PJ Party Fun

I had a great time at the Paper Pretties Stamping in your Pajamas party last night. I managed to finish projects for 2 of the 3 challenges...and will have to try to finish up the middle one (a color challenge) tomorrow perhaps.

This project was created for the first challenge - try a technique you've never done before. One I've been wanting to try is where you put ink on your Cuddlebug embossing folder before putting in the cardstock. I put some old olive ink on the folder then put in my certainly celery cardstock to emboss. Isn't this new tree folder awesome??? I colored in Sophia with my aquapainter and watercolor crayons and then cut her out and popped her on to the tree. I then added some stickles for maximum glitter.

The certainly celery is layered on some Rose Red, which is then layered onto the Old Olive card. And can you believe I don't have any ribbon on here?? I can't!! Of course, I may go back and add some since it's looking a little bare to me now.

This Sophia is Trim the Tree Sophia, and she's the November Stamp of the Month. Isn't she adorable? If you sign up for the SOTM club anytime before October 31st, you'll get her in November ahead of everyone else. For the rest of you...she'll be available to order starting December 1st.

And speaking of the Prettie Boutique, Christie announced a wonderful sale last night in honor of her grandmother, a breast cancer survivor. All things pink in the store are now 40% off!! No need for a coupon code, just go straight to the sale section and the prices are already marked down. Have fun shopping!!

Supplies: (all supplies from SU! unless noted)
Stamps: Trim the Tree Sophia by Paper Pretties
CS: Stamper's Select White, Rose Red, Old Olive, Certainly Celery
Ink: Brilliance black, Old Olive
Acc: cuttelbug folder, stickles, WWC, aquapainter

TFL!

Time keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking...

German Phrase of the Day: Die Auffuehrung war sehr beeindruckend. = The performance was very impressive. I would love to go to a performance! I told my husband that for my birthday next year, I want to see the latest Cirque du Soleil performance in Vegas, The Beatles, Love. Not sure how we can work that with a baby in tow...but if there's a way I'll figure it out! ;-) Oh...and do you all like my new countdown to the move? It's actually quite helpful for me to keep track!

Earlier this week I was trying to catch up on some challenges, and decided to combine the last 2 weeks of Prettie Challenges from the challenge forum hosted by Danielle. Last week she gave us this awesome sketch to use, and the week before she challenged us to use Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Creamy Caramel and Whisper White on a card. I think our little Howdy Gal looks great in pink, don't you agree? And don't forget the only way to get this li'l lady before September is to join the Stamp of the Month club over at Paper Pretties BEFORE July 31st!! Be sure to tell Christie I sent ya on over.

She's on Stamper's Select White and colored with my Prisma pencils, then I cut her out with my coluzzle and mounted her on a scalloped circle punched with my Marvy Giga punch. I put a regal rose dot in each bump for some added effect, and cuttlebugged the creamy caramel layer with my paisley folder. I stamped the lower circles with the Prettie stamp Sassy Circles, and punched the sentiment with my word window punch. It was lots of fun to put together!!

I know I said I'm taking weekends off until after we've moved and gotten settled in, but tomorrow I'll have a guest blogger - my daughter Julia! She created a gorgeous card with this Howdy Girlfriend set and can't wait to share it with everyone. So be sure and leave her lots of love tomorrow when she posts her card.

Supplies: (all supplies from SU! unless noted)
Stamps: Howdy Girlfriend and Sassy Circles by Paper Pretties
CS: Stamper's Select White, Creamy Caramel, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink
Ink: Brilliance black, Regal Rose
Acc: Prismacolor pencils, OMS, blending stumps, marvy giga scalloped circle punch, coluzzle, white taffeta ribbon, Paisley cuttlebug embossing folder, copic gray 01 marker

TFL!

Groovy Banana Chips Fairytale

German Phrase of the Day: Das ist gesund. = That's healthy. Julia always asks now if some food she's chosen to eat is healthy. We're trying to make sure she understands that it's best to make healthy food choices, and if you do that regularly, you can treat yourself with something special once in a while. I guess it's working!

I checked the color challenge this morning, and even though Carole was hosting for Emily, and she's the one who picks colors like Orchid Opulance - it was actually a very lovely combination! I had a sketch on my desk from LAST week's sketch challenge (that I never got to) and thought it might work well. Then, I just had to find the right stamp.

I really loved this set from the SU! Occasions mini, but haven't had much opportunity to use it. This sentiment works perfectly for this sketch, and allowed me to do a very elegant card. I'm quite pleased with the end result, and now my only problem is who to give it to??? It's too girly for my husband (although I was thinking of him when I chose the phrase) so perhaps it will make a good anniversary card for someone.

Have a wonderful day!

Supplies: (all supplies from SU! unless noted)
Stamps: Full of Life, Floral background
CS: Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava, Barely Banana, Very Vanilla
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava
Acc: cuttlebug embossing folder, pretties kit, glue dots

TFL!

A Prettie Peek

German Phrase of the Day: Darueber moechte ich nicht sprechen. = I don't want to talk about it. What, me?? Not talk about something? Impossible! ;-) I love to talk about things...especially this ADORABLE new set coming out from Paper Pretties on July 1st! I really love all the different stamps that come in this set, especially the sentiments!

I started this card with just the image of Sophia on her lounge chair, soaking up some rays and relaxing with her pup. As usual, she's colored to look like my daughter, with our dog Maisy - altho Maisy is a wee bit larger than this cute little pup!! She has on her pink bikini with a sparkly flower (courtesy of my Spica glitter pens) and her rose colored glasses.

After trimming around the stamped image there were these 2 big empty corners, so I thought I could use one of my lovely large Prima flowers to fill up some space. I'm not sure if it overwhelms dear little Sophia, but I know Julia will love it!! To further enclose that space, I added some pink rhinestones to the opposite corner creating my own little photo corner.

The image is so large a regular sized card would never work, and I have made so many square cards lately I wanted something different, so I went with a long one. I embossed half the card with my Swiss dots embossing folder, and then decided that this sentiment would be perfect for my little princess. When I was much younger, my mother had a Mary Engelbrecht mug that said "Queen of Everything" and I got to have one that said "Princess of Quite a Lot." When my sister was here this spring and Julia was playing princess as usual, she told this to Julia who now declares herself Princess of quite a lot rather frequently, but always remembering that I am the Queen of everything!

Don't forget to join us Tuesday night to Stamp in your Jammies with the Prettie Girls! We'll be in the Forum starting at 8pm EDT. Of course, we will have challenges and prizes, and tons of fun. I hope to "see" you there! And be sure to check the other Prettie Girl blogs (linked on right) for more Prettie Peeks, and go to the Paper Pretties site to see who's new in the Guest Room!

Supplies: (all supplies from SU! unless noted)
Stamps: Soakin Up the Sun by Paper Pretties
CS: Bashful Blue, Purely Pomegranate, Stamper's Select White
Ink: Brilliance black
Acc: Prismacolor pencils, OMS, blending stumps, rhinestones, prima flower, rhinestone brad, 1/2" circle punch, swiss dot cb embossing folder, dimensionals, spica clear glitter pen

TFL!

Winter already??

German Phrase of the Day: Ein wunderschoener Tag heute! = It's a beautiful day today! Actually - it is...and I don't get to say that all too often. This morning it was a little gray and scary, but it's cleared up and turned into a beautiful day all around. I love summer!

Speaking of summer...why on earth am I making a winter card? Well, when I saw Danielle's sketch for this week's Paper Pretties Weekly Challenge, I immediately thought of cute little Snowflake in that center circle. I mean...isn't he perfect in there? I also knew I didn't want to use designer paper for the squares, but embossed paper. Fortunately, I still had some Cool Caribbean snowflake embossed paper from over a year ago when my mom was here, and it mixed well with the swirls on white. I mean...doesn't he just look adorable??

I stamped Snowflake with Brilliance black ink onto Stamper's Select White. While that dried, I cut the rest of my cardstock, layering my embossed pieces onto Tempting Turquoise, and I layered some more White cardstock onto my Tempting Turquoise 5.25" square card. Once Snowflake was dry, I colored him in with my prismacolor pencils. You know...I don't think I've done that with him before, and I think it works SOOO much better than watercoloring him. It's very hard to get black to smooth out evenly on watercolor paper, but with the pencils and blending stumps, it was a breeze! Of course I added some blue shading to the edges of his snowangel, and then I went over that with my liquid applique. I sprinkled some Dazzling Diamonds on over that before heat setting to "puff it up" (said in my best Arnie accent a la Hanz and Franz!)

After affixing Snowflake to the scalloped tempting turquoise circle, I pierced holes in each bump and then outlined the wholes with my white gel pen. Lastly, I stamped the Happy Winter! sentiment on more white cardstock and punched it with the word window punch. Even though the card has no ribbon...I LOVE it... don't you?

Oh...and I have news! Paper Pretties is releasing 2 new stamps on Tuesday, July1st at 8pm EST. You won't want to miss the fun of another Paper Pretties Stampin' In Your Jammies party, with fun challenges and prizes! I might even drag my sorry bum out of bed to attend this time - if my husband will let me get up at 2am for some stamping. ;-) And in addition...we have a few new Prettie Guests who will be joining us for the next three months - they'll be announced on the Paper Pretties website tomorrow! And be sure to read about our newest Prettie Girl, Jodi while you're there!

And, have you ever wanted to be a Cutie Pie?? Well, your chance is now! Send Christie your best Paper Pretties projects and YOU could win the stamps being released on Tuesday for FREE!! That's right, all the stamps being released could be yours for free, just by emailing Christie one of the adorable cards you've made using our stamps...what could be easier?? You have until June 30th at 8pm CST to get your entries in, so don't delay.

Supplies: (all supplies from SU! unless noted)
Stamps: Snowflake Kisses by Paper Pretties
CS: Tempting Turquoise, Cool Caribbean, Stamper's Select White
Ink: Brilliance black, Tempting Turquoise
Acc: Prismacolor Pencils, OMS, blending stumps, liquid applique, dazzling diamonds glitter, mega scalloped circle punch, paper piercer, white gel pen, coluzzle, word window punch, CB embossing folders

TFL!

Goin' to the Chapel

German Phrase of the Day: Die Hochzeit ist heute Wochenende. = The wedding is this weekend. One of Julia's kindergarten teachers is getting married this weekend, and the chidren at school have prepared a song to sing for her at the wedding...so I'll get to see a German wedding. I'm quite exctied. I haven't made her gift yet (better get crackin'!) but I did make this card for another friend to give her.

Lisa asked me once again to make a card (and a few other projects) for her. She loves the Bellas, and since Daggi is just so cute, I agreed that Bella was perfect. Lisa wanted mostly white, with a touch of green. I stamped Hitched a Fella Bella onto Stamper's Select White from PTI with Brilliance Black ink, then colored the image with my aquapainter and watercolor crayons. He has a celery tie, and she has a celery sash. The roses are colored with Rose Red. For some sparkle, I added a star shaped rhinestone to her tiarra, and some spica clear glitter pen to her eyelashes.

For the background, I wanted to keep it white, but I wanted some texture. The card is 5.25" square, and I knew I couldn't cuddlebug a 5" square piece at once, so I decided I'd have to use Swiss Dots, so I could do part of it, then line up the folder to emboss the rest. I was amazed at how well that turned out!

Ok...now to get to work on her stationary set...and a few other projects before I'm away from my craft room (and computer) for 3 days in hospital.

Supplies: (all supplies from SU! unless noted)
Stamps: Hitched a Fella Bella by StampingBella
CS: stamper's select white, Certainly Celery
Ink: Brilliance black
Acc: WWC, aquapainter, rhinestone, celery organdy, swiss dots cb embossing folder, spica clear glitter pen
TFL!

Prettie Wednesday!

German Phrase of the Day: Warst du schon einmal segeln? = Have you ever been sailing? My husband and I tried to sail one of those little sunfish things...you know the tiny boat with a sail? It was when we were in the Bahamas, and we were SOOOO bad at it we got out and couldn't get back in, so my husband jumped off and started swimming the boat back to shore! It was funny...but we decided perhaps sailing is NOT for us! LOL

Today is Prettie Wednesday, and I have the card from Charmaine's challenge right before CHA to show you all. Her challenge was to have some sort of dry embossing on the card. Perfect since I had ordered 4 new cuddlebug folders while at my mom's house. This is the Swiss Dot folder, and I LOVE it!!!

I started with a white card base (stamper's select cs from Papertrey Ink of course!) then a layer of black and the embossed layer of Purely Pomegranate. for the focal piece I stamped Sophia on some Stamper's Select white then used mom's Nesties to cut her out. I then cut a scalloped layer from black to layer her on. Then, I stamped her again (using my Palette Noir ink still) onto some Berry Bliss DSP for her dress. After coloring, paper piecing etc, I was ready to assemble - and used some cute ribbon I picked up at Mike's. Notice that strawberry Blonde hair? Since this card was for Charmaine, I just had to make her a cute little redhead! Just like our little Shortcake! ;-)

Now this week, it's MY week to challenge everyone, so here we go! I challenge you to make ANYTHING except a card. It can be absolutely anything you want Girls....but NO cards!! If you would like to play along at home, please do...and then come back and tell me what you made! I'll be showing you my creation for this challenge in 2 weeks - next week I'll show you what I made for Jillian's challenge to use stripes...just gotta get it in the mail now! :-)

Oh...and did you know that Christie has marked down some of her sale items even MORE? AND she's got NEW American Crafts Easter ribbon in stock??? Look...isn't it Gorgeous?!?! Be sure to check out the Prettie Boutique so you don't miss out!!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Cuddle Me from Paper Pretties
CS: Stamper's Select White, Basic Black, Purely Pomegranate, Berry Bliss
Ink: Palette Noir,
Acc: watercolor crayons, blender pen, nestabilities, Mike's ribbon, Swiss Dot Cuddlebug folder

TFL!
-Jana

The Mitten

German Phrase of the Day: Ich habe drei Enkel. = I have three grandchildren. Ok...so obviously I don't have 3 grandchildren...but my mom does! And actually, my MIL will have 3 soon too. I hope it will be a VERY long time before I have any grandchildren!! So Enkel is grandchild, do you wanna know what grandparent is? Grosseltern, which literally means large parent.

Before I start babbling on about my card, have you all read about the Cutie Pie contest over at Paper Pretties? If not...you should!! You could be our next Cutie Pie and win all of the stamps for our next release at the end of the month!! How cool would that be?? Pretty dang cool I'm thinkin'!

I have another card using the mitten stamp from Snowflake Kisses today...but I added a little color. I had a complaint about too much blue recently (I love you mom!) and so just for her, I added some red to this card. For the layout, I CASE'd this card of MyVeronica's - she was the featured stamper yesterday and I just loved looking through her gallery. The hatpin card is so simple and elegant...perfect! Of course, I didn't end up using a hatpin...but I think it still counts as a CASE! :-)

I started by stamping the mittens onto Stamper's Select White cardstock and coloring them with the WW crayons. I don't usually color with the real red crayon when I want something to actually look red - that crayon makes things look more pink. Instead, I use Ruby Red and I think it turns out much better. I colored the snowflake on the mitten using the tempting turquoise crayon lightly to match Cool Caribbean. I added the liquid appliqué to the cuffs and puffed it up, then put the snowflake brad from the Paper Pretties Boutique in the top before mounting the piece onto a layer of Real Red.

I had some snowflake cuddled Cool Caribbean cardstock from when mom was here with her folders last April, and I swiped my white craft pad across it to highlight the snowflakes a little more. I layered this on some more Stampers Select White, then Basic Black. Next, I tied my red polka dot May Arts ribbon around these 3 layers before mounting them onto the White A2 size card. I mounted my central image using pop dots, stamped my greeting with Real Red ink and I was done. The card was actually quite quick to do, and I think turned out quite elegant as well - although looking at it now I think I would add a layer of black under the cool Caribbean. What do you all think?

Supplies:
Stamps: Snowflake Kisses by Paper Pretties
CS: Stamper's Select White from Papertrey Ink, Cool Caribbean, Real Red, Basic Black
Ink: Palette Noir, White Craft, real red
Acc: Silver brad, liquid applique, red polka dot May Arts ribbon, aquapainter, WWC, snowflurries cuttlebug folder

TFL!
-Jana

Tacky Snowbunnybella

German Phrase of the Day: Du hast ein schoenes Laecheln. = You have a nice smile. Laecheln is pronounced LAYKH-ehln. For some reason, this is a very hard word for me to remember. Perhaps now I finally will after having typed it! ;-)

And hopefully this card will make you all smile. It was for Shannan Steuben's Bella challenge to use EVERYTHING on your card and go overboard - glitter, ribbon, embossing, embellishments...anything and everything!

Bella herself is much as yesterdays, except I gave her pink tights today to keep her a little warmer. I also used Bashful Blue and Night of Navy to match the cardstock. Her corners are clipped and she's mounted on some Night of Navy CS, then I put some rhinestone stickers in the corners.

The card base is Stamper's Select White from PaperTrey Ink. I love that this cardstock has some good weight to it, so it doesn't feel flimsy! Then, I layer of Night of Navy, and then a layer of Bashful Blue which was cuddled with the snowflake folder, swiped with White Craft ink, and embossed with iridescent ice EP. That layer just sparkles like mad!

I used Navy grosgrain, white organdy, and some silver cord for ribbon around the middle, and then I punched the Got Snow? greeting using the word window punch (it just barely fit!) and used rhinestones for the "o"'s.

The sparkle does send her a little over the top...but I like it!!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Snowbunnybella StampingBella, Got Snow? by GinaK Designs
CS: Watercolor paper, Stamper's Select White from PTI, Night of Navy, Bashful Blue
Ink: Palette Noir, , Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose
Acc: sponge, aquapainter, Rhinestone stickers, navy grosgrain, silver cord, white organdy, ticket corner punch, word window punch, liquid applique, dazzling diamonds glitter, spica glitter pen

TFL!
-Jana

And more Christmas...

German Phrase of the Day: Das ist mir zu sharf. = This is too hot for my taste. This is a phrase I will NEVER use in relation to German cooking...since even the spicy "taco sauce" here is probably only about a mild California style. Oh well...I did get to have some really good Mexican style food up in Berlin...did I mention that? We actually think it's funny when people warn us about something being too spicy for Julia over here.

So, here are my little buddies again. I had to pull them back out since I decided to make another Christmas card. I couldn't think what to make for you all today, so I pulled out a piece of already cuddled cardstock and decided to build from there. This went pretty quickly once I decided on the colors and orientation. I colored these little dudes in with markers, and I used a blender pen with Cool Caribbean ink to add some of that color. After adding the stamped piece with dimensionals, I knew I had to add some ribbon, and what better way than with some HPH which I recently organized, and realized I have WAAAAYY too much of? Anyway, I hope you all like this one!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Festive Favorites
CS: Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red, Cool Caribbean
Ink: Markers - Green Galore, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Cool Caribbean re-inker, white craft
Acc: blender pen, HPH, black gingham ribbon, cuttlebug embossing folder

TFL!
-Jana

Bathabella is pure Bliss!

German Phrase of the Day: Ich moechte mich jetzt entspannen. = I would like to relax now. I honestly don't know how women survive when husbands are away on a regular basis. My DH travels a fair amount...but I got spoiled the last few weeks having him home. I honestly don't think I could survive if he was gone every week for 3 or more days. I wasn't designed to be a single parent!!! Remember the word I taught you all a few months ago? You are driving me crazy?? I've been using that a lot this week. Thankfully DH returns this afternoon.

So...I LOVE this card! I love the sketch...and bathabella is just so perfect! If I had had a stamp that said "bliss" would have used that instead...but I had to make do with "joy." I added some glitter to her bubbles using the Sakura fine tipped glue pen and some dazzling diamonds...and even managed to use the color challenge colors! Wow...a double challenge...pretty good for me lately! I hope you all enjoy her...now I have to go clean my house before DH gets home so he thinks I didn't spend the ENTIRE time he was gone in my stamp room!! ;-)

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Bathabella from Stampingbella, Polka Dots & Paisley, aida cloth
CS: Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral, Cool Caribbean, watercolor paper, whisper white
Ink: Jet Black Stazon, Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral
Acc: Aquapainter, watercolor wonder crayons, rounded tab punch, dazzling diamonds glitter, glue pen, bubbles cuttlebug embossing folder

TFL!
-Jana

PS Shadow update: So...she still hasn't come home. I'm going to buy a can of tuna today and see if that will entice her to come back...I'll even let her eat the whole can if she'll just come home!!!

New card...finally!

German Phrase of the Day: Haben Sie meine Katze gesehen?. = Have you seen my cat? This one I just looked up on babelfish so I could have it correct to ask our neighbors!

I finally have a new card for you all today. I whipped it up this morning after taking Julia to kindergarten...in between looking for my cat who seems to have disappeared on me. I'm trying not to get too upset about that hoping she'll just turn up in some new hiding place...but I'm afraid she got outside and now I'll never find her! Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

I haven't had a chance to put some tackit on the back of my latest bellas, but I did get some new charms with the order so I used one of those. I picked the color combo from the SU color wheel - Old Olive, Baroque Burgundy and More Mustard. Isn't that little charm just adorable??? I'm gonna have to get more of the others because they are just so fun!! I used my usual DTP for the cuttlebugged bg with the burgundy. I can get used to the shabby chic look if I try! This girl is actually drinking Ouzo in honor of my friend Kallien who we got to see in Greece. Even though it's Kallien's husband who was drinking the Ouzo, while I got to enjoy some AMAZING California Zinfandel. Oh how I miss that grape!!! Oh well...maybe I'll have to have the hubby bring some home to me when he's back there in 2 weeks. It could be my anniversary present, right?? :-)

Ok...off to call for the cat again.

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Cosmobella and cheers from Stampingbella,
CS: Confetti white, Bravo Burgundy, Old Olive, More Mustard
Ink: Jet Black Stazon, Bravo Burgundy, Old Olive, More Mustard, Creamy Caramel
Acc: Sponge, aquapainter, Word window punch, burgundy grosgrain ribbon, silver cord, tini charm from Stampingbella, swirld cuttlebug embossing folder

TFL!
-Jana

More mud!

German Phrase of the Day: Bist du mude? = Are you tired? YES! I think I need a week to recover from all my traveling...but we head to Greece in a week, so I have to prep for that trip next! mude (it's supposed to have the 2 dots over the U) is pronounced MEW-deh. I like that word...and often use it to describe my daughter when she gets whiny.

Today's card is a combination of this week's color challenge and sketch challenge over on Splitcoast. I'm still not sure about these colors, but I love the layout. I'll have to make a few more with this layout...and this set! I haven't even gotten to play with the flowers in this set yet, or the adorable watering can. Can't wait!!

I love these boots...and will for sure use them scrapping because Julia has some adorable boots like this but pink, with green handles and toes. And they are USUALLY muddy. Actually, I shouldn't complain because the sun did come out today. But I think it will take a while to dry up all the mud around here!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Green Thumbby PaperTreyInk
CS: Garden Green, Cool Caribbean, Chocolate Chip, Confetti White
Ink: Garden Green, Cool Caribbean, Chocolate Chip
Acc: Cuddlebug embossing folder, dimensionals

TFL!
-Jana

Barbella meets CC114

German Phrase of the Day: Lass los! = Let go! So I guess you could say lass los meine Eggo! :-)

I really did have trouble with this color combo. But I do love my Bellas, so when in doubt, use a bella, right??

I cuddled the apricot layer, and had planned on leaving it plain...but I got some ink on it. So..I had to swipe it! Perhaps I'd like it better layered on some Rose Red...hmmm, maybe I'll try that when I get home!

Anyway, she's colored in with aquapainter and ink pads this time - and that really is turquoise ink even though it looks like Cool Caribbean! At the end, I added the hardware and ribbon just for a little extra oomph trying to get it to a point where I was happy with it. It helped a little..but still not one of my favs! Oh well. Trust me...they'll get better! :-)

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Barbella by StampingBella
CS: Tempting Turquoise, Rose Red, Apricot Appeal, Confetti White
Ink: Jet Black stazon, Tempting Turquoise, Rose Red, creamy Caramel
Acc: Aquapainter, apricot grosgrain, HPH, ticket corner punch, cuttlebug swirls embossing folder

TFL!
-Jana

Another Beate sketch card...

German Phrase of the Day: Sie ist sehr glucklich. = She is very happy. (Glukcklich is pronounced GLEWK-lihkh with that very hard to do guttural ch sound) Doesn't Bella look happy in her tub?? Looks good to me!

I figured since I was upstairs working on the FS challenge from yesterday, and I had all the pieces available, I'd do one more card for Beate's sketch challenge. For Bubblebella, I had colored her in last week, and then did the embossed watercolors for her bubbles. Except...Veramarker apparently causes even Stazon to run!! She ended up with very gray looking bubbles. I put her aside not sure if I would ever use her. Well...when I saw her there and only had a few more minutes to do another card, I thought...what the heck. I colored over her embossed bubbles with my Bashful Blue marker and left it for a little while, then wiped off the excess color. Fortunately, some stayed! I already had the cuttled cardstock in my stash, so this card came together REALLY quick. The hardest part was deciding what flowers to use for the corner. I finally settled on these things I had picked up at Real (pronounced RAY-all) just had to remove them from their little clips - no problem!

Hope you all enjoy!

Supplies: (all supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Bubblebella and Chill Out by Stamping Bella
CS: Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Blush Blossom, Confetti White
Ink: Jet Black Stazon
Acc: Aquapainter, WWC, Versamarker, Crystal Clear EP, white narrow organdy ribbon, jewel flowers, cuttlebug embossing folder

TFL!
Jana

2 Tall Bellas

***Edited to add credit and link for making my own stamp!!***

I got to stamp again! Yeah!!!

I knew I wanted to make a bella card, and I had these FlowahBella images on my desk that my mom stamped for me before she left. I bought her the FlowahBella stamp because she loves flowers, and she didn't have any Bellas yet!

Anyway...I decided I wanted to make another tall card, and I really wanted to use my new Big Blooms set that was sitting still uncut, etc. So quickly put on my cling vinyl and cut them out, then chose a color scheme from the SU! color wheel. Regal Rose, Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery with a touch of Apricot Appeal.

I also managed to use my new May Arts polka dot ribbon from the Jody Morrow ribbon share I recently participated in. I added some SU! lavender grosgrain for some added color and depth. Lastly, I used my Marvy Uchida scalloped giga square punch for the first layer behind the bella. I punched two, trimmed a tiny bit off each, then adhered them to the back of Bella carefully lining them up. It really wasn't hard at all!

Oh, and I made myself a shadow stamp for my bellas. I followed the tutorial to make these cute little shadow stamps using the oval punch on Heather's blog here! Thanks so much to Peggy S. for helping me remember where I saw it! Guess I was having a "senior" moment last night!! Yikes!

I didn't have any water in either aquapainter, and was too lazy to walk down a flight of stairs to get some, so I used my blender pen in my watercolor crayons, and it worked pretty well. It's a pretty simple card, but I had fun. I'm hoping to stamp more this weekend.

My second tall Bella is my birthday card from Stephanie. She posted this to her blog last week, but it's so pretty, I had to post it again!! It's hard to see in the photo, but this Bella is wearing a sparkly top - too cute!!

Love the card Stephanie, thank you!!

TFL!
-Jana

Birthday Bonanza

I love my birthday...doesn't everyone?? And one of best things about having a birthday (since it most surely isn't getting older!) is getting fun mail! Over the past week I've gotten some wonderful cards from my online friends from blogging and splitcoast, so here are the latest.

First, this amazing notepad in a tin from my friend Yvette. It's just amazing, isn't it?? I recognize 2 stampin' Up! stamp sets (office accoutrement and Sincere Salutations) but don't recognize the rest. The flower on here is made of suede I think - it's quite interesting!! And Ilove the fact that it "locks" closed, and then you click the button to open the tin again! So very cool!!

Inside, there is a notepad for taking those daily notes, along with a pocket, and a pen. I think this will have to live downstairs so I can see it all the time and keep my grocery list in it!!

She also included this beautiful matching birthday card...isn't it just gorgeous?? I love the use of the cuttlebug - that is my favorite embossing folder!! It's just amazing. Thank you so much Yvette...I LOVE it!!

Next up is a birthday card from my stamping hero Beate. I remember seeing this card (or something like it) on her blog a while back and admiring the combination of stamps and designer paper....and now I get to admire it in person! She gets these amazing papers from Eclectic Paperie and claims to have an addiction. Don't we all??? :-)








I also got this wonderful card from another of my Diva buddies, Linda Schmitt. She designs such wonderful projects, I always love swapping with her! This card is no exception. I love the twill tape stapled on. I always forget to use my twill tape...I think I will challenge myself to pull it out and use it! Thanks for inspiring me again Linda!











And then I even have 2 non-birthday cards to share. The first is from my friend Stephanie. She sent a load of things to my mom to bring to me, and this card with Bellas inside was given to me when I got BACK from Barcelona! Mom had almost forgotten it! I remember when Stephanie posted this card, I instantly fell in love with it, and that stamp set! Such an amazing card. I love the embossing...the stamping...the coloring...everything! Also, Stephanie sent me this really cute candle in a pot which I love! Now I'll have to take a bath soon so I can light it! :-)





This last card was from an SCS RAK club member, and it's just gorgeous! I don't think you can get the full effect from the photo, but it is embossed with black ep, iwht just a hint of gold glitter in it! I'ts incredible!!! Ilove the coloring and shadingthat she did, and she even sent me one of my favorite flowers...pretty neat, huh?? Thanks so much Beverly!

Color Challenge card #2

I made this card for CC#108 this week. I decided to try swiping a classic inkpad over my cuddled cardstock this time to see how it would turn out - and I like it! It gives a little messier look than with the craft, but I think it still turns out ok.

I painted this stampingbella with reinker and ink from my inkpad lids - I wanted a little stronger color than I can usually get from my WW crayons, and I wanted a little more translucence than they give. My biggest mistake was coloring her shoes before her legs were dry...she's got a little pink bleed going up her calves there. Oh well! Guess I got impatient as usual!

I was going to add some hardware or something to this card to give it a little more oomph, but couldn't figure out what or where, so decided to leave well enough alone. What do you all think? I guess I could add a bookplate with a greeting in the lower right corner. Will have to think on that.

I can't show you the first card I made for CC108 this week, because I'm sending it to someone special for her birthday, and since she reads my blog I don't want her to see it before it arrives. However, I will share it in a week or two.

Supplies:

Stamps: StampingBella

Paper: Bravo Burgundy, Pretty in Pink, Always Artichoke, Confetti White

Ink: Jet Black Stazon, Bravo Burgundy, Pretty in Pink, Always Artichoke, blush blossom, mellow moss

Accessories: aquapainter

TFL!
-Jana

Cuddling more cardstock!

My friend and downline Michelle left me a comment yesterday saying she couldn't wait to see what I've been doing cuddling all this cardstock - so who am I to say no?! All those beautiful Bellas will just have to wait a little longer to meet you wonderful visitors.

I pulled out TONS of scraps and just went to town with my (and mom's that she brought) cuttlebug folders and my pasta machine. It works SOOOOO much better than a rolling pin! Then, I was showing my mom how to just swipe the craft white ink pad over the embossed image to highlight it a little. Since I had a piece all ready to go, I went with it.

I used the snowflakes embossing folder with some Buckaroo Blue cardstock. After adding the white craft ink, I mounted it on a layer of whisper white, and then tied the silver ribbon around adding just a touch of navy grosgrain. Finally, I adhered this to my Night of Navy card, and added the greeting stamped on whisper white with Night of Navy ink and punched out with the word window punch.

This was a very quick and simple card just using scraps from my scrap drawer!! :-)

Supplies:
stamps: Warm Words
CS: Night of Navy, Whisper White, Buckaroo Blue
Ink: Night of Navy, White craft
Acc: snowflakes cuttlebug folder, silver metalic ribbon, navy grosgrain ribbon, word window punch

TFL!
-Jana

Have one for me Bella!

A very good friend of mine is turning 45 this month! WOW! She's the person who was there through good times and bad, standing beside me as I said "I do" and holding my hand when I was in recovery after the 3-months-too-early birth of my daughter (as you saw earlier this month, she's perfectly fine!)

She is also the person I went wine tasting with. Since we lived in Northern California, that was an easy thing to do. We made several trips up (and occasionally down) to different wine country areas. So, with her birthday fast approaching who better to send her a birthday greeting than CosmoBella??

with the She's stamped on watercolor paper (gotta find the rest of my stash...I know it's here somewhere!!) and watercoloredWWC and an aquapainter. I put some bling on her sandals...saw that on someone else's blog (sorry...can't remember where) and loved it! And I used one of the few remaining cuddle'd scraps I have from Cindy Keery, and just ran my white craft pad over it to highlight the words. It's a very simple card...but I hope my friend enjoys it. Inside I wrote "Have one for me!" since I won't be there with her to celebrate her birthday this year.

Supplies:
Stamps: Cosmobella by Stampingbella
CS: Buckaroo Blue, Rose Red, Watercolor paper
Ink: Jetblack Stazon, white craft
Acc: blue gingham ribbon, cuttelbug, aquapainter, WWC

TFL!
-Jana