white or all cream card, a monochrome in pure tones. As you can see I had a bit of difficulty making mine completely pure. I tossed in cream with my white and then added some metallics and pink. A little bit of color is okay {I think, this isn't my turn to be challenge hostess so Linda has the final word on this}.

But I do know that we are greatly looking forward to seeing your lovely creations in our gallery, you can link up your card on the home page. And our sponsor this week is Simon Says Stamp which carries tons of things for papercrafting and a wide variety of the Magnolia Tildas, one of which I used on my card. Thanks for looking and have a great week.

I also am posting this card to the challenge this week at North Ridge Media's Create blog challenge for this week to put ruffles on your creations. I took a piece of pink ribbon for the background, threaded a needle and just made large basting stitches and gathered it all in. Then to emphasize it a bit more I added a ruffly sort of edge punch on swirled vellum on either side of the ribbon.

Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge 62 . . . Think Pink!

Happy Sunday stampers! It is time for another challenge from Stampin' Sisters in Christ. This week's sponsor is the Lollipop Shop by Lori Boyd. Many of the DT members used her images, you can view them on the home page, very cute! I couldn't get my ornery printer to cooperate and pulled out a different stamp instead.

And our hostess this week is the uber-talented Chris Olsen, who selected this verse from Psalm 73:6 "My health may fail, my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever." You can read her thoughts on the main page.

Her challenge is to use a pink ribbon and primarily pink on your card. I used pink and dusky rose in combination to match some pretty Basic Grey Indian Summer paper. I just wasn't feeling the brights, but more subtle shades of pink this week.

October is breast cancer awareness month. I am going in on Monday for the annual mammogram and doctor visit. If you have not scheduled yours yet this year, DO SO! Please.

My family has been touched more than once by breast cancer. My SIL is currently battling a recurrence of it and it takes many various and nasty forms when it returns. She is not doing well. My grandmother died of breast cancer when I was in high school and she was a dear person.

This verse that Chris selected is a great reminder that regardless of whether someone is battling breast cancer or some other dreadful disease, the Lord is our strength. I just love how the writer of that psalm phrased it, "God remains the strength of my heart." Our body can be sick and weak, but our hearts can hold comfort, strength and peace.

I know my SIL draws a lot of strength in this battle from her faith. One of our design team members, Randi Barrett, is a continual beacon of hope and thanksgiving in the midst of her many health concerns, cancer among them. Her faith never wavers. Although she has discouraging moments and faces a lot of fears she is continually leaning on God and recounting his blessings.

I know there are a lot of other blogs and challenges featuring pink this month, won't you join us as we raise awareness? We look forward to seeing your creations.

One of the fun things I enjoyed making my card is that I used papers and coloring materials from Basic Grey, PTI, SU and my prismacolor pencils yet it was one of those rare occasions when they matched up really easily. Don't you love it when that happens?

The Just Magnolia blogspot is also having a pink challenge this week, you can check it out here.
Stampin' Royalty challenge is to use ribbons .

Stamps: Magnolia Tilda, Mark's Finest Papers sentiment Autumn Fun, Rubber Stamp Tapestry vine images behind Tilda {I stamped them in versamark and used chalk to color them in to match the BG paper}
Ink: black, versamark, Ranger Distress Ink tea rose
Paper: lavender, scarlet, poppy, white, pink, silver, Basic Grey Indian Summer
Other: Martha Stewart edge punch, silver EP, silver gel pen, pink ribbon {light satin and hot pink organdy with stripes}, prismacolor pencils, oval punch, pins, chalks

Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge 45? . . . stripes

Happy Sunday stampers! Its time for another challenge from Stampin' Sisters in Christ! Our hostess this week is the lovely Randi, who selected this verse:

Isaiah 53:5 (KJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; And with His stripes we are healed.

Her challenge is to incorporate stripes in your card or project. You can read her thoughts on her chosen verse on our home page here.

I have about two minutes to post, we are on a camping trip and I have just a few moments of server time that I borrowed at a Taco Bell.

If you can find time to participate we'd love to have you play along. You can use Mr. Linky on the blog home page to link your card and this week's sponsor is Toucan Scraps, which has generously donated a prize for one lucky winner. Wishing you all a blessed week!

