Festive Snowmen

I raided my SIL's stamp collection for this set, Festive Favourites from Stampin' Up!. It's a set I don't own, so this is the perfect opportunity to use it. The layout for this card is from the Weekend Sketch Challenge hosted by Sharon Harnist, WSC78. 

I stamped the snowmen with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured them with copics...what little colouring there was...LOL! I trimmed around the frame with scissors then layered the image onto Baja Blue (I'm really going to miss that colour when it's gone...I find it coordinates so well with lots of different patterned papers). It's hard to see in the photo, but I used my new Spellbinders Deckle Scalloped Edge Borderabilities along the bottom of the baja piece...it cut a nice scallop and embossed three rows of little circles. The ribbon is SU white taffeta. 

The card base is white, followed by a layer of Baja Blue then two of the patterns in the Bo Bunny Holiday Cheer line. I was wishing I'd brought my ghost snowflakes with me but I didn't...then I remembered my Spellbinders Snowflake Wonder Shapeabilities. So I cut out a Pink Pirouette snowflake, attached it with a white brad and added crystal Stickles to the outer edges. I also added some crystal Stickles to the row of snow under the snowmen. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Showers of Sweetness

Just as I promised yesterday, here's a card using the brand new Shower Bugg image from Stamping Bella. Talk about complete sweetness...I just LOVE it!

When I was at Bellaland last week, along with picking up lots of new rubbah, I picked up these yummy American Crafts, Craft Fair Collection patterned papers. So I pulled out the pink, brown, green and yellow to colour the image. I stamped it twice with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured it copics. I cut out the umbrella and popped it for dimension and I used my Atyou Spica Glitter pens to add some shimmer to the wing and the hearts. The image is cut out with square Nestabilities and layered onto chocolate. Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention, this wonderful layout is Mojo Monday #84...I would have never come up with this on my own.  :)

The card base is Pink Pirouette then a layer of Chocolate Chip. I paper pierced the patterned pieces (say that 10 times fast!) after they were adhered to the chocolate, then I put the entire chocolate panel on dimensionals. 

The sentiment is from the Mini Words set. A little pink ribbon, some burlap twine and some small and large Cotton Candy Bella Bonbons finish it off. 

Did you hear that Stamping Bella has free shipping to anyone, anywhere from now til May 4th on orders over $50? The code to enter is "happyweek". Em sure knows how to make us all happy stampers! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

It's Stamping Bella Release Day!

And this is exactly how I feel about the new images from Stamping Bella...woo hoo...I'm jumping for joy!!! You're going to LOVE them...I had a sneaky peeky when I was at Bellaland last week and the ones I saw jumped right in my car to come with me.  :)

I thought this adorable Fabby image was the perfect way to kick off the Stamping Bella release.

The layout is from Jen-abella's Sketch For You To Try and I combined her with the Chick's Inspiration Challenge #6 for these Fabby-lous colours!  :)

I started by stamping Fabby with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured her with copics. Next I cut her out with my rectangle Nestabilities and layered her onto a scallop of Pacific Point. 

The base layer is Pacific Point with some My Mind's Eye 29th Street Market patterned paper sewn on top. I ran some Tangerine Tango through my Swiss Dots cuttlebug folder then added a strip of Pacific Point, which I jazzed up with some 7mm Burnt Honey Bella Bonbons and some Primas. 

Stamping Bella is releasing Fabby-lous new images today so keep checking Bloggabella to see what's new, cause Em will be posting them all day long. To celebrate the release, come to the Stamping Bella Forum on Splitcoast for the Release Party that starts at 9:15pm Eastern. There will be two challenges posted in the forum on Tuesday evening and one participant from each challenge will win $35 in Bella Bucks!!! 

Tomorrow I'll be sharing a card I made with one of the new images and I'll have another new image creation for you on Friday for my Bellarific submission. You still have time to play along this week...it's a sketch challenge which you can find here on Bloggabella, and you have yet another chance to win some Bella Bucks!!! What could be better than a shopping spree at Bellaland?!?

It's a Bellarific Week!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Bloomin' Beautiful

I really should have brought a bigger variety of stamps with me...LOL...but luckily my SIL has a fair sized collection so I borrowed her Stampin' Up Bloomin' Beautiful set to use with Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 15. Ha, I just thought of something...this card is a collaboration of Karens...I'm a Karen, the sketch challenge is done by a Karen and my SIL is a Karen too!  :)

I started by stamping the flower with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White and colouring it with copics. I stamped it again three times, cut out the leaves and different petals and popped them on dimensionals. In total the flower has four layers...very pretty IRL (and I can leave this one behind for my Mom when I leave so I didn't need to worry about mailing it). The image was cut out with my Petite Oval Nestabilities. I just recently learned that in addition to having a smaller scallop around the edge, the Petite Ovals are a narrower oval shape than the classic oval Nestabilities...who knew (well, probably all of you knew that, but it was news to me)!

I started with a white card base then layered some Pink Pirouette. Next I ran some Artichoke through my Textile Cuttlebug folder and cut it into four strips. I wrapped Pink Pirouette ribbon around the base and secured it with a large white brad. My intention was to add a tag with a "Happy Mother's Day" sentiment, but wanted to use a clear tag and I left those back home, so I had to settle for stamping the sentiment on the inside of the card because using a cardstock tag made the element seem too 'heavy'. I did add a small punched flower though and a Moss coloured Glass Pearl from Stamping Bella. 

Because of the Mother's Day sentiment, this card also qualifies for my friend Janet's Corrosive Challenge #9. This is the first card I've done in a while that doesn't use any patterned paper...likely because I didn't have one with me that worked with the image and colours I chose. But hey, it's good to get out of your groove once in a while...right?

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Friendly Whipper Snapper

I picked up my very first Whipper Snapper set, Friendly Expressions, at my LSS before heading home to be with my mom and dad. It definitely won't be my last Whipper Snapper set though! I just love the sets illustrated by Anna Wight...it's a slippery slope! LOL!

It's been a couple of weeks since I've played with Taylor's Cupcake Challenge, TECC65, so I made it a priority this weekend. I stamped the flower image with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White and coloured it with copics. I stamped the flowers a second time and popped them for some dimension. I used my long rectangle Nestabilities to cut out the image and the coordinating scallop one to cut out the eggplant mat. I wanted to use my new My Mind's Eye Penny Lane paper because the colours are soooooooo delish. But I have to tell you, I was humming the Beetles song then entire time I was making the card...and it just popped back into my head now that I'm typing this post. :)

The bottom layer is orchid opulence...gag...but it works so well with the Penny Lane paper, then I stitched on the patterned paper. I used my scallop border punch on another piece of orchid opulence then tied on some SU eggplant grosgrain ribbon. I finished off the scallop border with some Tiny Twinkles...they add the perfect amount of sparkle! 

My dad's still recovering nicely in the hospital and I just wanted to take a second to thank everyone for your well wishes. I've told him that my stamping friends are wishing him the best. But, yesterday I found out the hospital has public wireless internet...yippeee...so yes, now I'm here with my pink laptop, typing this post {big grin!}. And, I've been finding funny videos on YouTube to show him too, so the computer is keeping everyone entertained.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen  

Fresh Flowers Window Box

I decided to use my Fresh Flowers set from Taylored Expressions for this week's sketch challenge on Splitcoast, SC225. I love how versatile this set is. 

I started by stamping the window box and flowers onto Choice Buttercream with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, then I stamped a few flowers again so I could cut them out. The flowers are coloured with copics and I added some Stickles to the centers. 

For the window box, I stamped it onto rust cardstock then ran it through my Forest Branches Cuttlebug folder so it would look like wood. All the cardstock I used, both patterned papers and solid colours are included in the April Key Ingredients, as well as the ribbon and the pretty rhinestone flower. 

This card came together so quickly with the supplies all coordinated for me. I decided not to add a sentiment though so I can use this card for just about any occasion.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Bellarific BittyBloom

Happy Bellarific Friday! This week's challenge was two of my favourite colours...pink and brown...YUM! 

I decided to use the gorgeous Peony BittyBloom image from Stamping Bella...she's soooooooo feminine...just perfect for my vision. I stamped her with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured her with copics. Then I cut her out with oval Nestabilities. I wanted to keep my layers simple on this card and you'll see that I only used three layers on the white card base. 

The base layer is pink pirouette. I ran it through my Stylized Flowers Cuttlebug folder. Next I layered some American Crafts Backyard Collection patterned paper, which I picked up at Stamping Bella. I wrapped some chocolate grosgrain ribbon around the base and layered two Primas from my newest packs. A chocolate corduroy brad finishes the flower center. The image needed some sparkle so I added a little Crystal Stickles. 

Don't forget to pop over to Bloggabella to see all the fabulous Bellarific creations. You could win $20 in Bella Bucks just by leaving a comment on the Bellarific Friday post on Bloggabella. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Papillon Ketto and Friends

Well I'm back home again...I know...I was just here at Easter. But I came back because my dad had surgery so I wanted to be here for him and my mom. His surgery went well on Tuesday and he's recovering nicely. Really, I absolutely had to come back because when else will I get to tease him all I want and he's stuck in a hospital bed, unable to get away...LOL...insert evil grin here! I decided to drive back so I could bring stamping stuff with me. So be gentle on me for the next couple of weeks...I have limited stamping supplies with me, although my Mom thinks I brought enough for a small country.  :)

But, the best part of the drive back was that I got to stop at Bellaland and see my friends. Timing couldn't have been more perfect because Dana was in Toronto, visiting from Calgary, and my other friends had planned to meet at Bellaland for a visit. So I surprised most of them on Monday morning, and of course I did a little shopping while I was there. 

I picked up Papillon Ketto, this fabulous JilliBean Soup Minestrone patterned paper, and some fun Primas (along with lots more goodies). The layout for this card is Mojo83 and I was inspired by the Chicks Inspiration Challenge #5. 

Papillon is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with copics. I didn't have a green that matched the green in the striped paper so I layered and blended four greens together to get this shade. I'm really enjoying blending and playing with my copics to find new shades. The image and the blue and chocolate layers were cut out with square Nestabilities. 

I used my SU scallop border punch on a strip of chocolate and added some String of Pearls baubles to each scallop. I also added a String of Pearls bauble to the center of the Prima. I sewed a zig zag stitch on the bottom layers (yes, I brought my Janome Sew Mini with me...I told you I can't live without it!) and finished the card with a fluffy kiwi bow. The finished card is 5 inches square. 

Here's a photo of the group of us at Bellaland (that's what I call my happy place, the Stamping Bella store). The front row is Leslie and Nicky (aka: Nickabella). Back row is Janet, Dana, Em (da Bella herself), me, and Miche. Hugs everyone...I miss you already! Hmmm...maybe I'll have to drive through Toronto again on my way back home in a couple of weeks.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Mojo Poochie

As soon as I saw the Mojo82 sketch I knew I wanted to use one of my Poochie Christmas images from The Cat's Pajamas.

I decided on the Singing Poochies image and stamped it with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Taylored Expressions Choice Snow White cardstock. I nearly felt like I was cheating, there was so little to colour on this...LOL! But, I did mess it up! I had coloured the song book with BG72 first, put the entire card together then realized that the book should have been green. Now what? I wasn't going to re-stamp the image (eventhough it really wouldn't have taken much effort to colour it again), so I played a little with colour. I covered the blue with YG00, two coats, and this is the end result. I pretty good match if I do say so myself. :)

The patterned papers are Scenic Route, Roxbury collection. I love the fresh shades of red and green mixed in with blue and pink. The solid layers are baja blue and riding hood red, along with some black to make the colours pop. I used my new EK snowflakes border punch on the bottom of the striped piece...LOVE it! I also sewed around the green layer before adding the riding hood red ribbon and blue button.

The sentiment (it's a little longer than that but I only inked the start of the song) is also from The Cat's Pajamas. I like the wave of the sentiment against the diamonds in the background paper.

Anywho...this is one more Christmas card knocked off my list. Have you been inspired you to start making any yet?

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Just Because

I love Jen's Sketch For You To Try from last week and I thought it would be perfect for all the little images from the Branching Out and Branching Out Coordinates from Taylored Expressions. 

I stamped each image with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White and coloured them with copics. I cut out the flower on the sentiment panel and popped it for dimension, then added a Tiny Twinkle to the center. The images were punched out with my 1 1/4" square punch and layered onto a 1 3/8" square of chocolate. 

The patterned paper is My Mind's Eye Bloom and Grow...LOVE the colours in that paper! I felt like the images needed to be tied together though. I tried flowers, buttons, ribbon, but nothing seemed to look right. Then I remembered how Taylor uses the rhinestones as accents under panels on her cards...brilliant! I pulled out my Zva Large Chocolate Crystal Swirls and tucked it under the image panels. I think it's just the right touch!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Taylored Expressions April Key Ingredients

Today's the day when the April Key ingredients are released at Taylored Expressions. Lucky me though...I've had a chance to play with the April Key Ingredients and I have two projects to share with you. 

My first project is an altered clothes pin that I'm using as a photo holder (that's my BFF Dana and I in the photo...waves...hi Dana!). The giant clothes pin measures 6 inches high. It was super quick to alter...adhere a couple of different papers from the April Key Ingredients and tie on some of the gorgeous coordinating ribbons.

Taylor challenged us to use the Rapture Blue glitter that comes in the kit in a more unconventional way, so I put my thinking cap on and came up with making glittered polka dot paper. This was quick and easy too...I placed glue dots onto the cardstock then applied the glitter. I pressed the glitter into the glue dots for more even coverage. 

Next I made a mat to hold my photo. I used my SU photo corner punch to punch out four corners of light orange, which I layered onto the rust cardstock. But, I wanted to be able to change my photo so instead of adhering the corners I sewed them into place. This allowed me to slip the photo into the corners and I can easily change it. I dressed up each corner with a flower rhinestone that came in the kit. 

I also wanted to make a card and I wanted to glitter up some chipboard. This card is 4.25 inches square. The chipboard letters are from Maya Road. I applied the Blue Rapture glitter to the letters with Tombow Mono-Multi Liquid Glue and set them aside to dry. 

I was drawn to the polka dotted paper in the April Key Ingredients so I used that as my inspiration. I used my Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities (did you know Taylor now carries Spellbinders products?) to cut different sized circles from cardstock in the kit. I ran the orange one through my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder and pierced around the polka dotted one. Once the letters were in place I dotted the "i" with one of the flower rhinestones. Presto...another quick and easy project. 

So here's what's included in the April Key Ingredients:

12 sheets of 8.5x11 solid cardstock

20 sheets of 6x6 patterned paper

5 yds of coordinating ribbon

25 flower rhinestones

1/2 oz bottle of Rapture Blue glitter 

If you're a Key Ingredients subscriber then you're probably already playing with your April Key Ingredients too...just one of the perks of Taylor's Key Ingredients Subscription Service...your kit is shipped on the 15th of the month. Other perks that go along with the Key Ingredients Subscription include a 10% discount plus free shipping on anything in the Taylored Expressions store! Check out this post on Taylor's blog for all the Key Ingredients Subscription Service details.  

For a little more inspiration using the April Key Ingredients, check out these Baker's Dozen designers:

Dawn Easton

Denise Marzec

Jen del Muro

Laurie Schmidlin

Sankari Wegman

and of course, Taylor VanBruggen

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Pretty Eloise

I was in the mood for bright and happy colours when I made this card so I reached for my Bella Blvd. paper...I love the mix of colours in the Swing Into Spring line. The layout is SC224 from Splitcoast. 

I stamped the Stamping Bella image, Eloise Greengrass, once onto white then again onto the pink and yellow patterned papers. Her skirt is paper pieced with the two patterned papers and the rest of her is coloured with copics. I added some Glamour Dust glitter to her wings for some sparkle. 

I love to set offset bright colours with black, so I've layered both the image and the two strips of patterned paper with black. The ribbon is a perfect match for the blue in the paper...it's from the Paper Source, called Pool. 

This was a super quick card to whip up, mostly thanks to the great layout. And I kept the details simple too...no piercing or sewing...shocking, I know! I keep thinking I want to go back and add some piercing but I'm going to leave it just the way it is. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Thinking of You By the Sea

This is where I'd like to be...sitting in a chair by the ocean, the sun beating down on me, a light breeze blowing my hair, sipping a refreshing drink...ahhhhh...if I stare at the picture long enough maybe it'll come true! giggle!

I decided to play with my first Weekend Sketch Challenge #77, which is hosted by Lori Craig. I combined it with the Chicks Inspiration Challenge #4. When I saw the Chicks inspiration piece I thought about an SU set I've had on my shelf for a loooooong time, Along the Shore. It was in a mini (I think) way back in 2005. And I must confess, it has never seen ink until today! Yikes! So I stamped it with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Gina K pure luxury and coloured it with copics. I drew in the horizon line for the sea. I cut it out with my new Labels Four Nestabilities then I adhered it to some Tangerine Tango and trimmed around the edge with my scissors to create a mat. I REALLY wish Spellbinders would create a nice layering size for the Labels nesties. Spellbinders...are you reading this??? Could you please create a layering size??? Pretty Please!!!

The patterned paper is My Mind's Eye Bloom & Grow and I accented it with some ribbon from The Paper Source. The light one is called Pool and the dark one is called Deep Pool (that makes me giggle!). The sentiment is from the SU Trendy Trees set and it's stamped onto certainly celery and punched out with my word window punch. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Hello Dear Friend

Happy Bellarific Friday! We had two weeks to complete the challenge this time...I can't wait to pop over to Bloggabella to see what everyone came up with. Here's a reminder of the gorgeous inspiration piece we had to work with and we also had to use a flower. 

I decided to use Mojo81 for my layout. 

Daisy Hippo and Wasabi Flower were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with copics. I used both the large and small Wasabi Flower, cut them out and popped them for dimension. I also popped the hippo's face and gave her pink toenail polish...she's SO girly! Just a smidge of turquoise Stickles adds a perfect sparkle to her flower.  :)

All the patterned papers are My Mind's Eye Bloom and Grow line. I chose it because it's soooooo colourful...perfect for this challenge. I sewed three stems onto the orange piece before adhering it with dimensionals. The flower centers are 5mm Bella Bonbons in Burnt Honey, Aqua and Olive.  

The sentiment, Hello Dear Friend, was stamped onto a piece of Bloom and Grow patterned paper and I added some 5mm Aqua Bella Bonbons to the dots. You can never really have enough bling...right?

Alright...I'm off to Blogabella...meet you there! Don't forget, you can win Bella Bucks just for participating in the challenge and Em even gives some away to the Peanut Gallery (that's what she calls the comments on her Bellarific posts...too cute!). 

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen