Bellarific Friday - December Stamp of the Month!

Hello Crafters! Happy Bellarific Friday! Today's challenge was to use holiday colors and the BellaBabes are also incorporating this month's Stamp of the Month - UPTOWN GIRL CHRYSTAL'S CHRISTMAS LABEL. This stamp is large enough to be the focus of the card and makes for easy mass production. You just add a holiday sentiment and some festive paper and you're done!

I knew I wanted to do some watercolor this week so I stamped the image in Versafine onyx black ink and heat embossed it with Ranger clear detail powder onto Tim Holtz Watercolor cardstock. At the last minute I changed my mind and decided to use Zig Clean Color realbrush markers instead of Distress Inks. I didn't feel like re-stamping and embossing onto Bristol (which is my preferred cardstock for Zigs) so I just decided to go with it and see what happened. I used a laminated sheet of white cardstock to scribble the color I wanted and then picked it up with my paintbrush. This allowed me to control the color more and get more of a contrast with my watercolor. Here are the Zig colors I used:

After coloring the image, I wanted to give it something a bit extra. Instead of reaching for my go-to Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen, I tried my new Finetec mica watercolor paint set. These are a pearlescent paint that give a really nice shimmer to the image. I also like that they have a bit of color to them and not just silver or gold. I really diluted the paint so I wouldn't drown out all of the color I had put down with my Zigs. They reactive with water so you have to be careful. I added this shimmer to her dress, hat, and candy cane. These watercolors leave a super pretty sheen in person and it's so hard to capture on film.

Next I had to add some Icicle Stickles to her hat and trim as well as some glossy accents on her belt. I used a sentiment from another Stamping Bella set and I think it fit perfectly with the image. I heat embossed it with Wow Primary Apple Red. This is great red embossing powder. I just love the result! I then ran the whole panel through my Bigshot with a stitched rectangle die. I matted it with a piece of green cardstock and pink and red stripe cardstock from my stash. All of that was adhered to my white card base and some Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling clear sequins finished off the card. Here's a better close up of the shimmer and shine:

Hop over to the Stamping Bella blog and see what the rest of the BellaBabes created using this precious image. Also, if you would like to participate in Bellariffic Fridays for a chance to be entered into a monthly drawing to win some Bella Bucks click on the link below for more details.

Next week's Bellariffic Friday challenge is the fabulous (MOJO)bella sketch below! Hope you join along and create something with us! Have a wonderful day and I'll be back soon! 

Supplies Used:

Bellarific Black Friday - Card Sketch!

Happy Black Friday weekend and Bellarific Friday! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to celebrate good food and great memories with your family and friends. This week's Bellarific Friday challenge was a sketch challenge. I wanted to do something very fall like so I chose an adorable little stamp called Tiny Townie Patricia Loves Pumpkins. 

This time I switched up my MO and grabbed Prismacolor pencils. I stamped the image in black ink onto a piece of Neenah Dessert Storm 110 pound card stock. I love the look of colored pencils on kraft paper. It's definitely very fall like! I did quite a bit of color layering starting with lighter colors first and adding darker colors for shadows. You also have to use a light hand and really layer it up. In the end, I did use some Gamsol with a blending stump just to ensure my colors were well blending. I'm still getting a hang of colored pencils and after making this card will get them out a bit more. 

I let the following sketch inspire my background. I grabbed a bunch of different patterned papers in fall patterns and layered them up. After adhering them all, I secured my image piece and added a few coordinating enamel dots. For the final touches, I added Spica glitter pens and glossy accents to some of the elements. Here's a closer look at the little details I added. 

Hop over to the Stamping Bella blog and see what the rest of the Design Team created. Also, if you would like to participate in Bellariffic Fridays for a chance to be entered into a monthly drawing to win some Bella Bucks click on the link below for more details.

Next week's Bellariffic Friday challenge is to use holiday colors. Hope you join along and create something with us! Have a wonderful day and I'll be back soon! 

Supplies Used:

Bellarific Friday - Photo Challenge

Hello Crafters! This week's Bellarific Friday challenge was a fun and festive photo featuring a gorgeous Christmas tree. When I saw it, I knew I wanted to use the UPTOWN GIRL SAVANNAH HAS A STAR. This girl is so much fun and I just know it would be a blast to go to a Christmas party with her! Because the photo was full of non-traditional colors, I knew I could have some fun with her "dress" and load it up with all sorts of baubles and sparkles. 

I knew from the start I wanted to make a shaker card. My challenge was not having her covered with shaker bits so I decided to make the shaker more of a background so that glitter and sparkles would just fall all around her. To begin, I grabbed my go to Copic coloring supplies - Simon Says Stamp Intense Black Ink and white X-Press It paper. I chose colors that were featured in the photo and for the green of her dress I went with a more limey green than a traditional evergreen. 

Here are the colors that I chose:

I wanted to make her sash and headband sparkly so I decided to do a little paper piercing with piece of silver glitter paper. I stamp the image with Staz-On black ink because ink on glitter paper tends to stay wet longer and I needed something more permanent. I fussy cut the two items out and glued them onto the image. Speaking of fussy cutting, I had this grand idea to fussy cut her out and let me tell you that took me some time. I didn't realize when I started just how delicate the image would be.

Next I crafted the shaker window. I used a square scalloped frame from a new Mama Elephant die set. I then cut the acetate window to fit into the frame. I usually use fun foam when I create a well for the shaker bits especially if it's behind a delicate frame like this one. But since I seemed to want to do everything the hard way with this card, I decided to go with foam tape which I doubled up and cut into very slim pieces. Once that was done, I chose some silver and sparkling clear sequins and stars to fill the window.

The backing paper was a fun pink and red polka piece that really made Savannah pop. I adhered it all together and then glued the image into place behind the little scalloped edge on the bottom of the frame. For the background, I decided to mat the shaker frame with some of that same silver glitter paper I had used earlier and a piece of light and dark green striped paper. I adhered all of this 4 3/4" square white card base. 

For the finishing touches, I heat embossed a sentiment in white onto a piece of red cardstock. I adhered it on an angle so that it looked a bit like a present. Also, I added a lot of little touches to her dress including sequins, star confetti, stickles, spectrum noir clear sparkle pen and glossy accents. Here's a close up of the sparkle and shine. I just loved how she turned out!

Hop over to the Stamping Bella blog and see what the rest of the Design Team created. This challenge really got us all in the holiday spirit! Also, if you would like to participate in Bellariffic Fridays for a chance to be entered into a monthly drawing to win some Bella Bucks click on the link below for more details.

Next week's Bellariffic Friday challenge is the fantastic (MOJO)Bella sketch below. Hope you join along and create something with us! Have a wonderful day and I'll be back soon! 

Supplies Used:

Game On! Stamping Bella Stamp of the Month!

Happy Sunday Crafters! I wanted to let you know that you still have time to pick up October's Stamp of the Month called Game On by Mo Manning. I struggle with making masculine cards but this stamp made it easy because it's fairly large and can really be the focus of your card. 

I stamped the image onto Bristol smooth white cardstock with Ranger Archival Jet Black ink because I wanted to color with Zig Clean Color real brush markers and I tend to get the best results with this combination. I find Zigs to be really intense if you use them directly on the paper, so I color them onto an acrylic block and use a brush with a tiny bit of water to apply the color to the image. Because Bristol paper isn't watercolor paper you have to be careful how much water you apply. A tiny bit goes a long way!

Once the image was complete, I chose some coordinating patterned paper and cut out a wonky window using a die. I used foam tape to give this piece some dimension and then adhered the image piece to the back so my image was peeking out of the window. For my card base, I used a piece of Neenah Desert Storm cardstock cut to a A2 size and navy cardstock as mat for the plaid paper. For the sentiment, I decided to use a happy birthday word die cut out of the same navy cardstock. I adhered this right under the wonky window. To finish off the card, I wrapped some natural twine around the bottom and added a couple copper square brads to the top left corner. 

For more inspiration, click here to check out what the rest of the Stamping Bella design team did with this stamp. Remember it's the Stamp of the Month for October so you only have a couple more days to pick it up for 20% off. Click the link below for more details. 

I hope you have a great day and I'll see you again real soon! 

Supplies Used:

Bellarific Friday - Sketch Challenge

Hello Crafters! The countdown to Halloween is on! I feel like this year is just flying. It's such a busy time for me at work so I haven't had as much time as I'd like in my craft room. I'm hoping after the next couple of weeks, I'll be able to breathe a little. Plus I have to get going on my Christmas cards. EEK! I can't believe I said that, lol!

Anywho, for this week's Bellarific Friday challenge, we were given the super fun MOJOBella sketck below to inspire us. I knew I wanted to use the new THE WIZARD, THE WITCH AND THE CAULDRON CHICKS stamp set so I had to get creative with how to position them. I didn't want to leave any of them out because they are too darn adorable!

Because the sketch had a vertical layout, I had to figure out how to incorporate all three chicks. I thought about how they might be in a castle with lots of books and knickknacks which means there would be lots of shelves. That would be the perfect place for a bossy little chick to oversee the other two while they performed their spell. I started by measuring where my shelf would go so that I could stamp the top chick along with the bottom two chicks. For my shelf, I cut thin piece of cardstock with a wood pattern and popped it with dimensionals. I used my go to Copic coloring combination of Simon Says Intense Black Ink and white X-Press It paper. 

Here's the colors I used:

I had two cute Doodlebug Halloween paper pads and they went perfectly with the chicks. I chose a striped one from the October 31st collection and the science doodles from Boos and Brews. I decided where they best fit and then cut them to match the layout. For the sentiment, I heat embossed it in white onto a piece of black cardstock and then popped it up with some dimensionals. For the finishing touches, I chose enamel dots in green, orange and purple and scattered them around. I also wanted to add some bling so I used Stickles, Glossy Accents and my Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen. Did I mention I'm addicted to sparkles?? Here's a close up of some of little details I added:

Hop over to the Stamping Bella blog and see what the rest of the Design Team created. They are so creative and I look forward to seeing what everyone came up with for the challenge. Also, if you would like to participate in Bellariffic Fridays for a chance to be entered into a monthly drawing to win some Bella Bucks click on the link below for more details.

Next week's Bellariffic Friday challenge is to MAKE A TAG! Hope to see your designs too! Have a wonderful day and I'll be back soon! 

Supplies Used:

Bellarific Friday - Photo & Color Challenge

Hello Crafters! What a long week this has been. I'm happy to report that we are finally getting some "fall" weather here in Florida. Everyday is getting less humid and cooler. Just in time for one of my favorite holiday, Halloween! For this week's Bellarific Friday card, we were asked to use the following as inspiration. I just love the color palette and really felt inspired by this challenge. I choose one of my favorite stamps from the recent new release called UPTOWN GIRL KITTY loves HALLOWEEN. She is just so adorable and I could wait to color her!

I wanted to add some texture to her dress so I decided to do a little paper piercing. This is such a fun technique and is an easy way to add extra interest to an image. I stamped the image onto the piece of pattern paper that I wanted to use. I used my MISTI so that I could get a pretty solid black line. This makes it easier to fussy cut. I then stamped the image in Simon Says Stamp Intense Black Ink onto a piece of white X-Press It Blending Card. I fussy cut the dress parts out of the patterned paper. This was particularly persnickety on her sleeves! Once finished, I adhered these pieces in place onto the stamped white image, pulled out my Copic markers and got to work. I did some shading on the pattern pieces as this brings the image to life more. The colors will still blend but you have to be careful not to over saturate. Also, Copics will look different on patterned papers so you might want to test them first. Here's a close up of the image and what colors I used:

After the image was complete, I used a stitched rectangle die to cut it out and give the white piece more interest. I also wanted to give her outfit a bit of sparkle so I grabbed some purple Stickles, Glossy Accents and a clear Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen. I applied the Stickles to the ruffles on her skirt, neckline and cuffs. The glossy accents went on her glass and the pumpkin's face. I then coated her mask, all of the red accents and the pumpkin with the sparkle pen. 