Tilda with her broom

Had this image lying around from a previous unfinished project and went looking for a sketch for her. Found one for this past week on the Just Magnolia blog. I missed the link posting time, but a good Tilda is never late for a party! :) I had fun coloring her and matching up the paper. Thanks for looking! Have a great day!

It Takes Two Just Magnolia challenge

The weather here continues to be rainy, gray and cloudy, so the light stinks for getting a decent photo. This was a fun challenge though, you had to incorporate two magnolia stamps in your creation. I decided the flip-flop card layout or technique would make a great way to use two magnolias or Tildas. The two photos are not two separate cards, but opposite sides of the same card. That's what makes it a flip flop.

I spent a lot of time looking through my stash of stamps because I wanted one that said, "Friends for all seasons." That was the idea behind my card, one Tilda is in bright summer and the other is in winter. The bird on the winter side is made of chipboard covered with white craft paint and overlaid with a translucent blue glitter. That fits the Shabby Tea Room challenge this week to use chipboard in your creation. The bird on the other side, summer, is made of blue felt for a brighter look suitable to that season.

Thanks for looking. This card took me entirely too long to make! :)

Stamps: Magnolia Tildas, PTI anniversary set sentiments
Paper: lots
Ink: black and white craft
Other: chipboard, felt, markers, prismacolor pencils and gamsol, SU WWC, glitter, snowflake buttons, silver brads, lace, ribbon, blah, blah, blah

Feeling blue. . . Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge 35

Happy Sunday stampers! Its time for another challenge from Stampin' Sisters in Christ. This week's lovely and talented hostess is candid Candace! She has selected this verse from Isaiah 40:8 "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." The challenge this week is to use flowers on your card or project.

I have some lovely flowers on my dining room table and was looking for a project involving a container to hold some chiffon flowers and found this adorable template on Splitcoast Stampers for a watering can. The trickest part of this particular project was figuring out a stem for the chiffon flowers . . . so this is the 'sticky' project. There are glue dots and pieces of tape everywhere . . . if someone has a good idea for a flower stem for these, PLEASE post it! The tutorial for making these chiffon flowers can be found on Priscilla Styles blog, I found it months ago and it is one of my favorite techniques.

The paper is blue, the flowers blue all because a friend of mine is feeling very blue and I was thinking of her as I made this project, to make something to help cheer her up. Blue can describe our mood but blue can be beautiful as well, something I was trying to convey through these flowers. Again, while making these chiffon flowers, the song "Beauty for Ashes" was running through my mind . . . if you've made these flowers you know you have to sear the edges of the chiffon to hold its shape. But that verse stamped on the watering can promises that God will bring beauty form the ashes of the fires that can consume our lives sometimes. That is my wish for this friend of mine, that out of the difficulty she is now experiencing, that beauty will come out of the ashes.

There are so many comforting verses in the bible and that's what Candace's selected verse reminds us. That the Word of God alone is eternal, His promises are true and never fail. All the things of this earth will fade away, but we can trust in God eternal and HIs word to guide us through any situation.

Our sponsor this week is the art of Michelle Perkett found here. Thanks for looking. Hope you can play along this week.

I also decided to play along with a few other challenges:
CCEE 1015 to make a 'get well' style card . . . this card is meant as a get well or feel better project for my friend
Cute Card Thursday challenge 108 'Touchy Feely' . . .you want to touch those chiffon flowers, they're so much fun to hold, I had a tough time getting a pic and telling my daughter to please leave it sit for a minute, then she could touch the flowers!

Stamps: Verve (plain Jane), Magnolia Tilda
Ink: Black stazon
Cardstock: white, olive green, Melissa Frances Leah, Paper Studio
Other: chiffon, reinkers, aquapainter, pearls, prima leaves

Roses near my window

Another tent style Tilda card, this one is my favorite because I love roses . . . as though you didn't know! Details for how to make this style card or this technique are on the Just Magnolia blog.

I used DP I found at Hobby Lobby, sentiment is from a PTI set, Giga Guidelines I believe and then this is the same Tilda I used yesterday. Thanks for looking! This was a fun style card to make.

