Thursday Tilda

Hey, I'm getting kinda good at this making-a-card-then-blogging-about-it thing. It still amazes me how much faster it all goes when I know where everything is! I've been using a little of everything, mostly things I forgot I had :)

I kind of can't believe how many Magnolia stamps I have. When I was organizing, I had a bin that I was going to put them all into. However, halfway into it, I realized I was going to need a bigger boat bin. I think it took 3 attempts to find one that fit them all. They just fit. I guess I can't buy anymore. 

hahaaaaaaaaa

This is one of my favorites. Probably because I looooove strawberries. If it's got strawberries in it or tastes like a strawberry I will have 5. {and yes, that includes margaritas}.

I kind of got silly with that Twinkling pen thing again. I just love it & I'd better stock up. Although, I noticed they come in colors. I only have clear. I can't really imagine using colors. I bought all kinds of colored Stickles & I only ended up using the clear. 

I have to admit I haven't looked at a Stampin Up catalog in a whole lot of years. I have no idea what color card stock they carry, or any of the stamp sets they sell. But Riveting has always been one of my favorites & probably my most used. I love circle sentiments & these are so simple they can be used on any kind of card. I mean, ya gotta have a sentiment, right?? 

Yes, even the poor butterfly has been Twinkle-fied. Or is it Twinkle-ized??

I need to get back into the challenge/ linky/ blog parties! I'm playing along with the following: 

Marvelous Magnolia ~ anything goes (always a favorite lol)

Magnolia-licious ~ ALSO anything goes (on a roll!)

Sincerely Paula ~ no rules weekend party (teenage me would have loved a no rules weekend party!!)

Crafty Girls Creations ~ anything goes

Crafty Ribbons ~ anything goes


Till next time!


~Michelle~

Brace yourselves ....

You are not going to believe this .... I don't believe it myself .... I keep having to look at it ....
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The last couple of years I've averaged about 2 cards a year. I got the second one done just under the wire! 

I colored the image back in August, then school started & I started working more hours  & we had our German exchange student stay with us for a couple of weeks & well, here we are! My son was gone one night recently so I snuck down to my former craft area {which now houses computers & guitars & amps} & was able to get it done. My eyes only glazed over a couple of times. 

And ... maybe this was the spark I needed ... because yesterday I went to the local stamp store for the first time in about 2 years. I was in the area & thought I'd stop in & see what's new. New? hahahaaaaa

There was so much new stuff, I didn't know what half of it was. Ginormous crayon thingies for coloring ... painty things with glitter .... stamp companies I've never heard of ... & Penny Black PAPER?!?? Since when do they make paper? 

Guess I'll stick with what I own for now. 

I even cut my image out .... I almost never do that. I flunked cutting in kindergarten. Wait, I didn't go to kindergarten! Maybe that's my problem ....

Now ... what to do with this card?

I'm sure there are some challenges out there I could join, but frankly I am too tired to look :)

Enjoy the rest of your week! 

Surprise!

Ha .... fooled you! You thought I only made ONE card last week when Michael was sick. Turns out, I'm more fabulous than you thought! I made two cards! I don't think I made 2 cards all last year. See what I can accomplish with a little concentration? {& the peace & quiet didn't hurt!}

I have quite a few stamps that I had bought just before I ran clean outta spare time. This is one of the many Tildas I have stashed away. Little did I know when I made this last week, that this week we would actually have snow! And cold! Brrrrr ....

I did revert back to my pencils, which I will never ever part with no matter what. You should see my Crimson Red pencil -- it's now about 2 inches long LOL. I may have used that one a bit over the years :)

I used some old Basic Grey paper - Jovial, perhaps? The sentiments are old Michael's dollar sets - you know, those clear ones that are thrown into a bin? Can't remember the brand, but I know you know what I'm talking about. 

And just to be a total geek, I added sparkly Stickles & some fluffy stuff for falling snow. 

I may as well enter this one into a few challenges as well. Hey, that reminds me - I won the Divas by Design challenge last week! Yay me! I think I'll enter that one again. Yes, I'm aware I won't win 2 weeks in a row .... but my card fits the theme!

Divas By Design ~ Something Snowy
7 Kids College Fund ~ Anything Goes (my favorite theme!)
Magnolia-licious ~ Winter
Simply Magnolia ~ Anything Goes (another one!)

Thanks for visiting! And no .... I don't have a third card done ..... I'm not THAT ambitious :)

What I did on my day off .....

Kind of like "what I did on my summer vacation", haha. Don't worry, I won't write a whole essay! 

My younger son is home sick today, so after doing the laundry & dishes & other domestic stuff I never have time to do, I did something else I never have time to do. Play with my inks! Wow, I am *really* out of practice. It took me forever to even find the name of the stamp, & while searching I realized I must have missed about 20 Magnolia releases. One thing I can say, I've definitely saved a lot of money in the last year by not stamping! 

So, here is my card using "Witch Tilda & Pumpkins", from about 20 collections ago. Not only did I make a card, but I used my Copics! Yes, I still have some left :)

I have to admit, I did buy a new paper pad. I was in Michael's to buy something for one of my kids for school, & couldn't help but browse through the fall stuff. I love making fall cards, & I found a Recollections pad for about $3. Didn't exactly break the bank with that purchase. 

I kept the card pretty simple because I really like the paper with that big ole label-y type design & didn't want to cover it up with too much "stuff".

Other than the paper, everything on this card I've had for-EVER. The flowers were probably some of my first .... the charm I bought many years ago (bought a ton on Ebay) ...

So there you go .... please be kind .... thanks for visiting!

Entering into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp ~ Anything goes

Craftitude ~Anything goes/ Use twine or string (I'm linking to their whole blog, their post doesn't seem to be linkable)

Card Crafters Circle ~ Cute cards

Divas by Design ~ Use orange
7 Kids College Fund ~ Anything goes
Tilda's Town ~ Anything goes
Magnolia-licious ~ Anything goes

SO much free time!

Ahahaaaa - had you there, didn't I? I don't have free time! In fact, I am totally stressing out, because our County Fair is in a little over a week, & the boys & I are all entering projects. I don't know why I thought it would be fun for ME to enter - all it is, is added stress. And my boys play baseball all 5 nights this week. So .... free time?? Uh-uh!

BUT somehow I did find time to make a card. You know why? Because I no longer have any "stuff". I realized that all my time was taken not by actually making the card, but by looking for all the "stuff" - the papers, the embellishments, the sentiments ..... that right there is a time sucker!

And here's something funny - this image is colored with Copic markers. I hardly ever used Copics even when I made a LOT of cards. In fact, I got rid of most of them. I have about 10 left. That's the funny part. It was actually easier for me with just the 10, because I wasn't stressing about which colors to use. I didn't have many choices! hahahaa

The papers are OLD. Basic Grey Infuse. One of my first paper packs. That is one thing I *didn't* get rid of - any of my Basic Grey pads. I will always love them :)

And .... I still have plenty of Stickles, lol. Funny though, I have about 12 bottles - many colors - but I always reach for the clear. Stardust is my favorite. 

I'm entering this card in a few challenges:

7 Kids College Fund - Anything Goes (alcohol markers optional)

Stamp & Create - Let's Get Wet (summer image)

Tilda's Town - Summer Fun

Lovely Hanglar Only (which I guess now includes Magnolia) - Flower Power

Thanks for visiting ~ hope you have a fun-filled week!

I am on a roll!

Hello all, & happy WEEKEND! It was a beautiful day today - I had no idea it was supposed to be in the 80's - but it was sunny & not rainy & perfect! This spring has been CRAZY here in Wisconsin. Just last week I had my electric blanket on. And the heat. Good grief! 

Are you wondering about the title of this post? I am on a roll because I made ANOTHER card! That's the third card this year! LOL. (Never mind that I used to make 3 cards in a week!) I sold some Magnolia stamps recently, & as I was going through them all to decide what to sell & what to keep, this cutie popped out at me. I love this one - it has to be one of my favorites. Don't know why, I'm not really into fishing anymore - but I used to go all the time with my hubby. Ah yes, nothing like getting up at 4 a.m. - putting worms on a hook - sitting in a boat for hours on end - having to KEEP QUIET so I don't scare the fish away LOL - then smelling like fish the rest of the day. Good times :)

Anyway, on to my card:

I also sold some papers recently - but I will never part with my Basic Grey pads - especially the older ones. This is Boxer & it is pretty much gone, except for some scraps :(

I feel like I've lost the ability to color. I thought it was like riding a bike - but as I peek at some blogs, I see there have been some new discoveries in the realm of coloring. Mine's a bit blah - but I still like the card overall. 

