I Carry Your Heart...

Hello folks, I have anther image to share with you from Stamping Bella's newest release.  Keep checking Em's Blog or the store for the actual release date but it could be Monday of next week.  Can't wait!

We have a new artist in the lineup and she is fabulous!  Diane Duda designed 4 new images for Stamping Bella and I think they are awesome.  This is one of them.  I saw this and immediately decided it was time to bring out my water color paper and Tim Holtz Distress inks and markers.  Love love love the result!  And I was thrilled to try something new.  I also was very pleased with how easily the markers blend.  Wooeee this was fun. 

I've also entered this into the latest SCS Bellatastic Tuesday challenge - "Make it Pretty".  Is this pretty or what?  You can link up your imaget to the Splitcoast Stamper Gallery using Keyword BELLAMARONE2013.

Now head on over to the Bella Blog to see more sneak peaks.  I've been able to figure out all but one of the 9 images being released.  Can you find them all?

Ciao for now,
Cath

Card Supplies:

Stamps:  I Carry Your Heart designed by Diane Duda for Stamping Bella
Paper:  Watercolor, Bazzil, Basic Grey True Love, Prima Madeline Collection
Coloring Medium:  Tim Hotlz Distress Ink and Markers
Extras:  Grossgrain ribbon, hand rolled paper rosettes, corner punch, dimensionals
Finished card size:  5 1/2 square

Gimme a Bee...

Good Morning folks...hope your week is off to a good start.  Today I'd like to share one of the newest images in the Stamping Bella lineup.  Yup, you heard me, Emily is having a new release and I have a lovely image by Mo Manning released in rubbah through Stamping Bella and she's named Gimme a Bee!

I've colored her with copics and have added surround shading with prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol.  Papers are a collection from October Aternoon - Ducks in a Row, The Thrift Shop and Sidewalk.  I simply couldn't resist the back and yellows to set off the little bee on her sweater.  Ack!

Isn't she cute?  I now there are lots of other new characters...I'll be watching all the Babe's blogs for sneak peaks and Em's for details on when to expect the new release.  Check back here again....I have another image to share too!

Ciao and happy week,
Cath

Card Supplies:
Stamp:  Mo Manning's Gimme a Bee released through Stamping Bella
Paper:  Bella's Bestest, Bazzil, October Afternoon
Extra's:  Nesties, EK Success Border punch Fancy Flight, ribbon, machine stitching
Finished card size:  5 inch square

Shanna says hello

It's Bellariffic Friday at Stamping Bella and for today's challenge we have one terriffic sketch.  I really really like this one and know that I'll be using it again! 

I started by stamping Sorry Shanna, a Mo Manning image released in rubbah through Stamping Bella, onto Bella's Bestest paper.  Then I colored her with copics and added shading with prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol.  Then I used a Classic circle Nestie to cut her out but I pulled her feet outside the circle.  What do ya think - I likey but my hubby thought it looked wierd.   What do they know right?

The sentiment comes with the image and I love the way it's placed behind the image panel for this week's sketch.  Lots of  pink rhinestones circle the image and add a touch of sparkle!

Next week, our challenge is Banners!  Make a banner or add a banner to your creation.  Then send a photo to Emily@stampingbella.com so it can be added to the Blog lineup. 

Enjoy your weekend!
Cath

Card Supplies:

Stamps: Sorry Shanna a Mo Manning image release through Stamping Bella
Paper:  Bella's Bestest, Bazzil, Bella's Bestest Kraft
Design Paper:  My Mind's Eye Stella & Rose Gertie 6x6
Color Medium:  Copics and prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol
Extra's:  Nestie Classic circle dies, MFT Scallop die, rhinestones, machine stitching
Finished card size: 5 1/2 square

Splitcoast Stampers Love Fest with the Bella's

Happy Sunday folks!  Today I have a card to share with you for the Love Fest sponsored by Stamping Bella on Splitcoast Stampers.  It's a 10 day celebration with a chance for some prizes by the sponsoring companies.  Da Bella has two $25 Gift Certificates up for grabs.  To play along use keyword LOVEFEST2012C when you upload your card. 

I decided to ink up Uptown Girl Flora the Cyclist.  She puts me in the mood for spring and she's sending Love to my Sister-in-Law as a thank you for the three hats she handmade for me.  I stamped her onto Bella's Bestest paper and colored her with copics.  And yes, there's prismacolor pencil in there to color the grass and sky.  We also had a Bling theme so I added glitter for that.

Only a few extras - a button from the Basic Grey Fiction line to match the paper, a cuttlebug embossing folder and circle nesties for my sentiment. 

Hope you can find the time to stop on by and see the inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by.
Cath

Bellariffic Friday...a day late

Hello Folks!  Sorry for the delay in getting this card done and up for you.  While I try to create on the weekends, sometimes I have to squeak in a card during the week and this week was a chemo week...and I'm sorry to say that I lost my mojo.  So here is my Bellariffic Friday -  Anything Goes challenge card.  I'm trying to do double duty, I have a ton of cards to send to all of you who have been sending me well wishes and hats and well...LOVE.  And one of my favorite cute little images is Izzie by Christy Croll.  Here she is with a Lettah sending love right back at you all.

I almost cut her out again but instead decided to showcase her in this awesome Nestabilities die - Labels 20.  I stamped her onto Bella's Bestest paper and colored her with copics.  I also added shading with Prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol.  For those of you who have tried this you will see that it really does add depth to the shadows - use French Grey 50% or 90% depending on how dark you want to go.  You'll also see that it strengthens the colors too - like the yellow into a smoother gold on either side of her dress here. 

The sentiment comes with the image thankfully so I made it into a MFT Fishtaill Flag and topped it off with a felt sunflower that I cut with the MFT Sunflower Die-namic. 

A little machine stitching and an EX Success border punch finish this off. Whew, one down and a ton more to go....

Next week's challenge is a sketch.  Hope you can play along.

For those of you who'd like to know I'm half way through chemo now.  We have another test to do in the upcoming weeks and we hope it will show that the cancer is in fact gone.  The next 4 sessions will be to ensure that it does in fact stay gone!  I'm feeling so much better than I did when I was sick.  I'm still working full time and trying to fit exercise in too, hiking, snowshoeing, biking and skiing.  While I've lost my hair I've taken to wearing hats and am getting used to seeing my face in them.  I was never really a hat girl but now I have quite a few I rotate.  The wig is ok - but in the cold weather I notice that I can't stay warm and it's tight so I like the hats better.  Good news - I've also lost the need for hair supplies and the time it takes to curl my hair and get ready in the morning.  Leg hair has gone away too...so many things you just don't think about.  I've also gained the ability to eat again!  The metalic taste is frustrating but it sure beats getting sick everytime you eat.  In summary - Life is good and I'm getting well!

I'm so thankful for all your well wishes, emails, comments, cards...thank you for keeping me going and keep your fingers crossed that the next three months fly by!

Ciao for now,
Cath

Card Supplies:

Stamp:  Stamping Bella Izzie has a Lettah with sentiment
Paper:  Bella's Bestest, Stampin' Up! Crushed Curry and Black Bazzil
Design Paper:  My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Two - Sunshine 6x6
Coloring Medium:  Copics, Prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol
Extras:  Nestabilities die Labels 20, MFT Die's Fishtail Flag Stax and Sunflower, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Antique Linen, Sakura Black Glaze pen, EK Success border punch, machine stitching, dimensionals
Finished card size:  6 3/8 x 5

February Oozak Challenge...Anything Goes

Happy February 15th folks.  Today I have the pleasure of sponsoring the DT post on the Oozak blog.  Our challenge this month is Anything Goes with your favorite color.  I have to admitt that I have lots of color combinations I enjoy working with but my favorite is Pink and Black.  So for today's card I set about to find paper and an image that would fit that color combo. 

I started with a Saturated Canary image.  This one isn't currently in the Oozak shop but there are plenty of images by Krista Smith that are.  This one is called Hugs and Kisses which I thought would be perfect for my daughter's Valentine's Day card.  I stamped the image onto Bella's Bestest paper and colored with a combination of copics and prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol.  I added surround shading with the image panel in the Nestie die using Tim Holtz Distress Ink Tattered Rose.  To add some pop to the hearts I coated them with Stampin' Up! Crystal Effects and to the hair ties I couldn't resist some Ranger Stickles Worn Lipstick.

I cut the image out with a Nestabilities Petite Oval die and matted it in black Bazzil cardstock and then used a Nestabilities Floral Oval die for extra frilly, girly splash.  The papers are a combination of Authentique Uncommon for the pink polka dot background and the black is Echo Park For The Record.  An EK Success punch was used for the black border.  Machine stitching and a black ribbon bow topped with a button tied with Queen & Co. black and white twine finish this off.

I also finished the inside with a Stamping Bella sentiment and paper scraps from the Authentique 6x6 paper pack.

There's still plenty of time for you to play along this month.  Stop on by the Oozak challenge blog for some inspiration and to link up your card.  If you play by the rules, one lucky participant will win a prize pack from Hero Arts Stamps with a retail value of $75.  Hope to see your creations soon!!!  And there's also a Guest DT spot up for grabs.  If you'd like to join us, simply add GDT after your name when you submit your card.

Thanks for stopping by!
Cath

Card Supplies:

Copics: Face E000, E00, E11, R20, Boots C8, C7, C5, C3, C1 Box E44, E43, E42

Hearts in box R11, R00, R0000 Skirt and Leg Warmers R14, R12, R11

Shirt C5, C3, C1  Hair E41, Y21, Y23, YR23

Stamp: Saturated Canary Hugs and Kisses, Stamping Bella sentiment

Paper:  Bella's Bestest for image, Bazzil Cardstock

Design Paper:  Authentique Uncommon, Echo Park For the Record 6x6

Extras:  Nestabilites Floral Ovals, Petite Ovals Large, Ranger Stickles Worn Lipstick, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Tattered Rose, Queen & Co black and white twine, black ribbon bow, button, machine stitching

Finished card size:  6x6

Brigitte is a Beautiful Bride

When Stamping Bella gave us an Uptown Girl Bride - I was so happy!  I love Brigitte.  She's just so beautiful and perfect for a Bridal Shower card or a special card for a Bride on her wedding day.  Today I've made a Bridal Shower card.  This is my second time coloring this image and I must say that I kept this to soft cream coloring with lots of glitter, again!  I can't help it, this dress just makes me think of sparkle and creaminess.

I also added Kaiser flat back pearls in the bouquet and yes some more glitter.  The sentiment is from Stampin' Up!  I've added a wee bit of shading with prismacolor pencils around Brigitte.  Machine stitching and a big sheer ribbon bow help me finish this off.

Have I given you some mojo to create today?  Hope so.  We have an Anything Goes challenge for this week's Stamping Bella Bellariffic Friday challenge - won't you join us?  Don't forget to send a photo of your creation to Emily@stampingbella .com by Thursday evening to be included in the Friday Blog line up.   We had a ton of sisters join us last week.  We'd love to see your creations too!

Caio,
Cath

Card Supplies:

Stamp:  Stamping Bella Uptown Girl Brigitte the Beautiful Bride, Stampin' Up! sentiment
Paper:  Bella's Bestest, Bazzil cardstock
Coloring medium:  Copics, Prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol
Design Paper:  Kaiser Craft Squadron 12x12 from my stash
Extras:  Kaiser flat backed pearls, glitter applied with a Quickie Glue pen, machine stiching and a sheer ribbon bow
Finshed card size:  6 1/2 x 5

Dropping you a line...

Yea - it's Sunday and Winter Storm Nemo dropped about 10 inches of fresh snow in my neck of the woods.  After shoveling out the driveway I hunkered down in my craft room to create.  First up I have Ramona Fishing by Stamping Bella.  I love this cute image and find myself pulled to cut the dangling heart out to drop outside my image panel.  I know it's a little time consuming but I love the result so much I don't mind.

I started by stamping the image onto Bella's Bestest paper and coloring with copics.  But I also added some prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol.  Then I cut the image out.  Glued everything together and tada...another card done! 

I'm heading to the ski slopes today - my first time in two years.  Keep your fingers crossed that I come back in one piece! 

Have a wonderful week!

Cath

Card Supplies:

Stamps:  Stamping Bella Ramona Fishing including sentiment
Coloring medium:  Copics and Prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol
Paper:  Bella's Bestest for image, Stamping Bella Kraft and Bazzil colored cardstock
Design Paper:  Basic Grey True Love 6x6
Extras:  Nestie Classic Oval die, MFT Oval Decorative Doily and Fishtail STAX die-namics, machine stitching
Finished card size:  6 x 5

Bubbles can be so relaxing...

Hello Folks.  Ack, I can't believe a whole week has gone by.  We're here again for Stamping Bella's Bellariffic Friday and today's challenge was a sketch.  I must say that these seem more fun to me and less of a challenge - as they're a road map and one less decision I have to make.  So I pulled out an Uptown Girl that I haven't inked yet - this is Uptown Girl Bubbles loves Bubbly!  Wish I had a nice tub that I could relax in with some bubbles and bubbly.  LOL!

As you've probably guessed, I stamped Bubbles onto Bella's Bestest paper with Memento Tuxedo black ink and colored with copics.  I also used prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol for some depth shading.  For a more girly touch I added Sworkovski rhinestones galore and lots of glitter too...oh and I couldn't resist a row of small rosette ribbon.  No stitching on this one...it felt a little refreshing.

So next week we're asking you to just play along using any Bella stamp!  Anything Goes is for everyone!  Hope you can find the time to play.

We're in for some snow today and tomorrow and I can't wait.  I love the white stuff!

Happy weekend!
Cath

Card Supplies

Stamp:  Uptown Girl Bubbles loves  Bubbly by Stamping Bella
Paper:  Bella's Bestest for image, Neenah Classic Crest solar white for card base
Desgin Paper:  Basic Grey True Love 6x6
Coloring Medium:  Copics and Prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol
Extra's:  Glitter applied with Quickie Glue (on bubbles), Opposite of scallop die along the rosette ribbon border with Sworkovski rhinestones and  Stampin' Up Crystal Effects on the champagne glass
Finished card size:  6 1/2 x 5