Tent style Tildas

I went a bit nuts with the latest challenge on the Just Magnolia blog, I actually made three of these tent card Tildas, but the other I won't post until the recipient opens it up! This was such a neat format for Tilda, although the one problem I encountered was I had to use the largest size of nestability available to make the opening, otherwise you can't see Tilda's feet. :) And on that particular card I wanted it framed. You'll find directions to this challenge on the blog if you click on my link.

The first card is for Mothermark's Teapot Tuesday challenge as well as the Oh Alice! blog challenge to paint the roses red. Mothermark is asking us to send our tea party cards to a young woman in Colorado who not only is pregnant for the first time (major excitement!) but in her second trimester discovered she has Hodgkin's Lymphoma (not good!!). So this will go in the mail tomorrow and you can read about it on her blog post here if you would like to make and send a card too.

The colors I used fit a neat new challenge blog called Oh Alice! based on Alice in Wonderland. You really should check it out, the challenges are a lot of fun although this is the first chance I've had to play. This week is 'painting the roses red' and the color challenge involved purple blue and red (check, check and check.)

On the second card I used orange and blue for the latest Papertrey Peeps challenge. True, I didn't use any PTI stamps, but hey, I was on a roll with Tilda and couldn't stop.

All Tildas colored with prismacolor pencils and gamsol, using a variety of paper and embellishments, blah, blah, blah. Thanks for looking! And many thanks to the friend I was talking to on the phone who reminded me how much easier it is to color in your images to match your paper choice, rather than coloring an image and rummaging through scraps to find an appropriate piece of DP which usually proves impossible! :) You know who you are!!

Sunflowers in my dreams

While the title of my blog might be 'roses by my window' with winter in full bloom instead, floral scenes are hard to find. I've not only been craving spinach in my diet, I've been craving green things outside my window. The first one is easier to fulfill with a short trip to the grocery store. The second wish can only be realized in my dreams so I've been dreaming of sunflowers. I also had half of the stained glass sunflower panel I made a week ago and didn't want it to go to waste. A dear friend sent me some stamped images and I came across sunflower Tilda . . . so it was a great match for the sunflowers.

There is a sweet challenge on the Just Magnolia blog this week to use hearts and flowers. I made my own 'sunflowers' to match the card's theme and have tiny punched out hearts in the margin of one of the green panels. I wanted this card to fit an A2 envelope; Tilda loves big square cards but the post office does not. :) I might have overdone it on the yellow and green but it helped soothe my longing for Spring! Thanks for looking.

Stamps: Tilda image from a friend, Northwoods sunflowers
Paper: PTI lemon, white, SU gable green, summer sunrise and saffron, assorted DP, acetate
Ink: summer sunrise and mustard
Other: lace from Flourishes, polka dot ribbon from PTI, PTI black vintage buttons, kohinoor pencils, prismas, gamsol, Martha Stewart border punch (hearts), Martha Stewart daisy punch, nestability, cinnamon stickles, Martha Stewart glitter, AI dries clear glue, glue dots

Winter green Tilda

Do you have 'happy' and 'sad' stamps? I've noticed when I'm sad I reach for my Tildas. I've been paper piecing four of them the last two days and it soothes something inside of me. I seem to pull them out when I'm feeling a bit blue.

This fits a sketch challenge at Just Magnolia. I bought this gorgeous, wide ribbon at Michael's a few weeks ago intending to help use it to dress up a Tilda and went searching for a sketch this morning that would suit it. I know it is awfully large, but such a rich ribbon. You can see the sketch challenge here.

I used PTI's Damask Designs on gold cardstock from Gina K's, embossed in gold with gold tinsel embossing powder, to try to match the nature of the ribbon. Tilda is paper pieces with a piece of SU DP, sorry, don't know the type. It has tiny red dots in it, so part of her sleeve is red. Martha Stewart branch punch in two types of gold paper for some of the embellishments. If you look at the sketch there are five graduated circles on it, I used roses with a jingle bell to make a large cluster since I didn't have a large jingle bell and the height would make it near impossible to mail this card if I did. Then I used different sizes of rhinestones for the two smallest circles.

So what are your New Year's traditions? When the kids were younger we used to sit down and make a list of all the things we were thankful for from the previous year and what we would be praying for in the year to come. Its hard to corral them now that most of them are so much older, but I find today a good day to reflect on the blessings of the past year and there are many. Thanks for looking and have a safe, happy and health new year!

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

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.

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. 

Magnolia paper bag

There is a monthly challenge on a magnolia blog to create a sort of 3-D item. Last month it was a cute little post it note holder bag, this month it is a brown paper bag mini booklet or album. 

  

I like my magnolias, its like playing with paper dolls! This did take a while to put together though, each magnolia takes a bit to color and then to figure out a layout for each page. 

The first scene is the front of the booklet, the theme for the entire booklet is tea. Tilda is sitting on a tea cup (not sure if you can tell, but that's what it is). I found an image of a teacup I liked online, plain white, printed it out to use as a template, cut out a paper cup and then embossed and colored the rim and colored in shadows to hopefully give it some definition. 


On the inside front page and I used the Papertrey Ink teapot raining down some flowers with Tilda on the side. I have to thank Traci for a lovely RAK containing the flowers and the pink pearls. 

The third page, as you can see, I sewed in half, when you fold the brown paper bag that's the opening and by sewing it in half lengthwise I have two long pockets to insert tea bags as a little gift inside. 

Then the last page shows my newest Tilda, the one holding the bird cage against a backdrop of one of the pendant nestabilities. 

The set uses a packet of SU designer paper to help coordinate colors. Thanks for looking. 

You can find the other entries to this monthly challenge here. 

Virtual Stamp Night Salted Tilda

See the pink background behind Tilda on the bottom panel? This is a salted background, I had never tried it before, but it was the challenge posed for number four this evening for VSN. 

  There is a great tutorial on SCS for this technique written by Beth Warner. You should try it! 

Thanks for looking. 

RST Prize and a Tilda

Some people think I am the peggysue who won Vintage Picnic from Papertrey Ink. I am not that peggysue, that is a different person and I wish her all joy from her fabulous prize and much enjoyment utilizing the stamps! That set is on my wish list however.

  Here you see a prize that I did win recently, much to my surprise, from Rubber Stamp Tapestry. The company has a very helpful blog, here, which has tutorials for using their peg stamp sets. I entered a comment admiring a card and voila! won the stamp pads and stamp pegs you see above. I have to admit, I had mixed feelings about this win . . . I really had no thought in my mind of winning a set, I was just leaving a nice comment. I've been missing my dad more than ever with Father's Day so close around the corner . . . but the vintage stamps are lovely and I will put them to good use.  Thank you to Rubber Stamp Tapestry for your generosity and the tutorials which are helping me understand better than ever how to utilize my peg stamps. 

  And the card is just a Tilda using up some scraps I had lying on my desk. I have been organizing my paper into hanging file folders and trying to clear things up in general. I had colored her a while ago and had that exact size piece of DP as a scrap lying about, so I put them together and made a card. Thanks for looking. 

Summer Tilda post it note holder

This is what you can make while the Cubs go into extra innings during a Sunday afternoon game. The game lasted five hours today and went through 14 innings, but they won! They won! 

Ahem. Anyway, while I was going through some friends' blogs, I came across a Magnolia - licious blog hop and challenge. I haven't played with my Tildas for a while and thought it would be fun. 

I also was anxious to break into this new Doodlebug Designs paper for summer. I was at Archiver's a few weeks ago and just took one sheet of each design off the rack, I had to have the whole set! 

The challenge was to make a post it note holder and little bag to carry it. So the Tilda you see is on a post it holder and there is a very BRIGHT green post it pad inside. The 'ribbon' Tilda is sitting on is actually a stamp, I have a set, I think its Hero Arts, of ribbon style stamps and my favorite has got to be the gingham. You can make it in any color and it looks like it is real ribbon. 

My favorite way to color Tilda is with an aquapainter and SU reinkers. One day I'll get around to really learning how to use my copics, but for now Tilda and I will paint together! :)

And I guess I was itching to make some layers after the no layer card challenge for PTI so my little bag has lots of them! I also wanted an excuse to use that lacy vintage cuttlebug die and it kind of reminds of this loopy, short sort of garden fence my dad used to put around strawberries when I was young. The bag looked a little plain, so I used the Martha Stewart punch to add a bit of coordinating loopiness at the top. :) And I had a wee bitty strawberry stamp set from Stampendous that sort of matches the strawberries in the Doodlebug Designs paper. Thanks for looking. 

Whoops! I forgot to put a link, in case you want to play too, you have until June 12th. Here is the link with the details: http://magnolia-licioushighlites.blogspot.com/2009/06/magnolia-licious-dt-blog-hop-summer.html

Stamps: Hero Arts ribbon, Stampendous Strawberry Cutie, Magnolia Tilda, PTI 'Life' set (sentiment)

Cardstock: Kraft, chipboard, doodlebug Designs summer paper set, Bazill Starmist textured paper, SU pink pirouette, watercolor paper (tilda)

Inks: wide variety of SU reinkers including Pacific Point, Barely Banana, Summer Sun, Marigold Morning, Close to Cocoa, Pixie Pink, Graphite Black Brilliance archival ink

Other: SU retired ribbon (brown bag handle), spellbinder nestabilities, cuttlebug vintage die, gemstone, Martha Stewart border punch 

Tilda with Thistle

This card is for another sketch challenge, the Twisted Thursday #6, hosted by Shirley's2Girls. I was ready to punch, emboss, embroider, stencil, whatever, but the twist this week was a color challenge. In addition to the layout, you have to use eggplant, olive and rose. . . or some variation of those shades. For some reason, using the color purple is like pulling teeth for me and this is the second time in a month I've had to use it! 

  I ordered this Tilda stamp because my oldest daughter loves thistles . . . think of Mel Gibson in Braveheart and you'll understand why. I've not had the chance to color her in before this and I used, in addition to peach and rose for her cheeks and mustard and summer sun for her hair, eggplant and rose on her dress and olive and eggplant for the thistle she is holding. I like using SU reinkers for watercoloring objects and clothing, but I use SU watercolor wonder crayons for her face and such, less intense and gives a more natural look I think. 

Yet in all the time I've owned my SU watercolor crayons, I've never tried directly applying them to a stamp, spritzing with water and stamping on watercolor paper. I happen to own a Fred Mullet thistle stamp that seemed perfect for both the background and this technique, so I tried it out and I like it! I colored the thistle first with the eggplant crayon, added a bit of rose towards the bottom of the blossom and then used olive on the stem. Of course I decided to live dangerously and at the last minute add an embossed sentiment on the paper and as I was blissfully aiming the heat gun at it I noticed I was starting to curl the ribbon . . . not something I wanted to do. I share these ooops! stamping moments because its a great reminder that you are not alone. Even though I've been stamping now for five years almost every card has those oh no! elements and if you're lucky you can do a save. Thanks for looking. 

Stamps: Magnolia Tilda with Thistle, Fred Mullett lil' Thistle, Papertrey Ink Green Thumb (sentiment), Guidelines

Inks: Black, white craft, rose, olive (stamped off so they came out lighter), SU reinkers in summer sun, mustard, eggplant, olive, rose, creamy caramel and close to cocoa. 

Paper: Eggplant, olive, rose, confetti white, watercolor paper, Papertrey Ink guidelines

Other: SU watercolor crayons, aquapainter, random ribbon from my desktop, white EP, glitter, Fiskars threading water punch

Tilda Valentine

Welcome to my blog, and my very first post!

Kind of nice to start on Valentine's Day as it is one of my favorite holidays. I like the pinks and reds in the middle of winter. By this time of year we've usually had so much snow we're ready for some color!

I am so fortunate too to have children, a dear husband and friends to love. This card is for a friendship Valentine's swap. 

Tilda is sitting on a 'window' made using SU Bella double-sided designer paper. This is a CASE of a layout created by Pickletree although I cannot hope to approach her creativity or skill level! I used square plain and scalloped nestabilities to make the frame. 

For the window, cute a square of the designer paper and then score and cut it diagonally to make the triangles. Center your frame in the middle of the card using one layer of dimensionals to pop it up a bit and gently pull the corners of the triangle through the frame and then adhere the corners with a brad, button or glue of your choice. 

Tilda is painted using reinkers and an aquapainter, except for her face, I use SU watercolor wonder crayons for that.  The corners feature a cuttlebug vintage die and the tulips each have a tiny pearl and they are 'raining' hearts down onto Tilda.  Primary colors used are Kiwi Kiss, Pirouette Pink and Riding Hood Red. Thank you for looking.