You're never too old to play with dolls...

Well, that's my opinion anyway. So for today's card I decided to play with my Ketto's Dolly image from Stamping Bella. Isn't she just simply adorable?

There's a mini version of Ketto's Dolly in the Ketto's Dolly and Bib Set. After my card was all done I thought that I should have used the mini image and made it look like she was holding it in her hand. Oh well, there's always next time!

First thing I did was decide on my layout and for that I used Jen's Sketch For You To Try. Then I chose my papers and then I started working on the image. I stamped Ketto's Dolly with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper and coloured her with copics. I used my clear Glaze pen on the hearts to give them a bit of shine. Then I cut out the image with rectangle Nestabilities and used my E41 copic to shade all around the image, leaving just the edge white to create a border.

The card base is ivory and a layered some Prism Rose Red onto the base before stitching on the Cosmo Cricket Early Bird patterned paper. The image is layered onto a scallop of blue bayou and I added a strip of blue bayou stitched ribbon to the card base before layering some Primas. I really liked the circle element I did on this card using Bonbons so I repeated the same thing here for the half circle and added another baby blue Bonbon to the flowers.

Doesn't this bring you back to your childhood? I had plenty of dolls to play with growin up, and being the only girl with three brothers they never wanted to play with my toys! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Let Your Heart Guide You...

I just love The Places You'll Go from Taylored Expressions...it's so versatile and the quotes are amazing!

For my card today I decided to use one of the more simple images but the quote still has plenty of impact...it reads "Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely.". I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge from a couple of weeks ago, MTSC39 for the layout. I stamped the sentiment twice with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Buttercream and cut out the heart so I could pop it for dimension. I coloured the heart with a red copic then added a layer of clear glaze pen to make it shine. The sentiment is cut out with Labels 3 Nestabilities then I pierced around the edge.

All the supplies for this card are from The Places You'll Go Key Ingredients. I ran some Intense Kiwi through my swiss dots Cuttlebug folder before adhering it to the Buttercream card base. Then I stitched the colourful patterned paper to some Desert Coral Dark and added some fun buttons. I finished the card with a rust twill bow.

I really love how this turned out. It's simple and was quick to whip up because there wasn't much colouring. I think the longest part was threading the buttons with paper strips...LOL!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Who's That Trick or Treating?

It's Sweet Sunday Sketch time! You'll find this week's sketch, SSSC37, on Karen Giron's blog The Sweetest Thing.

I decided to ink up my new MFT Halloween set, Trick or Treat with Who's That Girl. This is an adorable image with Flopsey and the ghost trick or treating!!!

I started by stamping the image with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White and coloured it with copics. I stamped it a second time so I could cut out the bunny and pop him for dimension. I also added some Caramel Latte Fun Flock to the bunny so he's soft and fuzzy IRL. I drew in the bricks to look like an interlock sidewalk then I added the spider brad and drew in the black web line he's hanging from.

All the paper and ribbon are from my Halloween Key Ingredients. I used my MS spider web punch on a strip of orange...love that punch! The black ribbon is all sparkly IRL...I tried to get a good photo of it but wasn't able to so you'll just have to take my word for it. :)

You can see plenty more inspiration using this sketch if you check out the Sweet Sunday Stampers.

Jen Tapler

Laura Fredrickson

Lynn Put

Nancy Riley

Sarah-Jane Kale'

Vicki Burdick

and of course, Karen Giron

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Hoppin' with Lulu

Welcome to the Lulu Blog Hop sponsored by Stamping Bella! You can start at the beginning on Bloggabella so you don't miss any of these sweet images.

If you're not familiar with Lulus, they're just one of the adorable collections of characters available at Stamping Bella.

I decided to use Gertie Lulu for my card today and I used this week's Splitcoast Sketch Challenge for the layout, SC247. I have to be honest, I didn't love the Lulus at first but they've really grown on me. I was worried that there was too much black on the images, but I think that's what I love most about them now, because it makes them super quick to colour! LOL! Sometimes images with solid areas like these can be tricky to stamp but I find I get the best impression if I ensure my ink pad is well inked and I stamp on a hard surface like my wood table. I stamped Gertie with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper and coloured her with copics. I cut her out with rectangle Nestabilities and layered her onto a scallop rectangle of Prism Classic Purple. I stamped her a second time so I could cut out the two butterflies in her hair and pop them for dimension. I gave her glossy black locks with my black Glaze pen.

The patterned paper is from my Basic Grey Wisteria 6x6 pack. I just love all the purples, although I wouldn't call myself a purple girl, but I do love colouring with purples...they seem to blend soooooooo nicely and they look so rich! I layered some Prism Classic Purple and So Saffron onto the white card base before adhering the patterned paper. Then I ran some Orchid Opulence through my swiss dots Cuttlebug folder and added some sheer black polka dot ribbon. I finished the card with a purple Prima and two sizes of Medium Lilac Glitter Dots.

And it wouldn't be a Stamping Bella blog hop without a prize, right? So in addition to all the fabulous eye candy there's a prize hidden somewhere along the hop! One pre-selected blogger will draw a random winner from the comments on her post, and the winner will receive a $25 Gift Voucher to Stamping Bella!!! So be sure to leave some love as you hop around. The winner will be announced on Monday in the Splitcoast forum.

Next you're off to see Gaby's fabulous creation. Have fun on the hop!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Bellarific Belated Birthday

Happy Bellarific Friday! Did you have fun with the sketch this week? I hope you had a chance to play along. I'm looking forward to seeing all the creations on Bloggabella. :)

For my card I decided to create a Belated Birthday card. I know, I know, I'm always making cards so why would I need a Belated birthday card? Well, I like to think I'm organized, but life happens and dates slip by, so I think it's a great idea to have a couple of belated cards in my stash. :)

I chose this fun Triple Decker Presents image from Stamping Bella and decided to make this card bright and cheery. I chose one of the patterns from My Mind's Eye Ooh La La paper and ran with it. I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper and coloured it with copics. I added a little sparkle to the dots with my green Spica glitter pen. I cut out the image with circle Nestabilities then pierced around the edge before adhering it with foam tape to the scalloped circle of Prism Vibrant Teal.

The white card base is 5.25 inches square. I didn't go layer crazy this time but I did stitch around each of the base layers. The pink is regal rose. I used my wide scallop EK border punch on some Prism Intense Kiwi before adding some sheer polka dot ribbon. I tied the bow with my Bow Easy tool. Finally I added two bubble gum Glitter Dots to either side of the sentiment.

When you're over on Bloggabella checking out this week's submissions, don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some Bella Bucks!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Rock On Baby!

I've been singing U2 songs all day because we were at the U2 concert last night. Woo Hoo!!! What a fabulous show!!!

I thought it only fitting to use my Rockabella image from Stamping Bella on my card today. She looks soooooo cool...I could totally see her on stage with Bono!!! LOL!!!

I used a Sketch Challenge from the Stamping Bella Forum on Splitcoast, BSC81. It's a great place to look for inspiration if you need a little mojo boost. I stamped Rockabella with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper and coloured her with copics. I gave her rock star shimmer by using my pink Spica glitter pen on her shirt. The image is cut out with rectangle Nestabilities and layered onto a scallop rectangle of razzleberry.

My new Basic Grey Indian Summer paper pack was the inspiration for my colour choices and the patterned strip is from that pack. I ran some melon mambo through my D'vine Swirls Cuttlebug folder before stitching around the edges. I took some liberty with the circle element and instead of using more paper I added a ring of burnt honey Bella Bonbons. I think it's the perfect touch of bling for this rock star!

Don't forget to play along with this week's Bellarific Friday challenge. Click here to find the sketch on Bloggabella.

Have you signed up for the Lulu blog hop yet? It's going to be sooooooo fun! You'll find the details on this thread on Splitcoast. Come join the fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

MFT Customer Blog Hoppin' with Flopsey

Welcome to the MFT customer blog hop!!! I was thrilled when Joanne Basile emailed to ask if I'd like to participate in the hop this month. I {heart} my MFT stamps!!! You'll want to start hopping at Joanne's blog so you don't miss any eye candy.

I decided to go hopping with Flopsey today. Flopsey's Flowers was sitting in my drawer waiting for ink so I pulled him out for today's card. I used this week's MFT Splitcoast sketch challenge, MFTSC99, for the layout.

I started by stamping Flopsey with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto a Perfect Paper Panel then I coloured him with copics. I stamped him a second time so I could cut out the flowers and pop them for dimension. Then I cut out Flopsey and popped him onto the floral paper from My Mind's Eye. I layered the patterned paper onto chocolate then stitched around the edges.

I pulled my solid cardstock colours from the patterned papers. I couldn't get the teal colour to show up properly and it looks more blue on the computer, but it's actually a good match for the patterned paper. I added a ghost flower embellishment (which I picked up a while ago at MFT) and layered it onto a circle of orange before adhering the white brad. Two chocolate brads beside the sentiment finish the card nicely.

Now you're off to the talented Dawn Easton. Happy Hopping!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Sweet Sunday Sketch Sample

Are you ready for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch? I was so excited when Karen Giron asked me to be part of her Sweet Sunday Stampers to create a card showcasing her weekly sketch...fun, fun, FUN! I love playing along with her sketches whenever possible anyway, so this was right up my alley!

You can find this week's sketch, SSSC36, on Karen Giron's blog, The Sweetest Thing. She's also giving away some blog candy to celebrate the new Sweet Sunday Stampers so be sure to pop over and see! I've had this card under wraps pretty much all week, just waiting to show it off. It's doubling as my Christmas card of the week too.

I used a fun Unity set called Jolly Little Winter. I thought the little penguin was perfect for the square element on the card. I stamped him with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White and coloured him with copics. I used my square Nestabilities to cut him out. Also, I popped the penguin and the fish for dimension then added some diamond dust to look like sparkly ice.

The patterned paper is by Pebbles Inc. I used my swiss dots Cuttlebug folder to jazz up some solid blue then layered it onto not quite navy, then onto the white card base. I love using ghost snowflakes, and I layered this one with circles of blue and kiwi, then added a platinum Bella dot to the center. This is one of those cards that just makes me happy to look at! :)

I'm off to see what the other Sweet Sunday Stampers came up with for this sketch.

Jen Tapler

Laura Fredrickson

Lynn Put

Nancy Riley

Sarah-Jane Kale

Vicki Burdick

and Karen Giron

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Beware House...cute and spooky!

Happy Bellarific Friday on Saturday!

Here's my card for this past week's Bellarific Friday challenge. My BFF Dana designed this quick and simple sketch (I love quick and simple) and I thought it was perfect for the new Beware House image from Stamping Bella.

I started by stamping the Beware House with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper then cut it out with oval Nestabilities. I coloured the image with copics. It's difficult to see in the photo but I coloured the windows with my yellow Spica glitter pen so they'd sparkle. I had a hard time deciding what shades to colour the houses because they kinda look like they're wrapped like mummies to me, so technically they'd be white-ish. But I decided they would be so much more fun with colour. :)

The background paper is Basic Grey Eerie...love it!!! I layered it onto some orange then stitched around the edges. I used my new MS spiderweb punch on green cardstock and added some black sparkly ribbon. I finished the card with two burnt honey Bonbons in the top left corner.

I hope you already checked out the eye candy on Bloggabella, but if not, pop over there and have a peek at all the submissions for this sketch...they're fabulous!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Found a Prince!!!

Happy Frogday, ummmmm, I mean Friday! :)

When I first saw the Trick or Sweet II set from Taylored Expressions I thought it was the most adorable Halloween set ever! Then I looked a little closer and realized it can be used for so much more than just Halloween. The princess could be used for a girl's birthday card, the superhero could be a boy's birthday card or even a cute card for that special man in your life. Then I thought the queen and the frog prince would make an adorably casual wedding card. Today I decided to use the frog as an engagement card with the "Kissed a lot of frogs..." sentiment. The second part of the sentiment "Found a Prince" is stamped on the inside of the card.

I used this week's sketch challenge on Splitcoast for the layout, SC246. I started by stamping froggy Cuppie with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White then I cut him out with Labels 9 Nestabilities. I coloured part of him with copics and paper pieced his hat and feet. The patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye Brilliant line. I couldn't resist adding some googly eyes and yellow Stickles to make his crown shine.

I stitched all the layers together to help unify them then tied some green glimmer ribbon around the base. The solid colours are Prism cardstock, Intense Teal and Intense Orange. The two orange star brads are by Making Memories.

I love it when I look at a stamp set and there's more potential than just what it was originally intended for. What else could you see yourself using Trick or Sweet II for? Leave your suggestions in a comment...I'd love to hear your thoughts. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Happy Birthday Miche!!!

Today is my friend Michelle's birthday and it's a doozie!!! LOL!!! Don't worry Miche, I'm only one short year behind you! :)

Miche loves her Bellas so I simply had to make her birthday card using a Stamping Bella image. I decided to use one of the very first Bellas I ever purchased, PrezziBella. I can still remember...one night a few years ago, after an SU meeting at my house, a few of us were huddled around my computer placing a very large order from Stamping Bella. I know, I know...bad upline, but seriously, none of us could resist the Bellas, myself included! LOL!!! So Happy Birthday Miche!!! Have a fabulous time at Bellaland today (isn't it so perfect that she's going to the Stamping Bella store today!!!) and shop shop shop, my friend! Wish I could be there with you, Dana and Leslie!!!

My image is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper and coloured with copics. I popped the prezzie for dimension and added some Stardust Stickles to the ribbon on the prezzie. The layout is Jen's Sketch For You To Try. Don't you just love the Petite Oval layered onto the Labels Four Nestabilities??? I learned that little trick at Stamp Vermont from the *uber* talented Cindy Lawrence...thanks Cindy! The patterned paper is My Mind's Eye Delighted and the solid colours are all Prism cardstock.

Don't forget to play along with this week's Bellarific sketch. You'll find it on this post on Bloggabella and you have until tonight to email your card to Em. You'll be able to see all the Bellarific submissions on Bloggabella tomorrow, but I'll be showing you my card on Saturday.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Center of Attention Product Spotlight - Smooch

Today some of the Baker's Dozen are showcasing a fabulously fun product - Smooch! If you've already played with Smooch then you know what I'm talking about, and if you haven't, I'll do my best to show you how wonderful it is. First of all, just the name - Smooch - brings a smile to my face! I really really really LOVE the super fine tip applicator. It's a pointy foam applicator so there aren't any bristle to separate so you never loose the fine tip. It's applied much like you'd apply nail polish, but you can apply it in very fine lines. And there are a slew of fun colours to choose from. On my sample I've used Luscious Lime Smooch from the NEW collection and Moonlight Smooch from the original collection.

The pearlescent finish adds a wonderful shimmer to any stamped image. The colours are opaque so you can colour any part of an image on light or dark cardstock and even use them on patterned paper too. I did find that Smooch doesn't dry on a non-porous surface though.

This first detail shot shows the image before I added Smooch.

And after...I added Luscious Lime Smooch to the drippy goo and the claw feet on the cauldron, and Moonlight Smooch to the bubbles. I love how it takes a project up a notch with very little effort.

The image is from Spooky Expressions and I used the Halloween Key Ingredients along with my new MS spider web border punch. The image is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with copics and of course, Smooch! The layout is this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch #35, but I kinda forgot one panel...oops!

Taylored Expressions is offering a 15% off special for the I Want It All NEW Smooch for today and tomorrow only so pop by the store and pick up some Smooch for yourself!

Let's go see what the other Baker's Dozen stampers have come up with...I can't wait to see the creativity!

Dawn Easton

Denise Marzec

Jackie Pedro

Laurie Schmidlin

Sankari Wegman

and Taylor VanBruggen

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Thinking of You

Hello! My posts have been a little erratic lately...that's what happens when your BFF comes to visit! We have managed to fit in some stamping between walks, shopping, and a getaway to Vermont, but not as much as usual cause we're having so much fun doing other things! And, my posts will remain a little erratic for the next few weeks because my family arrives later this week and my parents will be here for a good long visit. But I have been thinking of you and I just wanted to let you know I'll be back to more regular posting in October. :)

In the meantime, I needed a card for my friend after her uncle passed away so I reached for an SU set (the name escapes me right now and I'm not in my stamp room). I inked it up with markers, olive and chocolate, then stamped it onto Choice Buttercream. The patterned paper is retired SU and I really liked the subdued colours and pattern for this card. I saw this layout on a card on this card on Laura Fredrickson's blog a while ago and loved the simple layout so I filed it away in my memory. I think it's just perfect for my card! If the edges look a little wrinkled, it's cause they are. I tried to distress them a little after the layers were stitched together but it didn't work as well as I wanted. I finished the card with some chocolate grosgrain ribbon and tied that cute bow with my Bow Easy...love it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Sole Sisters Bellarific Friday

Happy Bellarific Friday!

I chose this boots image from Stamping Bella for today's Bellarific Friday sketch in honour of my roadtrip with my two stampin' sistahs!!! That's right, I'm headed to Stamp Vermont today with Dana and Joanne...it's going to be so much fun! Hence the three pairs of boots...one pair for each of us, although we're hoping it's still warm enough in Vermont for sandals! LOL!

I started by stamping the boots with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper, twice, then I coloured them with copics. I cut out one set of boots with petite oval Nestabilities and I cut out the other boots individually so I could pop them for dimension.

The patterned paper is Basic Grey Offbeat and I layered it onto chocolate. I added some burnt honey Bonbons to the olive scalloped strip then layered that onto chocolate as well. I had the most perfect ribbon in my stash so I wrapped it around the base and secured it with more Bonbons. The last thing I did was stamp the sentiment...which couldn't be more perfect for today's road trip because Dana and I wouldn't even know Joanne if it weren't for Em introducing us! Thanks Em! MWAH!!!!

Don't forget to pop over to Bloggabella later to see all the submissions...I'm sure Em's post will be full of wonderful eye candy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Lulu for Mercy

My BFF Dana packed a few stamps in her suitcase, some that I don't own, so I'm taking full advantage and using her stuff! She brought along Gertie Lulu, a Stamping Bella image that I don't own...yet, and I thought she'd work nicely with Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #38.

I started by stamping Gertie with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper then I cut her out with Labels 4 Nestabilities. I coloured her with copics and used my pink Spica Glitter pen to add a little shimmer to the bottom of her dress.

I chose a pretty floral pattern from my Basic Grey Lemonade 6x6 paper pack and paired it with some Prism papers. I added a little texture with my Textile Cuttlebug embossing folder then tied some ribbon and used my Bow Easy for the sweet bow. I added a ghost butterfly to accent the image and outlined it with Crystal Stickles to make it stand out a little more.

Don't forget about this week's Bellarific Friday challenge. You'll find the sketch by clicking here, and you have until Thursday night to email your card to Em.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen