Sheetload of Bellas!

It took me about 3 nights to get them done, but it was worth it! I love how they all turned out, and with the sketch from Sheetload of Cards, it wasn't that hard to design them at all! I'm not one to normally mass produce cards so I made 2 of each design to keep from getting bored!

Lattebella:Balloonabella:
Billboardabella: First I stamped all the images, then I airbrushed a really light creamy color around all of them to take away the stark white edges. Next I colored them in with my beloved Copics, and then did some paper piecing on all of them using some really old Kelly Panacci paper I have, but still love.

Some really old Primas completed the sketch. I'm so proud of how I've been using my massive old stash lately! I always say if I love something, I'll eventually use it and it's definitely been proven true!

You'll notice on Billboardabella I changed up the materials just a bit. She just didn't look right with that dark pink cardstock so I just added more of the coordinating Kelly Panacci paper and a bit of Papertrey ribbon. Hope you like them!

Other materials used: white cardstock - Georgia Pacific; Rose Red cardstock - Stampin' Up!; blue patterned paper - My Mind's Eye; black Brilliance ink - Tsukineko; "thanks a latte" - My Favorite Things' Hot Stuff set; "thinking of you" - Papertrey Ink's Simple Little Things Limited Edition set; white brads - Pink Hedgehog Papercrafts.

Shout Out to Sheetload!

This month, Sheetload of Cards is featuring Stamping Bella!! Of course you all know how much I ADORE Bellas, so I want you all to go check it out!

Here's the direct link to the May Issue.

I hope to be able to share a sheetload of Bellas with you all soon!

Cake Sophie

I decided to play in a color challenge on Splitcoast in the Hanna Stamps! forum. The challenge was to make a card using certain colors of Prism Paper, or they also gave the Stampin' Up! equivalents: Pretty in Pink, Tempting Turquoise, and Rose Red - a combo I found kind of difficult to use. I guess that's why it's called a challenge!

I totally forgot about it until just before bed tonight, so I had to whip up a really quick card! Luckily I already had this Cake Sophie image already stamped and colored with Copics (and even some Stickles glitter glue) so that really cut down on the time it took for this card. What do you think?

I got the idea of using 2 cuttlebug embossing folders and the dividing lines from Heart Prints which has some awesome samples you have to go check out! I absolutely love the look and will probably want to do it on every card I make now! BTW - I did the dividing lines with my Scor-It.

Other materials used: Sentiment also from Hanna Stamps!; Swiss Dots & D'vine Swirl embossing folders from Cuttlebug; punches (designer label, small oval, ticket corner, 1/2" circle) from Stampin' Up!; ribbon from May Arts; brads from Pink Hedgehog Crafts.

Mother's Day Card

As soon as I saw the Happy Mother's Day set from My Favorite Things, I knew I wanted it! I thought the dress would be perfect for paper piecing (probably my all time favorite technique!) and I could do some paper tole effects with the pot of flowers. Here's what I came up with (you may have to enlarge to really see how many layers there are):
I think I used about 6-7 layers in total, including a couple layers of craft foam. I even popped up the bitty flowers in the corners of the frame! I had so much fun with this set, I can't wait to play with it some more! The frame can be cut off if the words aren't quite right for that particular project, and the pot of flowers can even be used by itself. Hey, you could even just use the pot and stick some different flowers in it! Such versatility from a mini set!

Other materials used: white cardstock from Georgia Pacific; patterned papers from K&Co.; Copic markers; Stickles glitter glue; Dew Drops from the Robin's Nest; Prima flowers; ribbon from May Arts; Nestabilities.

Chick Card - AMYRS23

I used another Amy Rysavy sketch for today's card: I got this little chick from Imaginisce a while ago but just couldn't figure out how to use it. As soon as I saw Amy's sketch, I immediately thought the chick would work perfectly! I also just got the 2 new Papertrey Ink colors, Lemon Tart and Summer Sunrise, which are such chickie colors! Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?

It's a little hard to see, but I stamped the Lemon Tart cardstock with the smallest dot pattern from Polka Dot Basics (also from Papertrey). Then I stamped the chick a couple times with black Brilliance ink and let dry. I did just a touch of detailing on the chick with a light yellow Copic marker and also added some orange for the beak. Then I cut them both out. On one, I colored the flower with a darker yellow and applied Stickles to just the petals.

I also stamped the chick on a white cardstock circle so that my chick would have legs when I was done. One of the yellow bodies was glued flat on the white circle, and for the other, I put a couple of small pieces of foam tape at the top to pop up the head portion only. I stuck the second yellow body over the first, and then punched a tiny hole through the middle of the flower for all layers. Once the orange brad was secured, it held down the bottom of the chick's body.

You can see the dimension in this shot:
I glued on a tiny black half-bead for the eye, then sponged the white circle with Lemon Tart ink and mounted on a Summer Sunrise scalloped circle (all cut with Nestabilities).

To finish the card, I used Scenic Route patterned paper that was sewn onto the base with zigzag and straight stitches.

The sentiment is from Hanna Stamps.

I really love how this card turned out!! Thanks to Amy for another great sketch!!

Faux Cross-Stitched Flower

Today's card is another one that I made for Cornish Heritage Farms' Backgrounder Blitz. The theme for the day's challenge was using the Kissing Technique. It's where you take 2 stamps, one detailed and one more solid, and then ink either or both up and smoosh them together. The solid stamp takes on the detail of the other stamp and you get a really cool effect. Here's my example:

I took a flower image from Silhouette Blooms II and inked it up with 2 different colors. I then smooshed it onto the Weave Backgrounder to get that lined detail. I placed my white cardstock onto the Backgrounder and pressed evenly with an acrylic block to transfer the image.

I thought the resulting flower looked just like it was cross-stitched, so I paired it up with this pretty paper from Cosmo Cricket's Honey Pie collection.

The sentiment stamp is also from Silhouette Blooms II, white cardstock from Georgia Pacific; metal accents from Stampin' Up!; all other materials from Papertrey Ink.

Gorgeous card from Debi!

How beautiful is this swap card from my SBS-13 sister Debi??!
I'm sorry this picture doesn't do it justice at all! The cardstock is metallic and rich and the rhinestones are so pretty and sparkly!! I'm so lucky to get such a breathtaking card!! Thanks so much Debi - you rock!!