For the background, I choose this fun Halloween paper with adorable little cats which went perfectly with Kitty. I also chose some plaid paper that coordinated well with the color palette of the challenge. For my card base, I picked a vibrant purple cardstock. I then layered all of the pieces making sure my image stood front and center. 

 I stamped the sentiment onto a piece of orange patterned paper and then rounded the edges and ran a little black ink around it .This ensured it didn't blend too much into the background. For the finishing touch, I grabbed my go to enamel dots and placed a few of them around. Here's one more closeup:

I just love Halloween cards and I really like how Kitty turned out. This was a super fun challenge!

Don't forget to check out the Stamping Bella blog and see what the rest of the Design Team created. These women always inspire me and come up with such fun designs! Also, if you would like to participate in Bellariffic Fridays for a chance to be entered into a monthly drawing to win some Bella Bucks click on the link below for more details.

Next week's Bellariffic Friday challenge is a sketch challenge. Use the fun (MOJO)Bella below as inspiration for your card design. I would love to see you all participate! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you again soon!

Supplies Used:

Bellarific Friday - Sketch Challenge

Hello Crafters! I'm excited to be back and sharing my card for this week's Bellarific Friday sketch challenge.  Here's the awesome (MOJO) Bella sketch by Julee Tilman we were given to use. I couldn't help but choose a fun Halloween image and Tiny Townie Willow the Witch is one of favorites! She's so sassy and I love the little chicks all decked out in Halloween outfits! The image includes two more chicks on her right side but because the space in the sketch was more vertical, they got edited out. I did save them for a future project though! 

I stamped the image using Simon Says Stamp Intense Black ink onto a piece of white X-Press It Blending Card. These are my go-to supplies for coloring with Copics. My favorite part of this image was creating her skirt. I chose several different BV colors and applied them using a flicking stroke. I also wanted it to appear glittery so I used the "dotting" technique in the shadow areas just to give it a more textured look. Here's a close up and the Copic colors I used. 

Once she was all colored, I couldn't resist pulling out my Copic Spica pens and dotting a ton of little glitter dots in both silver and purple all over her skirt and hat. I also applied some little white dots using a gel pen. This give the illusion of sequins. But I couldn't stop there, so I finished embellishing the images with some stickles and my clear Spectrum Noir sparkle pen. I swear I have a serious addition to all things glitter! 

Next I choose some patterned papers that would help the image pop. Since there was a diamond shape in sketch, I used this as inspiration in choosing a piece of green and black paper with a harlequin pattern. It's from an old Michael's Halloween paper pack that's no longer available but I've seen similar patterns in different Halloween paper packs.

I adhered my little witch flat onto this patterned paper and then applied foam tape to the back of the whole piece. I cut the orange paper down to size and wrapped some black twine around it taping it to the back to secure it in place. I tied a little bow separately and glued this down to the twine. I find this way easier than trying to fiddle with tying the perfect bow with the wrapped pieces. I then adhered this panel down to my card base and secured the piece with my image on top. I had made sure that there was a space between the foam tape on the back of the image so that the twine fit in nicely and it made my card more flat and even. 

For the sentiment, I cut a piece of dark purple cardstock to a inch and a half square and turned it sideways to create my diamond. I then heat embossed the word "Boo!" in white. I adhered this piece next to the witch using a combination of foam tape and flat adhesive to ensure the sentiment also laid flat. Lastly, I had to add a few little enamel dots to the corner just to tie everything together. 

Here's a close up of some of the little details:

I really enjoyed using this sketch this week. It's always a nice way to get inspired and step out of my little card making box. I don't typically give out Halloween cards but I absolutely love to make them! I'm going to have a little Halloween Card Series on my Instagram starting next week, counting down the days until Halloween. Be sure to follow me if you haven't already.

Also, don't forget to hop over to the Stamping Bella blog and check out what the rest of the Design Team created. These Bellas are so talented! Did I mentioned I'm so proud to be apart of this team?  Also, if you would like to participate in Bellariffic Fridays for a chance to be entered into a monthly drawing to win some Bella Bucks click on the link below for more details.

Next week's Bellariffic Friday challenge is a color and photo challenge. Use the photo and/or colors below as inspiration for your card design. I would love to see you all participate! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you again soon!

Supplies Used:

Bellarific Friday - Fall Photo Challenge

Happy Friday Crafters! It's been one heck of a week and I'm a tiny bit late on getting this post up today! I'm so glad it's the weekend and looking forward to a fun girls shopping trip with my Mom & Aunt. It's Bellarific Friday over on the Stamping Bella blog and I loved today's challenge because it was inspired by this photo:

I LOVE fall! I only wish we had more of it in Florida. It was 87 degrees today with  90% humidity so I enjoy making autumn cards that make me think of cooler weather, lol! For my card, I used the precious Tiny Townie Fay Loves Fall stamp and decided to make a fun little shaker card with falling leaves.

To start, I used my Copics to color the cute little Fay. I chose some non-traditional fall colors, but I think they work really well together. I used stickles and glossy accents on her buttons, flower bow, and the apples to give them a bit of shine.  Here's a close up of some of details:

Once the image was complete, I focused on creating the shaker window. I first cut out a scalloped frame using some really neat "wood" paper. It feels just like a thin sheet of wood and it die cuts like butter! It also has an adhesive back so it made it easy to stick the acetate on. I then cut a piece of fun foam with the same scalloped frame die to create my border to allow the sequins to shake around. I chose some really neat iridescent fall leaves for my shaker bits and decided to just put in a few so that it didn't overwhelm the image.  Once my window was complete, I backed the entire piece with pattered paper that coordinated with the mustard color in my image. For the sentiment, I heat embossed it onto some blue cardstock using gold embossing powder. I cut a little slanted banner on the edge and adhered it to the front of the shaker window.

I hope you enjoyed this challenge and be sure to pop over to the Stamping Bella blog to see what all of the other Bellas have created. Their amazing autumn creations make me so happy! Did I mention I LOVE fall?? Also, if you would like to participate in Bellariffic Fridays for a chance to be entered into a monthly drawing to win some Bella Bucks click on the link below for more details.

Next week's Bellariffic Friday challenge is a free form challenge. That means anything goes, no limits! It would be a great opportunity for a someone who is intimated by guidelines. I would love to see you all participate! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you again soon!

Supplies Used:

Bellarific Friday - Sketch Challenge

Happy Friday Crafters! It's Bellarific Friday over on the Stamping Bella blog and today's challenge was this great (MOJO) Bella sketch by Julee Tilman.

Even though yesterday was the first day of Autumn, my card for this challenge ended up taking on a very springy vibe! I chose this beautiful stamp called FLOWERSBEHINDMYBACKABELLA V.2.0 to be the main focal point of my card. I stamped the image onto Copic friendly card stock using Simon Say Stamp intense black ink because it's Copic friendly and I love how black it is. Before coloring her, I chose a stitched square die and ran it through my Big Shot. I love taking large stamps and cropping them to fit my projects. You don't always have to use the entire image, spotlighting is fun too! 

I colored the Bella with my Copic markers and I also did a little paper piecing on her sash and headband. I used a tiny bit of gray Copic to add shading to these pieces so they weren't so stark white. I also added some stickles and Spectrum Noir clear sparkle to the flowers and glossy accents to her sash and headband. Here are the colors I used:

Once my image was complete, I started building my background to match the sketch. I picked papers from a new My Favorite Things pack called Sweet Celebration. I also chose a fun blue glitter paper from Recollections for the scalloped frame. For the sentiment, I stamped it onto vellum using Versamark clear ink and embossed it in white. I then layered it over a piece of patterned paper a cut a fishtail banner in the end. I wrapped this over and adhered it to the back of the card. The finishing touch was adding a few enamel dots in coordinating colors to highlight the image a little bit more. Here's a close up of some of the little details I added:

I hope you enjoyed this challenge and be sure to pop over to the Stamping Bella blog to see what all of the other Bellas have created. These ladies are sooo talented! I keep pinching myself knowing I'm part of this wonderful team! Also, if you would like to participate in Bellariffic Fridays for a chance to be entered into a monthly drawing to win some Bella Bucks click on the link below for more details.

Next week's Bellariffic Friday challenge is a fabulous fall photo challenge. Use the photo below as inspiration for your card design. I would love to see you all participate! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you again soon!

Supplies Used:

Bellarific Friday - Background Challenge

Happy Friday Crafters! It's Bellarific Friday over on the Stamping Bella blog and today's challenge was to create your own background. I selected the adorable stamp Smarty Cat and decided to use the little accessory stamps that come with it to create my own patterned paper.

I started with a piece of smooth Bristol paper and cut it slightly smaller than a standard A-2 size card. I then stamp the little ball of yarn, mouse and fish bone randomly all of the paper to create a pattern. Next I grabbed some of my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers and did a little  messy water coloring on each little images. I also flicked some paint splatters just to get it a little more texture. I  stamped the little cat onto some Bristol smooth white cardstock and colored him up with some Zigs too. I added a bit of glossy accents to his glasses as well.

Here's the colors I chose to use and a little close up of the details.

I decided to do a little inlaid die cutting to really show off the image. To do this, I grabbed a stitched arch die and cut out a shape in my patterned paper. I then used the die on my cat image. I placed my cat image inside the space I had removed from the background. It fit perfectly but the cat disappeared just a tiny bit. So I decided to grab a piece of black fun foam and cut it using the same stitched arch die. I then adhered it to the back of my cat. This popped up the image and also because fun foam when die cut gets just a tiny bit bigger it allowed for a nice little black shadow which really helped the cat stand out from the busy background.

Before adhering everything to my card base, I grabbed some black and white twine and wrapped it a few times around which helped ground the cat image. I also stamped the cute sentiment that comes with the stamp onto a piece of white cardstock and cut a little slanted banner tail. I backed this with some polka dot cardstock. Everything then went on top of some more polka dot paper and adhered to my card base.

I hope you enjoyed this challenge and be sure to pop over to the Stamping Bella blog to see what all of the other Bellas have created. There are some amazing designs! I'm so lucky to be on this team with such a talented bunch of crafty ladies! Also, if you would like to participate in Bellariffic Fridays for a chance to be entered into a monthly drawing to win some Bella Bucks click on the link below for more details.

Next week's Bellariffic Friday challenge is a sketch challenge. Use the awesome (MOJO)Bella sketch below for your card design. I hope to see you all participate! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you again soon!

Supplies Used:

Bellarific Friday Sketch Challenge

Happy Friday Crafters! It's Bellarific Friday over on the Stamping Bella blog and today's challenge was to create a card using the following fabulous Mojobella sketch by Julee. 

I selected a super cute stamp set called Uptown Girls VICTORIA and JULIETTE's Night Out to be the centerpiece of my card. I stamped the image in Simon Says Stamp Intense Black ink onto some Copic friendly paper. For the color scheme, I was inspired by a new paper pack from My Mind's Eye called Hooray. I colored up the image and then added some special details using Stickles and Spica pens to achieve a look that gave the impression of sequins. I quite like how it turned out. I also added some Spectrum Noir glitter pen and glossy accents to the girls drinks.

Here's a close up of some of the little details:

As I mentioned, I was very inspired by the Hooray paper pack by My Mind's Eye and selected a few different patterns from that pack for my background. Following the guideline of the sketch, I layered the papers onto a plain card base. I die cut a scalloped oval from a piece of rose gold foil paper to frame my image. The sentiment came from another Stamping Bella set called Closeups Click and I heat embossed it in rose gold powder to tie it back to the paper. After adhering the girls, I had to pull out my enamel dots to finish off the design. I think I may be addicted to using them!

Be sure to pop over to the Stamping Bella blog to see what the other Bellas have created for this sketch challenge. They are sharing some beautiful designs! Also, if you would like to participate in Bellariffic Fridays for a chance to be entered into a monthly drawing to win some Bella Bucks click on the link below for more details.

For next week, the Bellariffic Friday challenge is to create your own background. Here's your chance to join us! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you again soon!

Supplies Used: