Just For You

Wow this card took awhile to make; perhaps those 396 leaves on that tree had something to do with it...

...but I digress. I shall start at the beginning.

I wanted to do a card using my new Magnolia Tilda Picking Lilacs stamp using Flower Soft, so I drove over to the local scrapbooking store to pick up my very first jars so I could begin.

That was last Monday.

Then came my brilliant idea (since I now had all this Flower Soft!) to make a lilac tree for Tilda to pick her flowers from... yeah. Tres smart. Instead of simply DRAWING a tree, I realized my new Martha Stewart punch had just the right sized leaves (the same one used on the inside of this easel card). So I foolishly punched 22 times in four different shades of green cardstock. I then had to gather only the leaf shapes (not the flower petals, centers or swirly bits), piling them safely out of the reach of my cat Tawnee, who had plopped herself right in the middle of the table, unable to resist playing with all the pretty confetti I was producing.

I drew the branches and base of the tree with Copics, added glue and attached the leaves and Flower Soft piece by piece, using tweezers and toothpicks. Then I added some leaf details with my Copic Multiliner and glued some Sage Ultra Fine Flower Soft for grass at the base of the tree.

Cutting out that sucker took all of last night. (Click on all the images for zoomified versions)
I added some pearls, ribbon and a silver charm, as well as a layer of mulberry paper with silver threads running through it.

Well, at least I finished it... hopefully next time I'll think twice before trying to recreate Mother Nature down to a single leaf.


Here are the details:

Martha Stewart deep edge punch "Floral Vine"
Bazzil cardstock
Beary Patch 2004 Classic Holly Winter's Day paper
Recollections Self-adhesive pearls
Michael's Celebrate It Holiday ribbon
Floral / pearl charm
White and silver mulberry paper
Stampendous! "Just For You" Friendly Messages stamp
Delphinium Blue and Ultra Fine Sage Flower Soft

Copics:

Face - E00, E11, R20
Hair - E25, E49, E51, E59
Shirt and shoes - N0, N3
Highlights on shoes - Bic Wite Out
Jumper and socks - Y00, Y11, Y15, BG10, BG72
Leaves and grass shadows - G82, G85
Branches - E13, E15
Basket - E55, E57, E59

Pop Up Pirates

As soon as I heard Tilda and Edwin were being made into pirates, I just knew I had to make them their very own pirate ship. So for the past two days, I have been working on this, my very first pop-up card. Of course I had to add Jolly Roger Tilda, who has made landfall to hunt for buried treasure.

Obviously, I didn't bother with the front of the card much; after all, the card is all about the inside...

Here is proof that it all does fold, well, perhaps not "flat", but it would be closed if I wrapped a ribbon around it. But I prefer to display it open anyway.

It sure took a lot of experimentation; I made a model from regular paper first to get the positioning, elements and general format down. Then I made the real thing out of cardstock; the card measures 6" by 6". The main object - the ship, has its base attached to the card. Then small tabs hold the sides of the ship in place when open. The mast, which is two pieces and extendable, is attached to the base and folds flat. It also supports the bench in which Pirate Edwin and Pirate Tilda sit.

At the front of the ship I made an anchor, and attached it with string through one of two grommets I inserted at the bow.

I hand drew all the elements except for Tildas and Edwin; the sun, cloud and seagull in the background are all attached with dimensionals to pop them out too. The parrot, fish, waves and Jolly Roger Tilda are attached with tabs.

Copics were used to colour everything except the gold trim on the ship and the whitecaps on the waves. For those, I used acrylic paint. Here are the many Copics used on this project:

Jolly Roger Tilda
Skin: E00, E11, R20
Hair: Y21, E97, E99
Suit, boots, scarf and flag: N0, N3, N6
Skirt: R29, R89
Scroll: E51, E57

Pirate Tilda
Skin: E00, E11, R20
Hair: YE51, E55, E57
Shirt, pants, boots and hat: N0, N3, N6, R29, R89, Y28

Pirate Edwin
Skin: E00, E11, R20
Hair: N3, N6, N9
Suit, boots and hat: E51, E55, E57, E59, E79

The rest
Pirate ship: E29, E74, E79
Sail: W1, W3
Anchor: C2, C5
Fish: YR00, YR21, YR23, YR24
Parrot: YR04, YR09, R46, R89, B16, B18, Y38, W1
Sun: Y11, Y15, Y19
Gull: W1, W3, W5, W7
Cloud: W1
Beach: E33, E35
Grass: G99


If I were to give this as a card, I would attach a little sign in the "beach" that finishes the front saying of "X Marks the spot" with "to discover a treasure chest of fun!"

But I think this one is a keeper just for me.

Easter Bunny?

Today I finished a card using my new "Dreamy Tilda" stamp. I thought she could be wondering if her stuffed bunny was, in fact the Easter Bunny incognito.

So I drew her a floppy fluffy toy bunny...

As you can see, my "assistant" Dakotah, is absolutely rivited (not) with my artistic abilities. Yep, sound asleep:


I used Basic Grey's "Oh Baby! Girl! Hannah" paper, Bazzil cardstock, Martha Stewart punches (Leaf frond and Deco fan) and my Cuttlebug for the embossed background.

Gold bling is by Recollections and I used Diamond Stickles on Tilda's wings. Papers were edged with Encore Ultimate Metallic gold and Memento Angel Pink inks. The flower is something I picked up years ago at an art store that was going out of business. It originally was dark purple, so I painted it in white acrylic before using Copics to colour it in.

Tilda and bunny are raised with foam dimensionals.

The following Copic colours were used:

Skin: E00, E11, R20
Hair: E35, E47, D49, E51
PJs: R00, R01, R02
Bunny: R20, R21, R24
Flower: Y19, R20, Y21, Y24

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I must have been influenced by all the rainy days we had last week; today is the first day of wonderful sunshine, melting the snow very quickly!

To celebrate Spring, I made my very first tent card with a brand new Magnolia stamp "Tilda Spring Rain". Instead of the usual solid cardstock front, I opted for a window with clear acetate printed with raindrops and sentiment on my printer. I then hunted for and found at my local scrapbook store the Spellbinders Mega Ovals set (on sale, yay!) and used the second largest one in my Cuttlebug. However, the plastic was very hard to cut. I ended up scraping the die with a sharp exacto knife to finish the cut. (Totally improvising and totally surprised it worked!)

I hand-drew / painted the background with Copics, using the colourless blender a lot to create a watery effect in the clouds and ocean. Here's a side view to prove it is indeed a tent card:


The card front, rose and ribbon were all then given raindrops with All Night Media's Clear Gloss Liquid Embossing Finish. Some were dripped directly on, some drops were made on clear acetate, cut out and adhered with more gloss to the cardfront.

Here is a close-up of the rose with raindrops (as usual, click on all images for uber-sized versions).



Copics used:

Skin: E00, E11, R20
Hair: E21, E25, E27, E29
Jacket, boots, umbrella: Y21, Y35, Y38
Umbrella handle and clouds: C0, C2, C5
Water: B93, B97
Grass and leaves: G82, G85, G94, G99
Tree: E47, E49, E57, E74, E79
Wooden plank boardwalk: W0, W3, W5, W7

Puppy Love

Today's card uses my Giggling Tilda stamp. I thought about what would make a little girl giggle.... and instantly thought "puppy kisses"!

So I drew a puppy for Tilda, coloured him in with Copics and cut him out to match up with her cheek.

This is my first attempt at using bulky flowers and greenery that I so fell in love with on many cards I have seen lately. Here's a different angle to see the dimension:



As usual, click on the images for larger versions. I hope you like her and get a giggle too!


Copics used:

Skin: E00, E11, R20
Hair: E13, E25, E49, E51
Dress, Socks & Sentiment: RV00, RV11
Dog: W1, W3, W5, E30, E31, E33, E35, R20, R21

Paper is Basic Grey Sugared Cherished

Leaf Frond and Pine Branch punches, Martha Stewart

Large Roses: Modern Romance Eva Flower Rose (Michael's Bridal Section)
Small Roses: Prima

Thinking Of You

Yes, I know. I am addicted to these Magnolia stamps.