This was a dollar stamp from Michael's, from about 5 years ago. Back when they made the square wooden ones. Love this stamp, definitely one of my most used sentiments. 

I really go back & forth with the whole stamping thing. Some days I look at my stuff & I just want to get rid of the whole lot. But, then when I sit & actually start to go through stuff -- like the Magnolias -- I find it really hard to part with some of it. Some days I think, what's the point? I'll make a card & it will sit, collecting dust. But, then I think at one time in my life it was very therapeutic & if I didn't spend at least a few minutes a day doing *something* card-related, I thought I would lose my mind. I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff, which has really helped. I think I was overwhelmed with all my choices before. If I pare it down to the bare minimum, I don't have to make so many decisions. Decisions are stressful, you know :)

I will leave you with a couple of pictures I took on this fine summer day - Saturday is my day to walk around the yard & catch up on what I missed all week while I was at work!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

Blueberry Tilda

Hello everyone, happy Hump Day! Quick post today -- lots to do! But I wanted to share my card that I finally finished -- just in case any of you weren't believing that I had actually started one :)


I love all my Tildas & I won't even say anymore that any are my favorites. I love them all equally :)  This time I was in the mood for some blueberries --

I definitely don't use this color combo very often -  but came across one of my older paper collections & decided it worked perfectly with this image. The pad is Making Memories Chloe's Closet -- probably one of my first 6x6 pads! I've been very good about using what I have & not buying anything new - especially paper. I have loads & NEED to use some of it up. I colored Tilda with pencils & Goo Gone -- the sentiment is Amuse - lots of dies & punches & the usual extras :)

I added glitter to her apron thing & the basket liner thing -- lol -- I don't know what they're called but I'm sure they should be sparkly :)  

I think this photo shows it a little better -- and also the clear glaze I used. Blueberries are shiny right? Yeah, not really -- but in Tilda land they are! 

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Just Magnolia - buttons & bows

Papertake Weekly - anything goes

Make It Monday - anything goes

Thanks to those of you who have emailed me with comments & info about your camera -- I love hearing about what you have & what you love/ don't love about it -- it's helping me narrow down my decision. If you want to tell me about your camera -- leave me a comment in THIS POST -- or shoot me an email!

Thanks for visiting & enjoy the rest of your week!

SCS sketch challenge!

Good Thursday evening, everyone! I am sitting in my comfy recliner, all set for the Idol results show! Last night was amazing....I didn't know who to vote for! Phillip is my favorite.....Holly is right up there....but last night Elise rocker her little heart out & she did AWESOME! Such a fun show! 

Anyway, back to the reason you all came here ....this week I decided that I wanted to join in the SCS sketch challenge. I haven't joined in a SCS challenge in AGES! I had already started coloring the image (remember, it takes me a few days to make a card lol) so yesterday when I was ready to put it together I went to check out the sketch & it was perfect! To make it even more of a challenge, I decided to keep the rectangle shape. Yes, I could have made it a square, but it was more of a challenge this way --- I never make rectangular cards anymore!

I used my NEW Koala Hugs Tilda -- I've admired her from afar for awhile now & I'm thrilled she's MINE :)   I stamped her onto Cryogen Shimmer White with Memento London Fog ink -- not quite the "no line" look, but close. It definitely gives it a different look. The papers are SU Basic Gray, Bazzill Red Rock & Basic Grey Ambrosia. I used my Magnolia swirly die again -- my new favorite border -- & added just a flower & a corner die. Rectangular cards definitely don't allow for a lot of "stuff"!

With each image I color, I use a little more gray, lol. I really am trying because I do want to achieve those shadows, but it is really hard! I like the pretty colors, it's hard to add gray to them!

Can you see his cute shiny nose? Doesn't it look cold & wet? LOL! I think you can also see a bit of the shimmer of the paper -- love this stuff. Thanks to my friend Dianne who reminded me that this paper is awesome to use with both pencils & Copics. I had forgotten I had it! 


In addition to the SCS sketch challenge, I am entering this into the following challenges:


Creative Mondays ~ anything goes
Make It Monday ~ anything goes
Simon Says Stamp ~ anything goes (I'm seeing a trend here)


Yep I go for the TOUGH challenges, lol!

Idol is half over, & Elise & Phillip are both safe. Holly is in the bottom 3 which surprises me, she is so good. I don't understand DeAndre AT ALL -- all the hair & bouncing & singing falsetto -- yuck. I also am not a fan of Jacob. And it's funny because the judges are gaga over both of them. Idol is never boring, that's for sure! 

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!! 

Tilda's been baking

Wow, only a week has gone by since my last post, not too shabby! But WOW the weather --- crazy! 80 degrees here in Wisconsin today. The first day of spring is this week, & we usually still have a foot of snow on the ground! I love it -- but nicer weather means even less time crafting for me -- I'm itching to start planting! I know better though --- it's still Wisconsin -- we could still get a blizzard or two!

Speaking of blizzards, I guess this is a Christmas image. It's from the Sweet Christmas Dreams collection & it's called Tilda with Christmas Goods, or something like that :) To me, it's more Valentines Day-ish, with the hearts. But it doesn't matter, because I missed both holidays!! So it is what it is --- a generic, all occasion card. The image is colored with Copics -- the papers are Basic Grey BLUSH -- remember that collection?? That goes WAY back, my very first Basic Grey pad. I love the border -- that's a die from Magnolia & it's adorable! Love the swirlies -- but I should have cut both sides of that strip of paper with it. Yep that's me, always seeing "what could have been".

I'm SUCH a fan of cutting out images ........ *sarcasm*.....

I died some cheesecloth red to use behind the flower -- & added lots of Stickles. Sure wish flowers were sparkly & glittery in real life :)

Well I'm off to get dinner on the table -- hamburgers on the grill -- **shaking head** -- I'm glad Mother Nature's been in a good mood lately!!

Have a super week!

Pie Tilda

Hi all -- happy Monday. Well it's almost Tuesday. So it's really almost the middle of the week. Wow, that went fast!

So I got my package from Stamp & Create last week, & I could NOT wait to ink up this cutie~

This is Pie Tilda -- although I see no pie. But I love her anyway (although I'd love her more if she had pie!) I also used my bench stamp for the first time since I bought it last year. I really thought I would use that more. Hmmm maybe it's because my stamp area has become total chaos & I forget what I have. I had organized it at one time .....but I'm usually spent by the time I finally finish a card so I just leave it be till I can get around to cleaning it up ..... which is usually never ....

ANYWAY --- I stamped her onto Cryogen Shimmery White paper (thanks Dianne, for reminding me how awesome this paper is with Copics!) I hate masking -- so I cut Tilda out (she almost got a new 'do -- it wasn't easy cutting around those piggie tails!) & set her on the bench. I was really excited to use my new Butterfly Circles Nestie that I got ON SALE at Joann today ~ I' hadn't bought any Nesties in a while, I couldn't decide which to get! Papers are DCWV Old School -- sentiment is Papertrey Ink -- 

I was hoping to catch the glimmer of the paper -- but let's face it I'm a stamper not a photographer!

And can I just say -- I'm trying really hard to use grays more when coloring -- I know it's how you get really good shadows -- & I've read the tutorials -- but I just can NOT use that much gray, lol. It turns out great for others -- but my hand just won't let me add as much gray as I should -- I'm really trying -- it looked like I added a lot when I was coloring this -- but I see now that I really didn't. I feel like I'm ruining the image if I add too much gray. It's all a learning process...

I'm entering this into these challenges:

Just Magnolia -- Use a doily (store bought or die cut)

Totally Tilda -- Tilda with die cuts & punches

Simon Says Stamp -- Use 3 different papers

Papertake Weekly -- Get Krafty

Thanks for visiting!