Thinking about what's to come

When I saw this sweet Tilda from Magnolia stamps, I had to have her! Something lead me as I was coloring her, doing her hair and putting her together. I was so pleased with her and now I have a feeling I know why. She reminds me of what my Emma and Allie will be like as they grow up! I love her cute little chubby cheeks and sweet little dress. And who doesn't want to get a basket full of wildflowers? Oh, these little girls are going to bring me much joy as they grow up!

Tilda is colored with my Prismacolor pencils and OMS and her background paper and brads are from SU. I filled in her wings with my copic spica clear marker and used my Inkessentials white opaque pen on her little cheeks. I love her and am off to do a few more. I'm loving these Magnolia stamps! They are such fun!

Oh and just sitting around thinking about what's to come is very exciting to me! Hope everyone gets the chance to feel this blessed.

Our Allie Marie!

She's early, but she's here! I'd like to introduce you to Allie Marie! She's our second granddaughter within 16 days! She graced our family on Wednesday, July 9th at 6:13 in the evening and weighed 6 lbs 14.9 oz (6.15 as Grandma Nola says!) and was 19 3/4" long. She beautiful, and the little peanut and Momma are doing just fine and coming home today. I just feel so blessed to have two beautiful girls in my family that are both healthy and doing fine. God has been very, very good to me and I praise Him with every ounce of my being.

Summer riding and Christmas in July!

These are two total contradictions, opposites and some of my favorite things! I love to bike ride. When I was living in Ohio, I used to ride quite often. They just opened up a new bike path and there was an entrance right at the end of my Mom's road, just half a block away! I'd ride up a couple of miles and then back every morning. My legs never looked so good! But they never looked as good and long as Miss I-Wish-I-Looked-So-Good-on-a-Bike-abella! She's one of my newest babies and I adore her! I colored her with my Tombow markers and her paper is from DCWV's Summer mat stack. I had to use my cuttlebug with her. She just makes me happy!

I did the Christmas Shopper for our challenge Deb put out on the StampCrazyColorBox yahoo group for over the weekend. Deb and Ami, I made her just for you! Isn't she fabulous? And I so love to Christmas shop! I adore her retro look and she just reminds me of a better, simpler time. She's made by a fabulous local stamping company called smARTworks. They have wonderful designs and it's hard to pick just one or two of them. Stop by and take a look at them sometime. I colored her with my Prismacolor pencils and OMS, her paper is from Joann's open stock and so is the leather tie. I adore her!

So when you're really hot from riding that bike, be it outdoors or a stationary bike inside, try and cool down by thinking about your Christmas shopping!

A New Passion of Mine - Magnolias!

Meet my new little cutie angel, Tilda. She's made you some cookies and let me tell you, I'm sure they're better than what I could cook! She's one of my newest passions, Magnolia stamps. I absolutely adore her! Seh came to me from Diana Crick of Scor-Pal's new online store she's setting up. I colored her with my Prismacolor pencils and OMS, put glossy accents on her cookies to make them look glazed, a tip I found from Monika at MAD Stamper (I hope you don't mind me borrowing that tip), the paper is from Imaginisce, prisma flowers and the plastic baubles are from some blog candy I won from Monika. Her layout is from a challenge on the Tilda & Co Challenge blog.

Tilda reminds me so much of how I pictured my girls when they were little. I thought of how cute they'd be all dressed up in their little Polly Flanders dresses with the cute muted floral patterns and their little patten shoes. How sweet and dainty they'd be. Well, what I ended up with was one who dressed up because she loved it but didn't like anyone to really know it, one who absolutely hated dresses, and the other who loved to put on her best dress and haul on her big black rubber boots over her pretty white tights. So pardon me while I color and dress up Tilda like the perfect little "Angel" I always wanted. But looks are deceiving. I'd bet Tilda deep down likes dresses sometimes, not so much at other times and loves boots, but not the tights! Yes, I think I really do have those angels I always wanted.

Suzanne Dean from Scrap Bitz just gave me the nicest honor! She gave me this award! It's always such an honor when people look at your blog but when they notice that you're loving what they do, that makes it so very special. Suzanne, I really appreciate it and all the inspiration and ideas I get from visiting you. You really are a great artist and I'm so glad our crafting paths have crossed.

So now I get to give it to 7 people who I visit and get inspiration from. I'd like to pass this award on to:

Deb - Itty Bitty Ink Spots because she really has brought fun and comarriderie to my stamping

Danni - Danni's Dreams for her friendship and our shared love of Bellas!

M-J - Chookarooni for all the inspiration I get with using my cuttlebug!

Ami - Diva for a Day for always putting out challenges and noticing things on people's blogs

Loreen - Loreen's Scrap Space who is so encouraging and runs the greatest place to get deals for stampers and scrappers!

Kim - Crafts by Kim who does such great projects and is always inspiring

Bere - Bere who has the greatest looking cookies and cakes and a heart of gold and who's friendship is one to last forever!

Monika - MAD Stamper for great Magnolia cards and the best blog candy!

Claudia - Pretty Pressings for the great conversation and tutorials on my new love, Magnolia stamps!

All of these stampers bring something different to my creative world and it's a better place with them in it. Some have been there for a while, and some are new. I appreciate them all!

The rules for this award are..

1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.

2. Link the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs of the girls you've nominated.
Thanks again, Suzanne!