Woo Hoo!

I'm sooo excited to share with you the news that I've been asked to be part of the awesome Magnolia.nu Design Team!! My projects for this DT can be found at http://MyMagnolias.wordpress.com/

Tilda & the new Spellbinders heart Pendant!

2009 July 10
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I was sooooo excited tonight to be able to use one of the new Spellbinders Nestabilities Pendant ~ Contemporary Heart  dies!    I thought it would be perfect for this little Tilda with Lace Skirt, and her matching cross-stitched heart on her dress.

 

XOXO

Hugs & Kisses from Tilda

 

I added two Nestabilities Circles  (which fit perfectly!)  ~ one under the heart pendant and one on top, to show the details of this new die.  I also  added LOTS of Crystal Stickers’ Pearls to the pendant and was sooo happy to be able to use my favorite Basic Grey  Bittersweet  paper … it’s not just for Valentine’s Day!  

 

Thank you for visiting….and for your always inspiring comments!     AND,  TGIF!!!    :D

 

P.S.   In case you missed it, I’m soooooooo excited to be able to tell you that I’ve been asked to be part of the Magnolia.nu Design Team!!   My new blog for these projects is….http://MyMagnolias.wordpress.com.    

 

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Copics Used:   R000, 00, 11, 20, 30, 81, 83; RV32, 85;  E000, 00, 02, 08, 09, 11, 18, 93; YR00

Two Magnolia Challenges in One! :)

2009 July 8

 

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This Tilda cutie-pie card is for two recent Magnolia Challenges ~ The July Magnolia-licious DT Sketch Challenge  AND The Just Magnolia Challenge ~ Charmed.    (I hope it’s okay to combine these two!!)    :)

 

Dragonfly Tilda

Dragonfly Tilda

The DP used is from the KaiserCraft Dancing Jewel collection, the sentiment is from the PTI Mega Mixed Messages stamp set, and the dragonfly charm is a gift received with my order from Magnolia-licious!

 

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Thank you for dropping in today!   Hope you’re having a great day.

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Copics Used:   E33, 35, 71, 77;  YG91, 93, 97, 99; V000, 06, 95; RV95; R000, 00, 11, 20; YR00

A Cute Little Mermaid!

2009 July 8
by Mary B. Giemza

 

 
2nd Try!

2nd Try!

** Updated!  I just wasn’t too crazy about my card done earlier with Mermaid Emma, soooooooooooo… I added some Stickles  in Mermaid (of course!) and some metallic  teal Dew Drops to my second version above! ** 

 

Yes, it’s another from C.C. Designs.      I just  LOVE them all  …   there goes my stamp budget for July!!   :)     

This is a new image called Mermaid Emma,  and she’s now available at  7 Kids College FundI tried to make her look like  Ariel from Disney  since Jordynn, my granddaughter LOVES her.

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I found this fun metallic paper at my local scrapbook store…it’s called Teal Metallic Corduroy – and thought it would be perfect for a sparkly mermaid ~ not sure who makes it, but I know I’ll be going back for more and will find out!   I also used one of the new slim EK paper punches on the band of metallic paper in the center  ~   It’s pretty cool, since you end up with various sized little circles that can also be used to embellish a card …   added those to my stash for another day!  

Hope you’re having a terrific day.   Thank you for stopping by and for your always encouraging comments!

Ready for some summer fun??!! :)

2009 July 6

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Well, this little cutie sure is ready!!  This is Sugarplums Surfer Emma  from C.C. Designs ~ NOW AVAILABLE at 7 KIDS COLLEGE FUND!!!     Woo hoo!     I’m soooooo excited.    You really have to check out this adorable collection of C.C. Designs stamps that have just arrived at 7 Kids!

 

Surfer Emma

Surfer Emma

 

Yes, it’s ANOTHER bright one!   The dp is from My Mind’s Eye, Day Dream Funky Flowers ~  I thought it matched the flowers on the image pretty well!     I also added a little Antique Linen Stickles  to look like she is standing on sand.  The sentiment is computer generated.

  

Are you ready??

Are you ready??

 

Hope you have a minute to take a peek at all the new customer-requested items  now available at 7 Kids!   If there is something you don’t find….just ask!   Tab wants her customers to be happy ~ you don’t find service like that too often nowadays!!      :)

 

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Copics Used:   RV32, 34; R000, 11, 17, 24, 27, 30;  E000, 00, 02, 08, 09, 11, 35, 37, 43; YR00, 14, 61; B00; W2, 4

Tooth Fairy Box(es)!

2009 July 6
by Mary B. Giemza

It’s my turn for an Instyle Stamps Method Monday.   Today I will be making Tooth Fairy Boxes for my granddaughters using Ava, an ISS digital anime image.  

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I’ve used a metal tin for the Tooth Fairy Box:

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My first step is to trace the cover of the tin onto some heavy card stock to make a template for the top of the boxes:

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Then I used this circle template to trace onto my DP.  I also used a marker to color around the edges of my cut circle and glued this to the top of the box:

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 I then cut a thin strip of DP for the sides of the bottom, again colored the cut edges with my marker, and adhered it with some double-sided sticky tape:

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I wanted the inside to be a little sparkly and special for the girls, so I traced the bottom of my box to make another template:

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Using some poly foam in a one-inch width,  (found in the section of the craft store with products used to stuff pillows, etc.)   I used this template to cut out a circle of foam:

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And, for the sparkle, I cut a circle, slightly larger than my foam piece, from some white felt with glitter on it:

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 I applied some double-sided sticky tape to the inside bottom of my tin, gathered the felt material around the foam piece and pressed it down.    You now have a sparkly, secure “pillow” for a tooth!:

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And, finally, the fun part ~ Decorate your Tooth Fairy box as you wish, color and cut-out Ava and attach her to the top!     Here’s the finished box:

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Of course, since my granddaughters are twins, the boxes needed to be the SAME except for the colors!  Hailee’s favorite color is Pink and Joydynn’s is Purple!   :)

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Copics Used:   R11, 81, 83; RV000; BV00, 02; V000, 12, 91; E000, 50, 51, 53; YR00; B00, 23, 24, 29

Design Paper:  rouge de Garance – Fly Fairy Fly & Wish Come True.

Happy House Mouse Monday ~ What’s Your Favorite Season?!

2009 July 6

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Happy House Mouse Monday!!

  

Our challenge this week is to make a card with a theme from your Favorite Season

(Okay, I admit winter may not exactly be my FAVORITE season (especially living in Wisconsin!) but Christmas Card “Season” is my favorite  time for making cardz!!)     :)

  

This stamp is called Christmas Friends, with Mudpie and Monica.  I’ve also used my favorite Christmas paper from Basic Grey, Wassail collection.  AND, used my “new” favorite item ~ Smooch paint in moonlight for the snow and siren for Mr. Mudpie’s nose!  

  

Christmas Friends

Christmas Friends

 

And, don’t forget to take a peek at all the Favorite Season  cards from the other House Mouse Design Team members ~  AWESOME, as always!   :)       Hope you can join in and show us YOUR  Favorite House Mouse Season!   

 

Have a great week!

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Copics Used:   Mudpie ~ E000, 00, 02; E31, 33, 35; R11, 20      Nose ~ E08, 09; R59

                                Monica ~ E000, 00, 02; E71; W7; R11, 20

                                Walnut shell ~ E43, 57

The day after …

2009 July 5
by Mary B. Giemza

We had a few friends and family over to celebrate the 4th yesterday, and I thought I would share a photo of a cake I made!    (rather Martha Stewart-like!)   

 

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And, here’s a picture of what was left the next day!!    :)

 

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Drat!   I like leftovers!    lol        Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Happy 4th of July!!

2009 July 3

 

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Just a little Red, White & Blue quckie using Changito Cheer from Stampendous  to wish you all a VERY happy 4th of July!   For those of you who are not in the USA….Happy Weekend to you! 

 

Celebrate

Celebrate

 

Hope you all have a very happy and SAFE weekend!    I’ll be back on Monday with our next House Mouse Monday Challenge!    :)      Thanks for stopping in today.   

Smiley from millan.net

Copics Creations Challenge No. 7 ~ Brunette Hair

2009 July 1

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It’s our 7th challeng over at the Copics Creations blog!!  The challenge this week is Copic marker coloring of Brunette Hair.  

I’m totally in love with this image ~  thanks to the amazingly talented Jami Bova!   I think she has started a new trend here.   Awhile ago, Jami did this GORGEOUS card  using another lineart drawing by the same artist of this image ~ Princess Elemmiriel  of  deviant.   The most amazing part is that these images are FREE to download!     

Here’s my card using Princess Elemmiriel’s lineart image called Lady Rose Dragon.

 

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Our awesome sponsor for this challenge is Diana Crick of Scor-Pal.   One lucky participant will win a Scor-Pal of their very own!  Soooooo cool.   :)

To me the best part of coloring this image is the eyes!   They are drawn to look so realistic, you can’t possibly go wrong when coloring these with your Copic markers.  Here’s a closeup of Lady Rose’s green eyes:

 

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I’ve also included a tutorial showing you which Copic markers I used to color this particular card, that can be found here.   I hope you can take a peek.

And, be sure to check out the AMAZING creations by the awesome Design Team at the  Copic Creations Challenge blog….  If you’re new to Copics, you’ll love all the Copic tutorials that can be found there.   I think it’s time for YOU to join the challenge!  :)

 

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Copics Used:   E000, 00, 29, 31, 37, 39, 43, 47, 49, 50, 51, 53; YG91, 93, 95; R000, 00, 11, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29, 30, 46, 59; YR00

Kaiser Craft Sakura Park dp

Copic Coloring of Brunette Hair

2009 July 1

 

I thought I’d do a photo tutorial to show you my personal technique for coloring brunette hair.  I like to use several shades of brown Copic markers – light, medium & dark - to give the hair LOTS of  glimmers of  low-lights, highlights and reds, as if the sun were shining to catch each color!  

Once again, please keep in mind, I am not a Copic instructor, I just love my Copic markers!   :)

 [You can click on any of the photos for a closer view.]

Here’s a list of the markers I used to color my image, from lightest to darkest.   (Of course, these are all available for the best price in town at 7 Kids College Fund!)  

 

E000 - Pale Fruit Pink;  E50  -  Egg Shell;  E51 - Milky Way;  E53 – Raw Silk;  E31 – Brick Beige;  E43 – Dull Ivory;  E37 – Sepia;  E39 – Leather;  E29 – Burnt Umber; E47 – Dark Brown; and E49 – Dark Bark.

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And, a picture of the AMAZING  lineart image I will be coloring.  (More details on how to download this image can be found here.)

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Lady Rose Dragon

 

My first step is to color the entire hair area with my second lightest color, E50.  This step is actually quite similar to coloring wood (see my tutorial here), there is no need to worry about streaks since lots of other colors will be applied on top of this.

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E50

 

Moving on to the next darkest color, E51 – I add streaks throughout the hair area.

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E51

 

Note:  As Marianne Walker (I Like Markers) suggests, always use a light feather stroke when coloring hair, and always go in the direction of the hair strands.

 

I continue to add feathered streaks, each time with a slightly darker color…intermittently throughout the hair area. 

 

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E53

 

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E31

 

E43 for some medium shaded low-lights ~

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E43

 

E37 ~ a slightly auburn color for some red highlights

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E37

 

E39 ~ a darker auburn color for some red low-lights

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E39

 

E29 ~ the start of your darker brown colors to begin the brunette hair color

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E29

Please note:  The darker streaks may appear a little harsh at this point, but keep in mind you will be going back later and blending with your lighter markers.

 

E47 ~ A darker brown ~  for the areas I want to appear darker and more shaded, such as the hairline

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E47

 

And the last dark brown, E49, used sparingly, only at the hairline for the effect of a darker root color

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E49

 

I now begin the blending process  ~  lightening some of the darker highlights and blending all the colors somewhatRemember to also do your blending in streaks, to retain some of the lighter highlight colors. 

 

I begin this blending process with E43, moving on to E31, then E53, all the way back to E50.

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E43, 31, 53, 51 & 50

 

My final step is to go over any area that I would like to appear lighter and to blend any areas that remain too dark for my liking, with my lightest color – E000. 

 

Yay!   This is my completed brunette hair image.

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E000 - Blending

 

And, finally, here’s the image with the other elements colored and some flower embellishments added.  

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I know this tutorial uses LOTS of Copic markers, and I’m sure you can skip one or two from each group – light, medium and dark - to also attain a suitable brunette hair color.  However, as I mentioned, I just LOVE to see all the low-lights, highlights and reds on my images with brunette hair!  :)

 

Thanks for following this….I hope it was helpful to you. PLEASE don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.

InStyle Stamps Wednesday Challenge ~ Paper Piercing

2009 July 1
by Mary B. Giemza

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Happy Wednesday and time for another InStyle Stamps’  Wednesday Challenge.   Our challenge this week is to use Paper Piercing on your card or project.

We hope you will join us.  One lucky participant will receive an InStyle Stamps’  digital image of their choice.  Please be sure to upload your card on the ISS  blog, AND, you MUST take a peek at the totally awesome  Nico  the pirate card by Risa from the DT.

 For my card, I used the oh-so-cute anime digi fairy, Ava.   I added LOTS of sparkle to her wings.  Isn’t she a cutie??

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Thanks for stopping by today.   We hope you will join us and be entered for a chance to win a free InStyle Stamps digi image of your choice.

 

In Stock Next Week!!

2009 June 30

This just in from Tab at 7 Kids College Fund  …

“I just found out some very exciting news for 7 KIDS customers:

I am receiving the NEW Pendants and Borderabilities  next week (not early August, as originally predicted)!!!

My order will be shipping in the next two days and I should have it by Wednesday or Thursday of next week! Can you believe it? I barely can!!! All the new pendants and borders are available for purchase. Head over to the store now to purchase what I have coming to guarantee that you will be one of the first crafters to get your hands on these amazing new dies!!!”

Pendants and Borderabilities

S4-204-FLEUR-DE-LIS-PENDANT

A little birdie and a Gorjuss Girl! :)

2009 June 29
by Mary B. Giemza
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Yes, it’s another from my secret stash of Sugar Nellie Gorjuss Girls!   I truly love these images!   I also used some paper from my new-favorite company, Graphic 45 ~ their colors and patterns are so bright and vibrant ~ I’ve been collecting them wherever I can find them!   I do like the combination of blue and yellow too! 

 

Gojuss Girl

Gojuss Girl

 

 

I’ve added some metal brads from Spare Parts and the square shapes behind the main image are cut with my Spellbinders Nestabilities dies.  The yellow lace is from Making Memories and the blue ribbon is from my stash ~ the dots were originally white, until I colored them yellow with my Copic marker!  :)     The sentiment is computer generated.

 

 

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Thank you for visiting today!   I really appreciate it.   And, don’t forget to stop back on Wednesday for a new Copic Creations Challenge ~ yep, it will be the first of July already!!    :)

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Copics Used:   B23, 24, 29, 39; R000, 11, 20, 30; Y00, 11, 17, 21; YR00, 16, 23, 31;  E00, 50, 51, 53

House Mouse Challenge No. 44 ~ Paper Tole

2009 June 29
by Mary B. Giemza

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Weeeeeee  …    Happy House Mouse Monday!!

Well,  this little mouse sure looks like she’s having fun!   This is Monica and the Stampendous stamp called Balloon Ride.  

Our challenge this week is to use the technique called Paper Tole.   If any of you are wondering… hmmmm, what’s Paper Tole??   I actually have a tutorial that I put together quite awhile ago, showing my version of Paper Tole, found here.   There are lots of different versions, this is just one that I use quite often. 

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I love the DP used on this card, it’s from Michael’s by ProvoCraft called Illuminations.   The balloon has been layered….several times – FOUR to be exact!!   The top layer was finished using my paper tole method. 

Monica

Monica

Monica seems to be enjoying her balloon ride!

I hope you can join us….But don’t forget to check out all the paper tole projects by the always amazing House Mouse Design Team.

Balloon Celebration

Balloon Celebration

And, be sure to leave a special comment on Ms. America’s blog (America, the totally super, spectacular, amazingly talented House Mouse Design team member) of Cards by America  who just happens to have a birthday on July 4th!!  :)

Thanks for stopping in today….Hope you have a GREAT week!    ~   Mary

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Copics Used:   Y02, 08, 15, 17;  R11, 20, 32, 34; E00, 31, 33, 35; YR00, 04, 14; B23, 24; YG03, 11

Yee haw! It’s Cowboy Day!! :)

2009 June 26
by Mary B. Giemza

 

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Well, actually it’s InStyle Stamps’ Blog Hop Day ~ with a Western theme!

 

Howdy Cowboy!

Howdy Cowboy!

 

This here fella is Tommy, one of the new Western Anime images from ISS   …   isn’t he just adorable?!     I’m thinking this one is for one of my equally adorable grandsons.    :)

Once again, we’re having a VOTE  FOR YOUR FAVORITE DESIGN TEAM PROJECT!    The DT member with the most votes wins a prize!   Here’s the link, just in case  …  ;)       There is also a prize being awarded to one lucky person who leaves a comment on the ISS blog.

And be sure to visit the other Design Team members’ blogs for their Western themed creations …. I know you’ll be amazed!  Links to their blogs can be found on my sidebar.

Thanks for dropping in today pardner!     :)

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Copics Used:   B93, 95, 97; YR00, 20, 23, 31; E000, 93, 95; R000; W1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7