Bellarific Mavis

Happy Bellarific Friday!!! This week's challenge was Christmas in July and I was lucky enough to get to use one of the brand new images that Stamping Bella released on Wednesday for my final official post as a Bella Babe. What a great way to end a fabulous time designing for Stamping Bella!!!

Isn't Mavis with Holly the cutest kitty ever? She's on Bella's Bestest Paper and coloured with copics, then I added a smidge of sparkle to the berries with my red Spica Glitter pen. I pulled all the colours from some old My Mind's Eye Be Merry patterned paper.

The layout is Jen's Sketch For You To Try from last Saturday...fun! I added a little zig-zag stitching along the sides of the patterned panel then finished the card with a couple of ghost snowflakes and Glitter Dots.

Next week's Bellarific Friday Challenge is Paper Piercing. To play along simply create a card using Stamping Bella images and email a photo to Em by Thursday evening to be included in the Friday round-up. You could win Bella Bucks just for playing along. And speaking of Bella Bucks, be sure to pop over to Bloggabella to see today's round-up and leave a comment while you're there for another chance to win Bella Bucks.

Don't forget about the new release at Stamping Bella. To view all the new images in one place go to Stamping Bella then click on "stamps" then "new stamps for August". Happy Shopping!!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Groovy Birthday

I saw a super fun challenge on the Moxie Fab World blog - Signs of Peace - and I just couldn't resist playing along.

Immediately I thought of my retro Feelin' Groovy set from Taylored Expressions along with the That 70's Project Pantry. Both the stamp set and the project pantry are full of fun peace signs!

I used TESC122 for the layout. I started by stamping the rainbow with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White and coloured it brightly with copics. I added white liquid appliquee to the clouds and sprinkled them with glitter before heating the liquid appliquee. I stamped the hearts with Colourbox Warm Red and Colourbox Dark Peony then cut them out and popped them on foam tape for dimension. I added a little sparkle to the hearts with heart shaped Twinkles. A little stitching around the main panel and the stitched ribbon finish the card. I should mention that the sentiment is super fun too...the "Groovy" word can be changed out for  either "Radical" or "Sweet" for a completely different feel to the card.

Don't forget to sign up for the August 24th Blast from the Past Blog Hop with Taylored Expressions. Click here for all the details.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Charlie and the Frog

Happy Monday!!! I know, really...who ever says happy Monday? Me, I guess, cause there's only one more sleep til I jet off to CHA and I'm super excited!!! But don't worry, I spent the day in my stamp room yesterday and I have posts scheduled while I'm away so that you have something to look at.

I picked up this sweet Charlie image from Stamping Bella while I was there a couple of weeks ago. Isn't he just the most adorable little guy ever with that frog on his head! Totally makes me think of my nephews. The layout is Mercy's Tuesday sketch from last week, MTSC83. I have lots to tell you today, but let me start first with the card details.

The image is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper and coloured with copics. I popped it on foam tape onto a circle of brown and used patterned papers from my October Afternoon Farm Fresh 8x8 pad. The felt ribbon is old SU stuff which I thought was perfect for a masculine card. I used Glitter dots for the other circular element and I love how it kinda looks like the trail from the frog jumping onto Charlie's head. LOL!!!

Now for all the news:

1. In case you haven't heard, Stamping Bella is having a release this Wednesday, July 28th and all the new images will be posted on Bloggabella. I have a fun sample with a new image to share on Friday.

2. This week's Bellarific Friday Challenge is Christmas in July. To participate simply create a Christmas card using Stamping Bella images and email a photo of your project to Em by Thursday evening to be included in the Friday round-up on Bloggabella.

3. Tomorrow is another Tantalizing Toosday at Stamping Bella so be sure to check Bloggabella for the newest sale item!

4. This is the toughest news to share. This will be my last week as a Bella Babe and my final official post will be Friday. I really need to open up my schedule a little and spend more time on my flying lessons...I never seem to get my homework done. LOL! So as difficult as the decision was, I talked to Em while I was at Bellaland earlier this month and she was so understanding! Thank you Em!!! Oh, and this in no way means that I'm going to stop using Stamping Bella images...uh uh...I love them too much to ever stop using them!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Sweet Sunday Jet Setter

It's time for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge, SSSC79. You'll find the sketch on Karen Giron's blog The Sweetest Thing.

I decided to continue with the travel theme from Friday because so many crafters will be making their way to CHA this week. So this card goes out to everyone who's travelling...wishing you a safe and uneventful trip! Only two more sleeps til I arrive in Chicago...yahoo...and I'll be able to give Karen Giron a big hug in person and thank her for all the fabulous sketches!!!

I combined one of the Dare to Get Dirty challenges from Splitcoast (girls and gingham by the talented Denise) with today's sketch. I stamped the sweet Pure Innocence girl Are We There Yet? from MFT with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White and coloured part of her with copics. Her shirt, bag and luggage are paper pieced with patterns from MME Quite Contrary. I added a few Tiny Twinkles for a little sparkle then mounted her and the luggage on foam tape for dimension. In my mailbox yesterday was a gorgeous array of Divine Twine from The Cat's Pajamas...yummy! I couldn't wait to break into it so I used the cotton candy twine on my card. It's so nice to work with, pliable yet still has some body too.

I hope you'll play along with this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch and link your creation on Karen's blog. Now let's go see what the rest of the Sweet Sunday Stampers came up with.
Jen Tapler
Joanne Basile
Laura Fredrickson
Lynn Put
Sarah-Jane Kale'
Vicki Burdick
and Karen Giron

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Bellarific Globe Trotter

Happy Bellarific Friday!!! This week's challenge was to use a Bella or Stella image from Stamping Bella for our creations.

I decided to use Globetrottabella because I'm starting to get ready for my trip to CHA next week. I stamped her with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper and coloured her with copics. She's cut out with my Petite Oval Nestabilities. I realize as I'm typing this that I didn't add any sparkle to her at all...shocking!!! Well maybe she's trying not to set off the detector as she walks through security at the airport!  LOL!

The patterned papers are from my October Afternoon Thrift Shop 8x8 pad...I thought the map was perfect with this image and I embossed it with my new Polka Dots folder that I picked up while I was at Bellaland last week. I used my double arches MS border punch along the green piece and tied a cute bow with my Bow Easy. The flat dots at the top are marble fig Bella dots.

Next week's challenge is Christmas in July, so break out your Stamping Bella Christmas stamps and get a head start on the December rush. To play along simply email a picture of your creation to Em by next Thursday to be included in the Friday round-up. And don't forget to pop over to Bloggabella some time today to see all of this week's creations from the Sistahood!

Also, did you see on Bloggabella that Em has started Tantalizing Toosdays? Basically it's a featured product that will be on sale for a week and she'll change it up every Tuesday. So be sure to check out the details on Bloggabella each Tuesday because there's also a giveaway on the blog. Read all about it in this post.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Center of Attention Product Spotlight - Taylored Originals

Today some of the Baker's Dozen are sharing samples made with fun embellishments from Taylored Expressions. These Taylored Originals products are things that are only available in the TE Store in exclusive configurations designed by Taylored Expressions.

I worked with Candy Crystals...so sparkly and yummy looking! The ones I worked with are from the Orange Creamsicle collection...doesn't that sound delicious!!!! There are several other colour combinations all with equally delicious names like Bubblegum, Cotton Candy, Orange Tootsie Pop and Razzleberry Lime. But these Candy Crystals are guilt free at zero calories! LOL!!!

I used TESC121 for the layout and pulled out my CreativiTEA set. I thought the sparkly Candy Crystals would coordinate nicely with the damask tea pot. The tea pot is stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa onto apricot appeal then adhered with foam tape to the Choice Buttercream circle. I added a little sponging with Memento Desert Sand around the edges of all the layers. The patterned papers are from Basic Grey's Kioshi 6x6 pad. I layered the cream ribbon onto some gorgeous brown crochet trim then tucked the Candy Crystals into the bow for plenty of sparkle. I used a few glue dots to adhere the Orange Creamsicle Crystals to the bow but they come on long wire stems so you could easily wrap them around something to secure them in place.

All of the Taylored Originals featured on the Baker's Dozen blogs today will be on sale for 15% off until July 25th. You'll find the Orange Creamsicle Candy Crystals and the rest of the Taylored Originals on sale in the What's the Deal section of the TE store.

Now let's go see what the rest of the Baker's Dozen created using different Taylored Originals.
Alex Maldonado
Carolina Butching
Jackie Pedro
Jeanie Witmer
Sankari Wegman
and Taylor VanBruggen

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

25th Anniversary Card

We were back home in Canada last weekend for my brother-in-laws 25th anniversary party and it was SO much fun! They were married in the 80's (obviously!) so the entire party had an 80's theme. Us ahem-older folks were singing along to all the songs and the kids had no clue what the music was!!! It was kinda funny!!

When I saw the new Banner Day Die-namics from MFT I knew I needed it for their card. You know when you see something and you know exactly what you want to do with it? Well, I could see this card in my mind so clearly and I love how it turned out. Best of all, with Kim's super quick shipping my order arrived in plenty of time to whip up this card before I headed to the border last Wednesday...woo hoo! Thanks again Kim!!!

I wanted to incorporate silver into the card because it's their 25th, and I paired it with blues for two reasons...it looks great with silver and my sister-in-law likes blue (her eyes are such a pretty blue it's crazy!). I used patterned papers from an SU paper pack, Urban Garden (I think that's the name). The letters on the banner are from the MFT set Banner Day Alphabet (which I almost didn't order because I thought I already had an alphabet that would work with the banner Die-namics, but I'm so glad I did order it because it's THE perfect size!!). I covered some chipboard numbers and die-cut letters (for the "th") with silver glitter, wrapped some silver cord around the card and called it done!

Totally by coincidence, I just checked out the MFT Wednesday Stamp Club challenge on Splitcoast and it's to use a banner...sweet!!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Blog Hoppin' with Taylored Expressions

Welcome to this month's Blast from the Past blog hop with Taylored Expressions. Be sure to start the hop at Taylor's Blog so you don't miss any of the eye candy.

For my card today I reached for one of my favourite sets for masculine cards...Boys Will be Boys.

I needed a card for my brother-in-laws birthday recently so I used the ties with the coordinating sentiment then stamped Happy Birthday on the inside. The layout is TESC120. The ties are paper pieced with patterned papers from my In the Kitchen Project Pantry...so fun! I added a little stitching to help define the image then finished the card with two cream brads.

There's plenty more to see along the hop so have fun!!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Sweet Sunday Tree Time

It's time for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch, SSSC78. You'll find the sketch on Karen Giron's blog, The Sweetest Thing.

I went with Christmas again this week...the flowery element on the sketch was perfect for a ghost snowflake!!!

The image is Car with Tree on Top from Stamping Bella. I loved going to get the tree with my brothers and father when I was little...trudging through the snow...my dad trying to "make a day" of it. But I think the best part was coming home to a big mug of hot chocolate and warm cookies!!! Thanks Mom!!

The image is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Cream Paper and coloured with copics. I paper pieced the tree and added ruby red Bonbons for the ornaments. There's also a little yellow Spica glitter pen on the star and clear glaze pen on the car windows and lights.

Don't forget that this week's Bellarific Friday Challenge is to use Bellas or Stellas. To be included in the Friday round-up on Bloggabella simply email a picture of your creation to Em by Thursday evening.

I hope you'll play along with this week's sketch and link your creation on Karen's blog. Now let's go see what the rest of the Sweet Sunday Stampers came up with.
Jen Tapler
Joanne Basile
Laura Fredrickson
Lynn Put
Sarah-Jane Kale'
Vicki Burdick
and Karen Giron

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Bellarific Ruby and Rose

Happy Bellarific Friday! Get your sunglasses out for my post today...this card is b-r-i-g-h-t!!! Did you play along this week? Be sure to pop over to Bloggabella to see the weekly round-up.

I chose Ruby and Rose from Stamping Bella for this week's sketch because they work so well with the circular focal point. The entire line of Lulus is so sweet with their black hair...love them!

I wanted to use my Cosmo Cricket Delovely mini deck so I knew this would be a cheery looking card! I stamped the girls with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper and coloured them with copics. I gave their hair lots of shine with my black Glaze pen. I ran the background paper through my swiss dots Cuttlebug folder before stitching it to the melon mambo layer. I added the black rhinestones to help tie in the black in the image then finished the card with two fuschia Bonbons.

Next week's Bellarific Friday challenge is Bellas or Stellas!!! I love both of these characters so it's going to be hard to choose which to use. To play along simply email a photo of your creation to Em by Thursday evening to be included in the Friday round-up and you could win Bella Bucks just for participating!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Join the FUN!!!

This month's Blast from the Past Customer Blog Hop by Taylored Expressions is on July 20th and the deadline to join is quickly approaching. The last two hops were so much fun and you only have until July 15th to sign up for this month's hop. One lucky participant will win a stamp set of their choice from the TE Store!!! Please read this post for all the hop details and send an email to bloghop@tayloredexpressions.com to sign up! My card is all made and ready to go...see you at the hop!!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Envie Full of Cheer

I thought I'd start the work week with a Christmas card since I didn't get one made last week. And once I decided to make a Christmas card I thought I'd make two of the same to try and get caught up. Well, as I started stamping I only stamped one image, coloured one image, then realized I was supposed to make two...doh! Too late...the moment was gone so I'm still behind on my Christmas-card-a-week.  :)

The image is Envie Full of Cheer from Stamping Bella and I used Jen's Sketch For You To Try for the layout. It's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper and coloured with copics. I added some sparkle to the berries with my red Spica glitter pen then cut it out with square Nestabilities.

I pulled out my SU Ski Slope patterned paper and paired it with baja blue and riding hood red. I kept the sentiment banner plain but added a ghost snowflake to separate it from the white image. A little stitching and some ruby red Bonbons finish the details.

Don't forget about this week's Bellariffic Friday Challenge...it's a sketch that I put together. I hope you'll play along. Email a photo of your creation (using Stamping Bella images of course) to Em by Thursday evening to be included in the Friday round-up on Bloggabella. And as usual, there are Bella Bucks up for grabs to one lucky participant.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Sweet Sunday Kite

It's time for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch, SSSC77. You'll find the sketch on Karen Giron's blog The Sweetest Thing.

This week's sketch is a shape of card that I don't seem to make very often so it was nice to get out of my box, so to speak. My finished card measures 3.25" wide by 6.5" high.

I used my new In the Park set from Taylored Expressions, along with my Summertime Project Pantry for all the papers, ribbon and button. The images are stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with copics. I cut out the kite and the dog then popped them on foam tape for dimension. The image panel seemed a little plain so I pierced around the edges. I used my grass punch on a strip of patterned paper and I think it finishes the little scene nicely. I used my open scallop border punch along the edges of the three bottom layers and stamped the sentiment on the red layer. Gasp...no sewing on this card!!!  :)

I hope you'll play along with this week's sketch and link your creation on Karen's blog. Now let's go see what the rest of the Sweet Sunday Stampers created!
Jen Tapler
Joanne Basile
Laura Fredrickson
Lynn Put
Nancy Riley
Sarah-Jane Kale'
Vicki Burdick
and Karen Giron

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Bellarific Bedbugg

Happy Bellarific Friday!!! This week's challenge was Huggabuggs...those sweet little creatures...they just fluttered their way right into my heart when they were first released and I'm happy to report that they still make me smile each time I use one!!!

For my card today I pulled out Bedbugg and stamped her (I'm saying she's female because I don't think any boy in their right mind would voluntarily wear pink and purple jammies.) with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Bella's Bestest Paper. Then I coloured her with copics and added plenty of sparkly with three Spica glitter pens. Have I told you lately how much I adore my Spica pens? It's a gorgeous, somewhat subdued sparkle with absolute no mess to clean up!

I pulled the fun colour palette from my Basic Grey Green at Heart 6x6 paper pack and I finally broke into the coordinating paper ribbon that I've been hoarding since March (and I know it was March because I picked it up when I was visiting my Dana in Calgary). It's self-adhesive and so easy to use...now I'm kicking myself for not using it sooner. I added a little texture and pattern with my seeing spots Cuttlebug folder, which is meant to mimic the polka dots on the comforter. I finished it with some stitching and two Bonbons. The layout is FTL94 from the Clean & Simple blog.

Next week's Bellarific Friday challenge is a sketch, by 'lil ole' me, so I hope you like it. I'd love to see how you interpret the sketch so please play along. Simply create a card using Stamping Bella images and  the sketch, then email a picture of your creation to Em by next Thursday to be included in the Friday round-up.

Don't forget to pop over to Bloggabella to see this week's round-up and leave some love while you're there because you just might win Bella Bucks!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Taylored Expressions Release Day!!!

The new stamp sets and Project Pantry kits are now available over at Taylored Expressions. But before you head off to fill your cart take a minute to hop through the Baker's Dozen blogs because today we're sharing a recap of the new sets. That means more ideas and ways to use the fun new sets.

I have two cards to share and this first one uses Weigh to Go. When I first saw this set I was drawn to the dress and immediately thought "little black dress". We all have that favourite black dress hanging in the closet (mine seems to have shrunk a little), or maybe it's on your "I want it" list. Whatever the reason, the little black dress seems to be a motivator so I thought it was perfect with this sentiment.

I didn't want just a plain black dress though...it needed to be sparkly! So I stamped the dress with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White and coloured it with my N7 copic marker. Then I covered it with liquid adhesive and sprinkled on some black glitter. The adhesive was thicker in places so the glitter's a little thicker in places but I love the effect. It seems to give the dress an element of movement...a happy accident I'd say!

I wanted the dress to pop so I backed it with one of the bright patterned papers from my Cosmo Cricket Delovely mini deck. The layout is Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge, MTSC81, but I flipped it and added the sentiment panel. I added some hot pink polka dot ribbon (cause there just wasn't enough pink yet) and pleated it for texture, then I used my deco scallop border punch along the edge. A few black Twinkles in the corner and some clear Twinkles along the punched border add even more bling.

For my next card I used Feelin' Groovy and the That 70's Project Pantry kit. Talk about a blast from the past! I love all the groovy patterns in the Project Pantry kit and the retro feel of the images in the stamp set.

I used the scooter and wanted to make it look like it was zooming along the country side. I used my circle Nestabilities to create the blue & green background then stitched a line to help define it.

The scooter is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White (included in the That 70's Project Pantry) and coloured with copics. I couldn't get just the right shade of pink with just two markers so I mixed in the brighter ones at the end and I love the result. I added some fun orange glitter brad to the tires and wrapped some green ribbon around the base layer. I used my open scallop punch along the edge of the pink strip and sewed a crazy stitch around the perimeter of the card. I seriously want a fun scooter like this one!!!

Now let's go see what the rest of the Baker's Dozen cooked up with the new stamps.

• Alex Maldonado
• Carolina Butching
• Charmaine Ikach
• Donna Baker
• Jackie Pedro
• Jami Sibley
• Jeanie Witmer
• Jodi Collins
• Karen Giron
• Melissa Sauls
• Sankari Wegman
• Stacey Schafer-Guest designer for July-August
• Taylor VanBruggen

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Taylored Expressions Sneak Peeks Day 2-In the Park

It's time for more sneak peeks from Taylored Expressions. Today you'll see samples using In the Park and Weigh to Go, along with the Summertime Project Pantry. The new products will be available in the TE Store tomorrow, July 8th.

I'm sharing a sweet tea tin that I decorated using images from In the Park. This set makes me want to go outside and take a stroll...it's so adorable! All the papers on my project are from the Summertime Project Pantry...full of bright cheery colours just like summer!

I started by stamping the new Stitched Plaid big background onto a strip of yellow paper...you have to look closely to see it because I used white Stazon, but it adds a wonderful look to the cardstock. Then I added the fun blue polka dot border, which is a sticker element from the Summertime Project Pantry. I used my grass border punch on one of the patterned papers to create the grass strip before I set to work on the images.

All the images are stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Snow White (included in the Project Pantry) and coloured with copics. I cut out each of the images so I could pop them on foam tape for dimension.

I used Espresso Dimensional Pearls on the trunk of the tree and added a few patterned paper leaves.

I added Multicolour Twinkles to the flowers and the kite tail for a little sparkle.

This is going to be a handy little tin to have on hand when I need to wrap up some goodies.

Let's go see what the rest of the Bakers' Dozen created using either In the Park or Weigh to Go.

• Alex Maldonado
• Carolina Butching
• Charmaine Ikach
• Donna Baker
• Jackie Pedro
• Jami Sibley
• Jeanie Witmer
• Jodi Collins
• Karen Giron
• Melissa Sauls
• Sankari Wegman
• Taylor VanBruggen

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

Taylored Expressions Sneak Peeks Day 1-Destination Cuppie

It's that time of the month...time for sneak peeks of new stamps from Taylored Expressions. All the new images will be available in the TE Store on Thursday, July 8th. The Baker's Dozen has plenty to share so keep your eye out for new Cuppie images as well as a new Feelin' Groovy set.

Today I'm sharing two Destination Cuppie A-la-carte images, Destination San Francisco and Destination Hollywood. I love that Cuppie has travelled the US to four of the most recognizable landmarks in well-known cities (you'll see the other cities as you hop along to the Baker's Dozen blogs).

Let's start with Destination San Francisco...ah, the Golden Gate Bridge...I was just there in May and I think I have the photo of Andrew in the exact same pose at Cuppie! Hmmm...wonder if Cuppie was there when we were?!? LOL!

I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Choice Buttercream and coloured it with Copics. The image is cut out with Labels Nestabilities. I added orange and yellow sparkle with my Spica glitter pens and popped Cuppie on foam tape for dimension. I used patterned papers from my October Afternoon Fly a Kite 8x8 pad and layered the brown polka dot piece onto Papaya Puree Dark and stamped the sentiment "I left my heart in San Francisco" directly onto the orange patterned paper (it's a little hard to see in the photo). The caribbean satin ribbon was the perfect touch to tie in the water flowing under the bridge.

Then I travelled with Cuppie down the California coast...Destination Hollywood!!! Doesn't Cuppie look like the perfect beach bum with his shades! Love this little scene of the Hollywood hills.

I stamped this image onto Choice Snow White this time because I wanted the Hollywood letters to be white and I knew I'd be colouring the rest of the image with copics, right to the edges. I added a little blue sparkle to Cuppie with my Spica glitter pen the gave his glasses a coating of clear glaze pen. For the sand I filled the area with dots in two shades of brown then went over it with the lighter shade to blend a little...I like the dotted effect. The clouds are white Liquid Applique covered with glitter then puffed up with my heat tool.

The green patterned paper is also from October Afternoon's Fly a Kite 8x8 pad and I paired with with Suede Brown Dark and Frosted Teal. I used the two smallest sizes of my Stars Five Nestabilities and cut the fun accent out of Intense Orange and Sunflowers Medium. The main image, Cuppie and stars are popped on foam tape for dimension.

I hope you enjoyed travelling through California with Cuppie and I, but now let's go see what the rest of the Baker's Dozen has created.

• Alex Maldonado
• Carolina Butching
• Charmaine Ikach
• Donna Baker
• Jackie Pedro
• Jeanie Witmer
• Jodi Collins
• Karen Giron
• Melissa Sauls
• Sankari Wegman
• Taylor VanBruggen

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen