Bellarific Friday - Photo Challenge

Happy Weekend Crafters! My card today is for this week's Bellarific Friday challenge based on the gorgeous photo below. I used one of the new Stamping Bella stamps called TINY TOWNIE GARDEN GIRL LILAC. Isn't she precious??

For this card, I choose Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers as my coloring medium. I find I get the best results with these markers when I use Bristol Smooth White cardstock. I also don't apply the markers directly to the paper. I color the marker onto a piece of laminated white card stock and use a paintbrush with a tiny bit of water to apply the color to the image. This helps me control the vividness since Zigs are highly saturated. Once completed, I fussy cut the image, added a little bit of stickles to the center of the flowers and Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen to the leaves. 

Next up I focused on the background. I drew inspiration from the photo and wanted to create a tone on tone brick wall. To do this I grabbed some translucent embossing paste and a stencil. To create a smooth surface for the frame, I cut a piece of masking tape the size I needed and put that down before covering the card base with embossing paste. The trickiest part was peeling up the mask. You have to do it before it dries or it will be stuck permanently. I used a pair of craft tweezers to help me with this task.

Once the embossing paste was dry, I die cut the frame from a piece of gold foil and adhered it into place. I then used some dimensional foam tape to pop up the Tiny Townie. I needed a small sentiment, so I pick this one from another Stamping Bella set called BUDDING CHICK RUBBER STAMP. The finishing touch was tying a bit of pink ribbon around the bottom. 

Here's a close up of some of the details and textures:

Be sure to check out the Stamping Bella blog to see what the rest of the BellaBabes created using inspiration from the photo. 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 ANYTHING GOES. I hope you join along and create something with us! Have a wonderful day and I'll be back soon! 

Bellarific Friday - Friendship Challenge

Happy Bellarific Friday! (Or Sunday, lol!) It's been a crazy week at work so I finally have a few quiet moments to upload my card for this week's challenge. The theme was FRIENDSHIP and I knew just what stamp I wanted to use...

When I first saw this stamp CLOSEUPS "CLINK" I felt it was begging to be a shaker card. I started by coloring the image with Copics. Once that was complete, I used an exacto knife to carefully cut out the portion of the glasses where the liquid was and then backed that area with a piece of acetate to create my shaker windows. I next grabbed some foam tape and built up my shaker areas. I used a double layer of foam tape since I knew I was using seed beads and those shake better with a bit more room.

One of my favorite adult beverages is a Moscato Wine Spritzer so that's what I chose to recreate. I used a peachy yellow color in the background of the shaker window and covered it in the beautiful Pink Champagne Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen. It's so sparkly in person and when I added the seed beads it looked just like the refreshing spritzer!

For the rest of the card, I chose some pretty teal papers and created two frames around my shaker window. I heat embossed the sentiment in white and adhered it to the top of frame. For my finishing touches, I added glossy accents & Spectrum Noir clear sparkle to some of jewelry. I then used Nuvo Jewel Drops in Grey Mist on the bracelets to make them look a bit more like sterling silver. I'm loving the new jewel drops because they dry translucent with just a hint of color. If you haven't tried them, I highly recommend them!

Hop over to the Stamping Bella blog and see what the rest of the BellaBabes created using the theme of "Friendship." 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 really beautiful image below. I already have some ideas of how to interpret it and can't wait to get started! I hope you join along and create something with us! Have a wonderful day and I'll be back soon! 

Bellarific Friday - Sketch Challenge

Happy Weekend Crafters! Today I have a fun interactive card to share with you for this week's Bellarific Friday Challenge which was the following Mojo Bella sketch. I was inspired by the circle in the sketch and thought it would be a perfect spot for a spinner element.

I started by selecting an image where I could incorporate a sentiment on the back. This little MAIL CHICK image was perfect! I stamped the image onto a piece of X-Press It blending card with Simon Says Stamp Intense black ink. I then inked it up again but used a baby wipe to take off the details in the middle of stamp so I was just left with a blank envelope. I did some super simple Copic coloring on the two images and then fussy cut them out. I had to hold them back to back to ensure that they were very close to matching. I could have done some mirror stamping to make it perfect but it definitely would have taken some time. I think I got them pretty close and I was satisfied with the results. I also added a bit of glossy accents to the chick's beak and some Spectrum Noir clear glitter pen to the little heart. 

Here are the colors I used and a close up of the details:

Next, I chose my background patterns, cut them down to size and adhered them to my card base. I then selected a window circle die cut that had some fun stitching detail and lined it up in the center. When I ran this through my die cutting machine, I made sure the cutting plates were not on the back panel of the card base so that one, I would NOT cut a circle in the back of my card, and two, I wouldn't have any indents or lines from the cutting plates on the back panel. Important step, lol!

Once the circle was cut, I trimmed down a piece of white card stock just slightly shorter than the A2 size panel and cut another circle. This was for the inside of the card so that I would be able to hide where I adhered the thread. You need to cut this panel a little bit shorter because if it's the exact same height your card won't close nicely.

Next, I assembled my spinner element by sandwiching a piece of silver thread between my two envelope images. You have to make sure the thread is longer than you need so you have some wiggle room and can adjust and cut it down to size.

I then laid the image with the thread across the inside of the card panel and centered it over the circle. I pulled the thread fairly tight and used some scotch tape to hold the top and bottom pieces secure. I then added a piece of white grosgrain ribbon across the front wrapping and taping the ends onto the inside panel to secure them. Next, I adhered the white panel with the circle on the inside of the card panel covering where I had taped the thread and ribbon. This provides a nice clean inside when the recipient opens the card. 

Here's a peek of what the inside of the panel looked after it was complete. 

Now for the fun part! Before you close the card, you turn the spinner element a few times to get it "wound up," then close the card. When the recipient opens it the image will spin around showing the sentiment. Here's card in action:

So fun!! I just love adding little interactive elements to cards. It something unique that is a "wow" for the person receiving it. Hop over to the Stamping Bella blog and see what the rest of the BellaBabes created using this sketch as inspiration. 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 "FRIENDSHIP." This should be a super fun one and an opportunity to create something for the special friend in your life. Hope you join along and create something with us! Oh and if you haven't heard, the new release images are available on Monday, Janaury 16th!! WOOO HOOO!! Check out all of the sneak peeks on the Stamping Bella blog and be sure to pop over to the store Monday to go shopping! Have a wonderful day and I'll be back soon! 

Stamping Bella Release Preview - XO Squidgy

Hello Crafters! Only three more sleeps until the new Stamping Bella release will be available! I can't wait! The design team doesn't get to see every stamp so it's fun to see what we haven't seen. OMG those little unicorns!! They will be mine soon, lol! 

But today I'm sharing another sneak peak of the cutest little Squidgy with an XO! 

For this image, I choose to use my Copics (Shocking, I know, lol!). I colored up the little squidgy and then colored the XO. I was NOT happy with the outcome of the letters so I decided to turn it into an opportunity. I stamped the image again onto a piece of patterned paper and fussy cut the XO. I then paper pieced it onto the image and added a bit of shadows with my Copics. Voila! A certain disaster turned into a much cuter option. Here's a look at the colors I used:

I die cut the image using a wonky rectangle frame. For my background, I grabbed a super neat We R Memory Keepers Next Level Embossing folder with a heart pattern and ran a piece of red cardstock through my BigShot. I love these embossing folders. The results are very 3-D and really pop! The image seemed to fade a bit when I had it just over the embossed piece so I grabbed a piece of striped cardstock and layered that behind. This definitely completed the whole look. 

For my finishing touches, I used red, pink and black stickles on various parts of the image as well as a good coat of my Spectrum Noir clear glitter pen on her dress and some glossy accents on her shoes. Here's a close up...just look at that glitter shine on her dress! Love it!

Be sure to check out the Stamping Bella blog everyday this week for more sneak peeks leading up to the big release on Monday, January 16th! 3 more days...almost there! I'm be back tomorrow with my Bellariffic Friday card. See you then!

Stamping Bella Release Preview - Sammy is Sweet & Happy Everything Bunny Wobble

Hello Crafters! Today I have TWO sneak peeks of the new Stamping Bella release for you. Only a few more days until you can purchase these adorable new stamps! I have such a long list already! 

First up is a wonderful new Tiny Townie called "Sammy is Sweet." And she definitely is!

I had a pack of pretty doilies in my stash that I've been wanting to use so I decided to go with classic Valentine colors and add a pop of sea foam green so that it coordinated. I actually really like this combo and was inspired by all of the bright colors. Here's the colors I used:

Once she was colored, I used a stitched rectangle die to give the panel a little more interest. I then started on my card base. The card size is a 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square. For the background piece, I selected a fairly neutral pink patterned paper and then brought in a piece of striped paper that had that sea foam green accent. I layered that across the card and then lined up the doily so that my little image was the focal point. Once everything was adhered, I stamped the sentiment onto a piece of purple cardstock and cut a banner on one end. I tied a piece of coordinating bakers twine onto one end and used foam tape to pop it up so it would lay flat across the design. 

My finishing touches included my go to items glossy accents, Spectrum Noir clear glitter pen, and Stickles in various colors. I also added a few purple gems opposite of the sentiment to tie that color with the rest of the design. Here's a better look at the details:

Up next is a new addition to the Bunny Wobble collection called "Happy Everything." Chicks and Bunnies = the best!

For this card, I wanted to frame the image so I planned out my coloring after selecting the heart die. I traced the heart shape around my image so I would have a guide to keep the color where I wanted it. After coloring up the bunny and chicks, I took two different light pink Copics and did a little dot detail background. leaving it completely white just looked too plain. This addition gave it a little extra something that I later used to tie in the sentiment strip. Here's a look at the Copics I used to color up the image:

I grabbed a large heart die and cut it from a piece of polka dot paper. Instead of using the heart, I used the negative piece as my frame. I had measured the piece of polka dot paper before hand to ensure that it was the exact size of my card base. I then put foam tape on the back of the heart frame so that when I adhered my bunny image there would be more dimension and really give the illusion of a inset framed picture. 

Once that was complete, I focused on the sentiment. I choose a few different colors of card stock and matted them on top of one another. I die cut the top piece with a stitched banner and then ended up cutting off the ends so it fit better. That's why there are only two strips of stitching and not all the way around the ends. I actually really like how it turned out. Happy accidents! And of course I had to finish up the image by using some glossy accents and Stickles! I swear I have a sparkle problem but I'm not ashamed! Here's a look at some of the sparkly goodness;

Be sure to check out the Stamping Bella blog everyday this week for more sneak peeks leading up to the big release on Monday, January 16th! I'll be back on tomorrow with another fun sneak peek for you!

Stamping Bella Release Preview - Bee Mine

Hello Crafters! Guess what time it is...Stamping Bella New Release Week! So excited to be able to share a little sneak peek with you. This release has a ton of fun Valentine and love images that will all be available for purchase on Monday, January 16th at the Stamping Bella shop. When I first saw this image I just wanted to squish the bear's little cheeks! How precious is he??

To make my bear look fuzzy, I didn't color smoothly but used tiny dots to give the image texture. I started with the darkest brown first in the shadow spots and then went in with my medium brown and then my lightest brown. It takes a little bit of time to get a pretty good coverage but the results are totally worth it! 

Here are the Copic colors I used for my image:

Once the little bear was all colored, I cut him out using a hexagon die. I really wanted to keep the "bee" theme throughout. I daubed a little bit of smoke ink around the edges of the hexagon so it would stand out a bit more. For my background, I used a hexagon panel die cut from a piece of mustard colored cardstock and adhered to a kraft card base. I wanted the background to look like a honeycomb so I took some of the little hexagons and glued the randomly back into the panel die. I decided to pop a few up and also added some yellow stickles on others just to give more interest.

To help the bear panel standout, I cut of strip of black and white heart paper to lay across the background. This also brought in the "bee" theme a bit more. The sentiment was stamped and cut into a banner and adhered. For the last touches, I used glossy accents on the bears nose and some Ice Stickles on his wings. It's a chunkier iridescent stickles that just really catches the light. I also stuck on a few little enamel hearts to finish off the card.

Here's a close up of some details:

Be sure to check out the Stamping Bella blog everyday this week for more sneak peeks leading up to the big release on Monday, January 16th! I'll be back on Thursday with two fun sneak peeks for you!

Bellarific Friday - January Stamp of the Month!

Happy New Year Crafters! I'm excited to be back blogging again after a very busy December. Today I'm sharing a card for 2017's first Bellariffic Friday. The BellaBabes are using January's Stamp of the Month the absolute precious THINKINGOFYOUABELLA. 

I was excited to try my hand on a close up face image. It's my first time trying to create facial contours with just Copic Markers but it was a challenge I was ready to take on. I searched images to get a reference of where to draw lines to help create depth. I decided to use a different skin and hair scheme than I normally use.  To capture the fair skin, I choose R markers versus E markers and I'm in love with how it turned out! I also had to add a few freckles to her nose. For the eyes, I very carefully drew a thin line of green for her iris. I was worried it wasn't going to look right but I was surprised at how much of a difference it made. For her hair, I choose bright E's to create a very saturated fiery red-head. I think I will be reaching for this combo again. 

Here are the exact colors I chose:

Since the image is fairly large, I wanted it to be the focus so I used a stitched rectangle die to frame her. For the card background, I stuck with subtle patterns that were complimentary to her coloring. I popped the stitched frame panel up a bit with fun foam to further draw focus to the image. The sentiment that came with the stamp is fairly large and I couldn't get it fit exactly with my design so I decided to use just the "Thinking of you" portion. I cut that bit out and made a little flag end. Once it was adhered, I stuck a few light blue pattern heart enamel stickers from my stash that coordinated perfectly with the background. For the finishing touch, I added glossy accents to her lips and eyes. 

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

Hop over to the Stamping Bella blog and see what the rest of the BellaBabes created using this beautiful  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: