My Wild Rose Birdhouse Stamp Transition from Winter to Spring

Happy Wednesday to you, Dearest Readers,

I hope this post finds you happy and well! Let's see - what's good to share? Well, my little hummingbirds are as happy as can be! The feeders are being visited constantly. Now, I am going to say something, and I hope you will understand. Last week, or maybe the week before, the first hummingbird showed up where last year's feeder was placed - just beyond my scrap room window. There was no pole, nor was there a feeder. He just went right to the spot and stopped in mid air, fluttering his wings, where the feeder was last year! Then, he flew under the patio cover and fluttered by my window as if to tell me to get off my tushie and get out the feeder and nectar! Of course, I dutifully did that! Now, here is the thing. The hummingbirds fly south every Fall to where it is warm. This can be over 1,000 miles! When I think of how huge this planet of ours is, how the heck can a hummingbird find the exact spot the feeder was placed last year let alone find my back yard? The fact that this little guy went right to the very spot the feeder should have been told me he was one of last year's visitors. I am always amazed at life's miracles! So, that is my hummingbird story for now! **grin**

Well, it is my turn for "W"ednesday at the

Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog!

Today, I am featuring a tag that I made with Wild Rose Studio's Birdhouse stamp which you can find here.

I wanted to get more bang for my buck with this stamp. How? I just modified the stamp so it would work for Spring and/or Summer. I did this by deleting the snowflakes from the air around the birdhouse, deleting the snow on the birdhouse rooftop, and changing the colors of the flowers. I also took all the little dots that are in the grass area around the birdhouse and colored them to match the flowers' colors. I was so surprised at how nicely that turned out! They look like flower buds now! (Shhh - I think I'm getting better at coloring wood, too! LOL) I don't think it looks wintery now. The addition of the Prima daisies helped me a lot, as well!

I inked the edges of the image mat and papers in brown. The papers are Pion Vintage Garden (in a light and dark teal green colors). I used a Marianne Design corner die on white Bazzill for the top and bottom tag caps. I also added some matching teal crinkled seam binding, a Magnolia Doohickey Die - Heart Swirl - which you can find here. The sentiment is also Magnolia. It is a mini stamp which you can find here. I love this little sentiment stamp and thought it would go perfectly with the birdhouse stamp.

Check out the new goodies at Magnolia-licious:

Prima Chalk Edgers- Great range of colors and priced just right! Check these out!

Exquisite Flowers by Magnolia - Oh my gosh, these are fabulous! You really need to add these to your flower collection! Wait until you see the color and variety Diana has in stock!

Sensational Summer Kit - What a wonderful collection of coordinated goodies - Magnolia stamps, Magnolia mini stamps, Magnolia paper, ribbon, flowers, doilies, and other perfectly matched embellishments! I bought this kit, and it is fabulous!

Well, that's about it for today! Thank you so much for dropping by! I hope you will come back real soon! Don't forget to check out Magnolia-licious! Have a wonderful week.

XO,

Chris

Things with Wings Challenge with Magnolia's Large Butterfly

Happy Sunday to you, Dearest Readers,

I don't know why I begin most posts with a description of our weather, LOL, but we got RAIN! You have no idea how much we need water! The lakes are down - some done by 50 feet due to the drought. We've had very little snow in the mountains again this year, so the water is low - that's the water we use in our homes. So, when it rains, I am so very happy!

Today begins a new challenge at the Addicted to Stamps Challenge Blog! This time, we would love to see **drumroll please**

Things with Wings

That should be a fun one to do, yes?

I'd like to share my creation with you. This time, I chose a very little used stamp - it's the Magnolia large (huge) butterfly. I haven't seen many gals use it over the years. I think it came out in 2011 in the Butterfly Dreams Collection. You can find this lovely stamp here. Here is my creation:

I chose to create an easel card. The image has been colored with Twinkling H2O paints so it has a metallic finish. I also used Magnolia pink dotted paper as part of the background paper. The butterfly paper is from my stash. I pulled flowers from my flower bucket, die cuts from my various dies, gorgeous rose lace, and a beautiful white lace butterfly. The sentiment is Magnolia. I used a Spellbinders' banner die for the sentiment and elevated it on pop dots. I also took the butterflies and the tag in the envie behind the butterfly and applied shabby pink Fran-tage. The sentiment on the bottom was created on my computer. The laser cut frame is from a wonderful little shop called Stay True to God. I covered the frame in Stickles Star Dust. I also used it to edge the sentiment banner. Here are additional photos:

I had graduation in mind when I created this. I'm not sure it would work, though. When might you use this card? Leave a comment below. I'll select one and send that gal a special something from me!


Have you checked out the new goodies at Magnolia-licious:

Prima Chalk Edgers- Great range of colors and priced just right! Check these out!

Exquisite Flowers by Magnolia - Oh my gosh, these are fabulous! You really need to add these to your flower collection! Wait until you see the color and variety Diana has in stock!

Sensational Summer Kit - What a wonderful collection of coordinated goodies - Magnolia stamps, Magnolia mini stamps, Magnolia paper, ribbon, flowers, doilies, and other perfectly matched embellishments! I bought this kit and it is fabulous!

Well, that's about it for today! Thank you so much for dropping by! I hope you will come back real soon! Don't forget to check out Magnolia-licious! Have a wonderful week and create a masterpiece for the Things with Wings Challenge at the Addicted to Stamps Challenge Blog!

XO,

Chris

Matryoshka Tilda Sends Mother's Day Wishes

Happy Tuesday to you, Dearest Readers,

I hope you had a blessed Easter! Was it warm and sunny where you are? We had a beautiful day! The heat is on as are the pollens that cause my allergies! Yuk on both counts! The air conditioner is running already to keep the house cool!

A new challenge begins today at the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog. The new challenge is easy peasy -

Anything Goes!

You are free to create something that floats your boat! LOL! It can't get easier than that, huh?

I had not inked up my Matryoshka Tilda yet and thought it would be perfect on a Mother's Day card. Here she is:

I just love this stamp! I think the image is so very, very sweet. I'm hoping that someone will think this is just the right Mother's Day card for them! It'll be in my Etsy shop later today. The interior panels are also finished to match the front of the card.

This card features:

Stamp - Magnolia Matryoshka Tilda from the Moscow Collection - available at Magnolia-licious

Glitter - Stickles Star Dust

Derwent Watercolors

Dies - Spellbinders and Whimsy Stamps

Seam Binding and flowers from stash

Paper - Maja Designs Sofiero

Ink for edges - Color Box Antique Pewter


We would love if you left a comment on any of the DT blogs! One lucky person will win a special somethin', somethin' from Diana!

Check out the new goodies at Magnolia-licious:

Prima Chalk Edgers- Great range of colors and priced just right! Check these out!

Exquisite Flowers by Magnolia - Oh my gosh, these are fabulous! You really need to add these to your flower collection! Wait until you see the color and variety Diana has in stock!

Sensational Summer Kit - What a wonderful collection of coordinated goodies - Magnolia stamps, Magnolia mini stamps, Magnolia paper, ribbon, flowers, doilies, and other perfectly matched embellishments! I bought this kit and it is fabulous!

Well, that's about it for today! Thank you so much for dropping by! I hope you will come back real soon! Don't forget to check out Magnolia-licious! Have a wonderful week and create a masterpiece for the Anything Goes Challenge!

XO,

Chris

Tilda in Evening Dress is Feelin' Flowery!

Happy Tuesday to you, Dearest Readers,

I hope this post finds you healthy and happy! Spring winds, here in the desert, are just stirring up my allergies! The other day, we had huge gusts of wind. As I sat at my craft table, looking out the window at the trees bending in the wind, there were waves of yellow pollen blowing across our yard from the pine trees in the back. It looked like the wind had turned a bright yellow! My nose is not very happy! **sniff, sniff** LOL

Today begins a new challenge at the Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog! The challenge this time is

Feelin' Flowery!

I wanted to do something a bit differently than my usual. Tell me what you think. I hope you like it.

I wanted to make a more adult looking card. I chose the colors black and silver with a few touches of white. I had this older Edwin stamp in my collection. When Tilda in Evening Dress came out, I knew they would be a perfect pairing. I gave Tilda a dress of silver glittered cardstock. Edwin needed a mustache so that he looked old enough to be serving drinks! I wonder if I should have given Edwin a gray mustache instead of a black one. Hmmmmm...

There is a black mat behind the image mat and then a silver foil cardstock mat behind the black. You can't really see it in the photo.

I had a bit of fun with the Fran-tage, too. I have two kinds of white Fran-tage. One is just white and the other has gold flecks. Since my card has no gold, I had to think creatively. You may be able to detect bits of gray in the white melted Fran-tage. I applied the Fran-tage first. Then, I added silver embossing powder on the top. It was fun watching it melt into the white.

The paper behind the polka dotted paper is black with silver foil swirls embossed on it. I used it for the interior of the card as well. I added some silver metal elements. I thought the metal heart with the embossed flowers on it was a perfect match for the direction I was taking with my card.

I added a variety of silver flowers. The stamen cluster is silver metallic, and the calla lily is also silver metallic. The larger flowers are silver metallic looking, too. They have lovely crystal centers. I took my silver ink pad and carefully inked the edges of the white orchid in the lower right. Lastly, I added a beautiful silver metal trim. The trim's flowers are metal with a shiny cloisonne type center. That trim is just gorgeous IRL. Finally, I added glittery touches to the "sparkles" around Tilda as well as the champagne.

