Izzie is back with Balloons

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you get treats instead of tricks this evening. All my kidlets are on their own now so I'll be staying in. And we don't get any kids in our neighborhood so I'll be hanging in my craft room making cards. Couldn't be happier.

I told you that I've been known for getting cards out late. It's not that I forget or don't have the right intentions. Things just get in the way. Even with the best plans I get thrown curve balls. Often times I have the card in question on my desk in various forms of completion. But I get stuck and can't find the right thing to finish it off. Has this ever happened to you? Well, it's exactly what happened to this card. Izzie has balloons is intended for my niece.


This might look familiar as I've colored her before. This time though, I cut her out. In all fairness, I had to cut her out. It wasn't planned. My darn reds bled outside the boundaries of her dress. UGHHH! I hate when that happens. I had spent so much time on the rest of her that I wasn't going to let her go to waste. So, I cut her out and glued her to my design paper. Then I shaded the ground so she didn't look like she was floating away. Because this wasn't my intended layout, I didn't know what to do with all the empty space on the left. I finally decided to add my sentiment there in a small panel. I used a computer generated sentiment that I cut with a Nestie Label 1 die. Then I backed it with a Nestie Label 16 die. I didn't like the huge difference between the smallest and next sized label 1 but I loved the way it fit perfectly into the smallest 16. Amy Sheffer has been showing this die and I've had my eye on it for awhile now. I made a trip over to Canada yesterday and found a small LSS that had it in stock. Yes, I was psyched! I also scored the Seeing Spots Cuttlebug embossing folder Amy uses quite frequently too - it was a very worthwhile trip.

Here's a closeup so you can see the detail a little better...



Enjoy your evening folks and see you back here tomorrow for a sneak peak at the December Mary Maxim card. It's a Christas Mo released through Stamping Bella. Can you guess which one it is?

Thanks for stopping by!
Cath

Card deets: Bella's Bestest paper, Memento Tuxedo black ink, copics, prismacolor pencils, gamsol, wheat Versamagic Chalk ink, Tim Holtz distress ink - Vintage Photo, Black Glaze pen, Basic Grey Figgy Pudding design paper- Nestled and Trinket, Nestie Label 1 and 16 die, machine stitching.

Twinkle Toes Bellarific Friday

Yup, it's Friday again! Woo Hoo. And today I share with you Twinkle Toes Huggabugg from Stamping Bella. Since we are replaying last week's Bella challenge, I decided to share a new take on the sketch from Elainabella. I found it so very versitile - I can definately see me using this time and time again.



I must sound like a broken record but when you find a formula that works you have to stick with it. So, I've started with Bella's bestest paper, Memento Tuxedo black ink, copics and prismacolor pencils. But I did try something new. It's a technique where you apply lots of dots in various shades of the same color family to fill in color. I applied it here on the wings. I loved the soft coloring it added. Then I applied lots of Quickie glue and glitter - a fairy has to have lots of glittah!

Next, I applied shading with Tim Holtz ink while my image was still in the Circle Nestie. I layered this with the Inverted Scallop circle and toped it off with the Classic Circle Scallop - love how this looks like a ring of pearls. I chose the Basic Grey Cappella 6x6 design papers and added some machine stitching. I found the perfect copper baubles to put in the corners and a glittery shimmery ribbon to add a bow. I added a little extra shading on all the layers with the Tim Holtz distress ink as well.

Here's a closeup of the image for you.



Next week's challenge is a 1,2,3 card. It's easy, just use 1 Stamping Bella image, 2 design papers, and 3 embellishments. Then send a photo of your card to Emily@stampingbella.com. Don't forget to put "BF November 5" in the title so it doesn't get overlooked. Bow head on over to the Bella blog to see what the rest of the sistah's have made. A comment just might give you some Bella bucks just in time for the Holidays. Woot woot.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Cath

Tis the Season

Today I have my weekly holiday card to share with you. This card reminds me of my daughter and she will most likely be getting it in the mail soon to get her ready for our annual day after Thanksgiving Black Friday shopping excursion. And she told me that I needed to start coloring hair blond so that it would look more like her. I obliged that request...

Here is Stamping Bella's Tis the season to be Jolly Bella.



And yes, this season makes my daughter very Jolly. She loves all the traditions the holidays bring. I started with Bella's Bestest paper, Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Copics. I accented the packages, the tree and bags with prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol. They add the best shading. I went a little further and added accents with various Gelly Roll pens. Then I added glitter - the holidays scream glitter. And it has the added benefit of looking like snow. Ok - I am crazy and somewhat like a glisteny snowy scene.

Here's a closeup...



My colors were chosen with the design paper in mind. I used Basic Grey's Figgy Pudding Forest design paper. I thought it fit the tree in the cart wonderfully. One of my favorite Holiday memories was hunting for the Christmas tree with my daughter. My husband now likes to buy a cut tree so the whole over the river and through the woods thing is just a memory.

Cardstock is Stampin' Up Ridding Hood Red and Bazzil. A perky satin bow is the only adornment.

We're halfway through the week so keep your chin up. I'll be back on Friday with a new take on the sketch challenge from Elaineabella. Hope you were able to send a card off to Emily. You still have time so get going.

For my local friends, please note that Mary Maxim has a copy of this card on display. Stop by to check it out.

Bellarific Friday Update

How many times have you checked in on the Bella Blog over the weekend to see last Friday's creations? We all knew that Emily was going to be at Creativ Fest in Toronto but we were just hoping that she would find time to post all the gorgeous creations from everyone weren't we? I know I was. I was also hoping for some peek into what the Festival was all about. Well, time got away from Emily so she is going to give all you another chance to submit a card using Elaineabella's sketch. Here it is again.



If you have already made your 1,2,3 card, hang on to it. You can send it in for the November 4th challenge. We just moved it back a week. So now you're ahead! And Emily has posted a little peek at one of her creations so check out the Bella blog.

Hope to see your creations on Friday!

Cath

Izzie says Thank you!

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope you found time to get lots done this weekend. Or maybe you just relaxed, read a book or went for a walk. I was able to do all of those things and even spent lots of time in my craft room. For all my local folks - I have some great news to share. Mary Maxim has finally received Stamping Bella images. Woo Hoo. I stopped in on Thursday and was so excited to see all the pink rubbah in the trademark packages and actually caught myself going aaahhhh. Too funny, but I love my Bella images and seeing them all lined up and ready to be hung was such a wonderful feeling. I promised Brenda that I would make some cards to give you ideas on how to color these precious characters up. Sooo, I spent lots of time preparing cards to be displayed. I'll try to get them to her early this week but you can stay tuned and I'll be sharing them here as well.

Danabella motivated me to dust off Izzie has a daisy.



Love this Cristy Croll character. She just oozes cuteness. In keeping with our fall weather I started with Ivory cardstock from Neenah to color on, a first for me. Then I grabbed October Afternoon design papers that I have been hoarding. I did a combination of coloring with Copics and prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol so I used Memento Tuxedo black ink. The hair, face and flowers were colored with copics but the sweater, shirt and skirt were colored with pencils. And, of course, I added lots of shading with the pencils as well. A black Glaze pen helped add some pop to the buttons, belt, head band and shoes. It might be hard to see but if you click the picture you can zoom in a little better. I have a closeup shot too...



Kaiser pearls helped dress this up a bit and my Nesties were a key component. I used classic Circles large, Blossom, and Fancy tags for the sentiment panel. From MFT I used the Ric Rac die-namic for the brown paper border. Love this die - so easy to use. Just one swipe through your Cuttlebug and you're good to go. The sentiment was computer generated. Machine stitching in brown and ivory finish this off.

Voila! Isn't this darling?

Hope you enjoy your week and thanks for stopping by.

Cath

Reindeer Circle Bellarific Friday

Woo Hoo - another week has flown by and we find ourselves back to Bellarific Friday again! This weeks Stamping Bella challenge was a sketch from Elainabella and I must say - I loved it! First it was a square card. Love them! Then, having the layout chosen all I needed to do was pick the image, paper and colors. The hard part was done for me. Fun, fun, fun! Hope you were able to play along too.

I chose Reindeer circle .


I colored him with copics so I stamped him with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Bella's Bestest paper. I framed the image panel with a scalloped circle nestie and then again with a classic circle. I alternated machine stitching between white and brown thread to match the papers. Love the Basic Grey Wassail 6x6 paper pack - I chose the ivory snowflake paper and brown swirl to accent the colors of the reindeer.

Here's a closeup so you can see all the yummy glitter I added with Quickie Glue to create a little winter scene.

And I have a few Cath tips to share - ever wonder which colors you should use or how to shade an image? Well I do a google search for "images" and then get an idea of how to shade them. A real life reindeer gave me a road map for the shading of this little guy and I must say that I think he looks pretty realistic! Second, Copic markers are great for coloring embellishments to match. Here I colored the once silver Dew Drops a deep red to match the bow and scalloped circle. And that saves having to buy them in a ton of shades!

Now let's look at what Mini-Bella McKenzie has to share with us...I think that her take on the sketch is so creative! McKenz has colored up Patience by Mo Manning. Is this a cutie or what?


Next week we have a totally new challenge for you. It's a 1,2,3 challenge. Wondering what that is? Well, it's one image, two design papers, and three embellishments. Join us and send a copy of your card to Emily@stampingbella.com by Thursday night. Now head on over to the Bella blog to see what the rest of the sistahs have done this week. A quick comment might win you some Bella Bucks - Woo Hoo.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by.

Cath

Tolerance...

Have you missed me? I have! My daughter came into town for a visit this past weekend and I'm exhausted. We ran everyday and were up early enough to see the cows come home! We also headed up to Central Michigan University with husband, son, and cousins in tow to spend Homecoming weekend with child #3. She's a senior this year and this was our first visit as a family since the older two are scattered North and South. A wonderful time was had by all but my internal clock is still asking for more sleep.

I've had this card done in advance but unfortunately, I didn't get the post ready. Please forgive me... Today I share with you Tolerance designed by Mo Manning and released through Stamping Bella.



I was still in a fall mood so it influenced my choice of Copic colors and paper. The design paper came from the Basic Grey Pyrus 6x6 pack. Cardstock is Bazzil. I pulled out my new favorite paper - Bella's Bestest to color on and stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I did add some shading once I was done with my Copics with my prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol. I loved how it toned down the blue in this little guy's shirt so it looked like he had it on all day!

Trying to keep this boyish, I simply added an EK Success border punch along the design paper, some silver star brads to tie in the star on his pants and a little stitching on my sewing machine.

Hope you are working on your card to participate in this week's Bellarific Friday challenge.

Elainabella's helped by designing the layout but you have creative freedom to pick the image and colors! Don't forget to send a photo of your creation to Emily by Thursday night and she'll share it with all the sistahs AND you might win some Bella bucks! Ebru made a surprise visit to Scrapfest this past weekend and has a wonderful video to share with you on the Bella blog. If you're in the Toronto area, you'll want to visit Emily and Paula at CrativFest this weekend. Emily has free tickets she's giving away - information can be found on her blog. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by.
Cath

Phoebe Ketto Bella Challenge

Happy Bellarific Friday!! Today I share with you Phoebe Ketto. It's my favorite Stamping Bella Ketto. So versitile - Valentine's Day, Birthday, Sweetest Day, Anniversary...see lots of occasions. But this card is making it's way to a niece for her Birthday!



I started with Bella's bestest paper, Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and Copics. Do you notice the grass at her feet and the faint blue shadow? I needed my prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol to do that. It's so easy with the right blending stub. A Genius Coloring Diva - AKA Paulabella taught me that. You must find the beige stumps made in Taiwan. I didn't believe her at first but once she let me try hers - I realized it was like spreading soft butter instead of rock solid hard butter. Can you visualize that?

Here's a close up. Notice that I used a Black Sakura Glaze pen to add texture to her hair. I also sprinkled black glitter while it was still wet. Don't you just love the dimension it adds?



Cardstock is by Stampin Up. Design paper is by My Minds Eye titled Confetti. The Lacey Square and Classic Square Nesties were used to frame the image panel. Bella glitter applied with Quickie glue on the wings, machine stitching and a bright red ribbon bow finish this off.

And now take a look at Mini-Bella McKenzie's card. Missmatch Ketto is her passion this week.



Love the colors chica. You totally rocked the hair coloring and I also love your choice of paper, layout and sentiment too! Fabulous!

Next weeks challenge is a sketch from Elaineabella.

So grab your favorite Bella and play along. Simply send your card to Emily by 5pm Thursday evening. But head over to the Bella blog first to see what the rest of the sistahs have to contribute. And why not leave a comment for a chance to win some Bella bucks?

Have a great weekend!

Cath

Who Me?

Hello folks! Today I have another Holiday Card to share with you. This is likely to make it's way into one of my children's mailboxes since it reminds me of them. A look of "I wasn't gonna it do it Mom" plastered on their faces. You're probably wondering what the heck I'm talking about so take a looksey.

This is Who Me? designed by Mo Manning but released in rubber through Stamping Bella. I just loved the detail in this image. That sure is one thing you can count on with a Mo Manning character.



I stamped him up on Bella's Bestest paper with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored him with Copics. I also broke the mold and did not add any prismacolor pencils. I didn't need to add ground since there were some lovely footprints and I liked the simple contrast of the stark white against the bright coloring. I didn't even want to clutter it up with stitching. I couldn't however, resist some glitter to help make the snow glisten. I also thought it would accent the background paper beautifully. Don't you just love it? I found it at Scrappy Chic with Paula about a month ago and had to have it. Paid an arm and a leg for one sheet but it was just too yummy to pass up. It's called Lost and Found by My Mind's Eye in case you feel the need to hunt it down.

Here's a closer look.



My finishing touch was two felt snowflakes from Stampin Up (I love snowflakes so I just bought 2 more packages from the clearance rack - never know when the three packs I have will be gone. He He.), a big red Swarkovski crystal and a scrap piece of red sheer ribbon.

You'll want to make your way to the Bella Blog today, Emily has a BIGGGGG release for us! I've seen a few sneak peaks on my fellow Babe's blogs so even I can't wait to check it out. You still have time to ink a Ketto up and get a card to Emily for this week's Bellariffic Friday challenge. Your deadline is Thursday.

Enjoy the rest of your week and thanks for stopping by.

Cath

A Not-so-scarry Stella

Happy Monday folks. Hope you had as great a weekend as I did. We had a blast touring the wineries along Seneca Lake NY. Best time ever at Three Brothers winery. Could have stayed there all day - three wineries, a micro-brewery, live entertainment and glorious sunshine to sit in and enjoy it all. I was in heaven.

Since fall is still on my mind, I thought I would share another Halloween card. Spooky Stella by Stamping Bella was just too cute to pass up on my last order.



I started with Bella's Bestest paper, Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Copics. Then I added grass with my prismacolor pencils. Shading for the night sky was made by lightly sponging Memento London Fog grey ink with my Nestie still in place.

I've been in love with banners for the longest time and was happy to put my new MFT die to use to display my sentiment - BOO. The letters were cut using the Slice and the Halloween cartridge. I've had this in mind since I bought the cartridge last year but I didn't have the banner die. I know, I could have cut them on my own but I've been wishing for the die.

A little machine stitching, glitter and layering with various circle Nesties and we're good to go. Cardstock is Bazzil. The white/black design paper is from Martha Stewart's Halloween pack last year. The background is a scrap from The Spider Web by My Mind's Eye.

This week's Bellariffic Friday challenge is to dust off your Ketto's. You can send your cards to emily@stampingbella.com by Thursday night. Hope you'll have time to play along.

Cath

A Fall Bellarific Friday Challenge

Ok folks, Fall is my favorite season. Love the colors, smells, sounds (leaves crunching under foot). So I loved this challenge. I didn't want to do a typical scene though, I wanted to go a little non-traditional and repurpose an image if you will. I had I love to shop a bella in mind. Paula colored this in a beautiful winter scene. But the plaid hat and doggie wear and nice cowl coat had me thinking I could do this for fall.



For my colors, I turned to the Making Memories Autumn Splendor design paper - browns, greens, yellows and golds and a splash of teal. I wanted out of the box so I reached for my Oval Nesties. I knew the image wouldn't fit completely inside, so I stamped part of it again and cut them out to attach when I was done. Elainabella posted one of her tips - coloring the edges of cutouts with a black marker and for my cute little black dog that was excellant advice. No white edges showing here.

I stamped this on Neenah Classic Crest Solar white paper with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Then I colored her with Copics. I had great fun choosing colors to blend in with the design paper. But for that extra depth, I did add some prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol. And since I wanted this to look like a fall day, I had to punch a few leaves out as well. Husband thought I should have drawn in some wind - but what the heck does he know?

I think this would be perfect shopping for Chirstmas gifts weather. Unfortunately - I think we'll have snow on the ground for that. It's been so cold out already. UGH!

Now for the Mini-Bellas. First up is Madison with Beatrice Bellbottoms...




McKenzie shares Daisy Hightops with us...



Didn't they do a fabulous job once again? Look at them sporting the Basic Grey paper. Love these cards girls.


Now head on over to see what the other Bella's and sistah's have contributed at the Bella Blog. I know that there is also a wonderful tuitorial from our new Videobabe - Ebru. You have to see this. And get your Ketto's out because that's next week's challenge. Won't you join us?

Have a great weekend. I'm heading home to NY to tour the Fingerlakes region's Seneca Lake Wine Trail. So looking forward to viewing the NY countryside in all its fall splendor!

MWAH - thanks for stopping by!
Cath

Don't ask me how I know tips...I've decided I should start to share some of my misfortunes in the hopes that you might learn something. Don't laugh here - before you glue pieces on like the box at the top, make sure that you don't need to stitch around it. Otherwise you have to pull it off and hope it doesn't rip before you glue it back on.

Cutesy Ornaments

Do you have season favorites? I do. I love snowflakes because you can use them all winter long. It's also why I love snowmen. They aren't just for one holiday - they can decorate my home and cards for months! He he. But I also have a soft spot for ornaments. So as I went shopping for some new Bella's - I just had to have Cutesy Ornaments.



I know that I will be coloring these in varying color schemes. But first up I couldn't resist the Graphic 45 Christmas 8x8 paper pack which included the red gold design paper here. I also had some gold shimmer paper I picked up at Target at the end of the Christmas season for 75% off so a pack of 25 was $0.75 - sweet - I knew it would go perfectly. You'll be seeing this in silver next because that was on clearance too.

Bella's bestest paper was my starting point though and Memento Tuxedo black ink. Copics were my main coloring tool. I used tans, pinks and yellows to go with the rich deep reds. Love them! Shading was also done with prisma pencils blended with gamsol. Love how it deepened the dark areas and added ground shading around the ornaments. The sentiment is also from Stamping Bella. I simply backed it with the gold shimmer paper and cut it into a banner.

A little machine stitching dressed up my image panel along with a sheer burgady ribbon.

Hope you can find time to check out this week's Tantalizing Toosday specials. And remember, a comment on the blog post could get you $20 in Bella Bucks. Easy peasy to play and verrry fun to spend. I know, I've had the pleasure of winning and it was awesome.

And while you're at it - why not get your brown, yellow, and red supplies out and join us for this week's Bellariffic Friday Challenge - Fall colors. Just send your cards to Emily@stampingbella.com by Thursday night.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cath

New Bella Babes!

I have some exciting news to share with you today...We have two new Bella Babes to introduce you to. First up is Kim Teasdale. Kim does some awesome coloring with her TomBow markers. You can catch her classes in My Creative Classroom. She also uses a signature style of matting in black or dark cardstock on her creations. They are beautiful!!! Check out Kim's blog here and give her some welcome love.

Next up is Ebru Vatansever. She'll join the Bellariffic Babe team as videographer and participating in our weekly card challenges. Not only are her cards awesome, but now we'll have You Tube documentaries so we can get to know Emily better. And she's promised tuitorials. Woo Hoo - how cool is that? What a great chance to see Emily in action and learn more about the owner of the Babe Kingdom! I am thrilled! Check out Ebru's blog here...

I'll admitt I'm a You Tube newbie so I'm not sure what you have to do to subscribe to the Stamping Bella channel but I'll figure it out and keep you updated. Emily said that she'll be announcing giveaways and things so keep checking back periodically to see what's in store.

Have an awesome week!

Cath

Diva Take 2

Woo Hoo - Bella's are coming to Mary Maxim! Stamping Bella's that is. The wonderful rubbah stamps that have pretty much captured all my stamping moments for the past year. There are so many to choose from and there seems to be a stamp for every occassion - who wouldn't be enthralled? So to celebrate, we'll be coloring Diva, created by Mo Manning for Stamping Bella in our November Copic class.



This might look familiar to you. I colored this once before but had to modify it a little for class. I've started with Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock, stamped it with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and shaded with prismacolor pencils. We'll be adding pencil shading to our creations since it adds wonderful depth to the images - especially Mo's that are full of natural shading areas. I also shaded the image panel with Encore Utlimate Metallic ink in green with a blending sponge.

A Diva has to sparkle so I added Bella glitter with a Quickie Glue pen all over the boa and tiara and added some K&Company rhinestones in the far left corner. It needed something more so I also added some velvet ric rac ribbon. I'm not in love with it but it'll do.

The card base is by Studio G. They come in a pack of 8 5x5 cards and envelopes for $0.99. The corners are already rounded and I believe they are a bargain. A real time saver if you have multiple cards to make. I added prisma cardstock and Melissa Francis design paper. The image panel was cut with a large Circle Nestie and backed with a large Big Scallop Nestie. Some dimensionals help to raise the panel.

Voila! Another class card done and waiting for you to give the store a call to reserve your spot. They're free so why not give it a try if you live in the Port Huron, MI area? I'll update my sidebar with class dates.

Copics used: E000, E00, E11, R20, R22, E04, E33, E35, E37, YR23, Y21, C1, C2, C5, BG09, BG02, BG000, BG10, BG13, V12, R39

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a wonderful week!

Cath

The Mummy, The Witch and The Pirate

I love, love, love this stamp from Stamping Bella. And with this week's Bellarific Friday Challenge being Halloween - I couldn't resist! Did you get to play too? I can't wait to head over to Emiy's blog to see what the sistahs have contributed.



You've probably guessed that I've started with Bella's Bestest paper, Memento Tuxedo Black ink and copics. And if you've been here before you know I added prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol. Lindabella has an excellant tuitorial demonstrating how she adds pencils to her copic colored images here. Pencils are yet one more way to build color and make your images come to life. I love how it gives them depth and makes them look more realistic. Check it out.

Once I finished coloring, I matted my image with a Scalloped Square Nestie. A simple ribbon bow and a senitment from Memory Box add the perfect touch. But I think the design paper, Erie by Basic Grey, really sets the stage.

Now let's see what the Mini-Bella's have made this week.

First up is Madison with Battiful Darling.



And McKenzie also colored The Mummy, The Witch and The Pirate.



Awesome girls! So glad you both participated again this week. Now get out your brown, orange, yellow or red accessories cause next week's challenge is to use Fall Colors. Hope you can find the time to join us. But if you can't head on over to the Bella Blog and leave a comment for a chance to win some Bella Bucks.

Have a great weekend!

Cath