Proof is right here on my blog; this is my third card with Tilda in just a few days.

This time I used "Tilda Sitting Sideways With Bow". I created a scene for her to sit with flowers and butterflies. I hand-drew the tree stump, cut the grass from cardstock, and coloured some Dollar Store white flowers with Copics. I found a small butterfly punch at Michael's for $ 1.50, so I punched out four in vellum and coloured with Copics as well. I pinched them and glued them on so they looked more 3D. A bow and butterfly charm with tag punched with my Cuttlebug was added for the sentiment.

Tilda is holding her own flower and if you look carefully, you can see another butterfly on the flower just in front of her. I added another photo to show the details at another angle (click to enlarge).


Copic colours used:

Stump: Y21, E49, E51, E55, E57, E59
Skin: E00, E11, R20
Hair: E25, E53, E59
Top: G82, G85, Y21, Y35
Jeans: B21, B34, B37, C0, C2, C5, R20, R21, Y21, Y35
Runners: C0, C2, C5
Flowers: Y21, Y35

Paper is BoBunny Flutter butter Honey.

I hope you like my little Nature Girl!

Delight-ful

Okay. I admit it. I basically ignored the housework, hubby and the pets and spent the day sequestered in my craftroom to make another Tilda card.

This time I used "Happy Tilda". To me, she looked like she was jumping for joy, so what better place for a little girl to jump than on her bed? So I drew her a bed and a teddybear companion (with a ribbon bow). A bit of lace to match her PJ's trim finished off the bottom of the card. It's hard to tell by the photo, but Tilda is raised up on dimensionals too.

Copics used:

Face: E00, E11, R20
Hair: Y11, Y21, E97, E99
Clothes: BG10, BG72, BG75, BG78
Lace: C0, C2, C5
Teddy: E11, E97, E99
Bed: R20, R21, E57, E59

Background paper is "Delight Strips" by Fancypantsdesign.

The Best Things

Tilda's Kittens have a new home!

Here is the card I made for my firstest-ever Tilda stamp. I used the following Copics to colour her in:

Skin: E00, E11, R20
Hair: YR21, E35, E29, D37, W3
Dress: B60, B63, B66
Socks: G82, G85
Cats: W1, W3, W5, W7, R20
Cardboard box: E51, E55, E57

Paper is Blue Heart Buds, by Art Impressions.

I popped her up with dimensionals, restamped the kitten image for the second cat, and added clear gloss to the tape on the box too.

I cut the back off a small white plastic button and wrapped DMC floss #967 cross-stitch thread around it, gluing the back to hold it in place.

The hardest part about making this card?

Keeping my REAL cats from playing with the teenie-tiny ball of yarn.

And So It Begins...

Whoo Hoo! These eagerly-anticipated stamps arrived in the mail yesterday:



So of course, I had just a few hours to crack one open and colour my very, absolutely, positively firstst Tilda ever:


Now I just have to make a card for her.

It's the start of something wonderful; I just know it.

And yes, there are another dozen or so on order that should be arriving any day now.

Good thing I have a few vacation days left. I'm gonna need 'em when I am elbow deep in Copics.

Interested in Magnolia stamps? You can buy them from Diana here, and join the Yahoo Group here.

They are both uber-excellent places with uber-talented and uber-nice people I shall be hanging out with way too often.

Bee-Wildered

I purchased this stamp quite some time ago, but this is only the second time I have used it! Coloured with Copics and die cut, it is attached with foam dimensioals on another larger die cut. The background is embossed using my Cuttlebug. I tried a new technique called "Out of Bounds" on the image die cut. The cat's ears are cut out, and folded over the Spellbinder's die so they are not cut out or embossed when rolled through my Cuttlebug.

I recently splurged on a few rolls of ribbon on sale at Michael's for $ 1.29 a roll; so I used some here too. The flowers I purchased at the Dollar Store; they are white so I could colour match them with the same Copics I used in the cat image.