I hope you will remember to leave a comment on any of the DT gals' blogs as well as the Challenge Blog. For each comment, your name goes into a drawing for a weekly prize. The winner is announced each Wednesday on the Challenge Blog.

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you will join the Feelin' Flowery Challenge! It's so perfect for this time of year!

I hope you have a great week!

XO,

Chris

Izzy's Bumblebee @ "W"ednesday at Magnolia-licious!

Happy Wednesday to you, Dearest Readers,

Have I got a story to share with you! I love oysters. I mean, I just love oysters! For 21 years, we spent our summers on the beach on the Oregon Coast. I mean, we were right on the beach!

We sold our beach house when someone built in front of us and took out our view! I was devastated, to say the least. I think I cried for a year. I couldn't imagine someone being so cruel. I had a 22' bay window with a window seat. I would sit for hours and just watch the waves.

Anyway, back to the oysters. Every summer, we would get fresh oysters in the shell, build a fire, and grill the oysters while they were still in the shell. After a bit on the hot, hot fire, the oysters would begin to spit and spatter. Then, we knew it was time to scarf them down, LOL. All those years, none of us ever found a pearl. Our circle of Oregon friends also never found a pearl. Imagine my surprise the other night when, while eating an oyster I bought at our local grocery store (here in the desert - can you believe that?), I felt something clunk against my tooth. I knew not to bite down again for fear of breaking a tooth. My first thought was, "I found a pearl!" But, just as fast as that thought entered my mind, I dismissed the idea. Afterall, what are the chances? We surely never found any on the Oregon Coast. So, I carefully removed the foreign object from my mouth. Here is what I found:

Can you believe that! Look at the size of it! I cannot imagine how old that oyster was to enable him/her to grow a pearl that big! How lucky am I? "Whoda thunk it?" LOL I am just thrilled at having the experience! That is such a rare thing to have happen!

I have to tell you that I have been on a roll making cards! I don't even get to sleep very much! I'm just cranking them out left and right!

Today is "W"ednesday at Magnolia-licious. For my card, I chose to use Izzy's Bumblebee as the focal point. I wanted the card to be bright and cheery! I decided to use at least one dehydrated orange slice on my card. Don't ask me why - because it was there? LOL So, I built my card around the orange slice! LOL Here are the details: the paper is Basic Grey Picadilly. I used Distress Inks, pencils, and chalks to color the image. The flowers are from my stash. The die cut at the top is a very old Magnolia Doohickey Die. I did some distressing, added Fran-tage, and pretty ribbon.

The interior of the card is also finished in matching papers and flowers.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you like the card I created. Maybe I have provided some inspiration. I have to tell you that these stamps are so easy peasy to color. If I wasn't so intimidated by Copics, I'd pull mine out and give them a go. Copics just wreak chaos on my confidence level! I'm at ease with DIs and pencils.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you might leave a comment for me. You know that there is a special surprise for one lucky gal who leaves comments on the DT blogs. Good luck to all!

Have a wonderful week!

XO,

Chris

Wedding Tilda Dressed and Ready to Go!

Happy Sunday to you, Dearest Readers,

Greetings from a VERY windy day in the desert southwest! That's one characteristic of Spring in this part of the country - WIND! I think Mother Nature is trying to give the poor blooming fruit trees a challenge! LOL!

Today begins a new challenge at the Addicted to Stamps Challenge Blog! The challenge this time is to create a

Wedding Card

Here is the card I created to provide inspiration:

For my card, I wanted to use my favorite stamp from the 2013 Special Moments Collection. You can find this stamp HERE. I chose to use Wedding Tilda as I love the flow of her gown!

I chose to use papers from Pion Design, silver foil card stock, lots of die cuts, and, I know this is hard to believe, but lots of flowers, too! LOL. Tilda has been colored in a very pale pink using Inktense Pencils and DIs. I used a Maryanne Design die as well as a heart die. Next, I went through my flowers and made this dynamic cluster. There is also a mat of lace behind the Maryanne Design Die. I added Liquid Pearls to Tilda's gown and veil. When dry, I topped each dot with a bit of glitter so that there would be sparkle. Sadly, you can't see the sparkle. Lastly, I created a sentiment banner using a silver peel off. Oh, I also added two Magnolia Doohickey dies.

I always finish the inside of my cards. This one has more matching papers, flowers, and die cuts on the interior panels.

I hope you like what I have shared. I would love if you joined the Wedding Challenge at the Addicted to Stamps Challenge Blog.

Well, That's about it for me! Thank you for stopping by. I hope that you will come back again very soon! I would love if you became a follower of my blog, if you aren't already. Also, you can follow me on Facebook under Chrissy Christensen! We can be f-r-i-e-n-d-s! LOL ((hugs to all))

Have a great week!

XO,

Chris