paper possibilities

have i got a "lemon" for you...

Happy BellaRIFFIC Friday!

It seems like forever {a full week} since I last posted on my blog...but ohhhh-eeee, I have been sick. Yep, I thought I was getting over this upper resp. infection, but that trip to Vegas just kicked something back in gear and I just wanted to go home. lol, I must have been a real treat for Jim...miserable and a HUGE blister on the bottom of my foot, from all the walking we did on tuesday. If you are familiar with the Strip...then we walked from our hotel, Mandalay Bay, down to Treasure Island and then made it across to the Venetian and took a cab back to Mandalay. Last friday our plane arrived early and as soon as I got home I started taking a second antibiotic. Today...I finally feel like myself and I have turned the corner. I have been sick for 4 weeks now and I was beginning to think this "thing" was just gonna spend the summer with me.

But...I headed back to work on tuesday and I came home and started coloring some realllllly nice images for Stamping Bella's ~NEW~ release next week. Emily has been sharing peeks on her blog...you can see them HERE if you haven't stopped by.

I'll share a couple of my cards this weekend!! I have some sweeet UPTOWN Girls to show off!!

Back to this weeks challenge and it was a sketch, provided by Ebru. I decided to do something that I haven't yet done and it seems perfect for this summer like temps that Mother Nature seems to think I enjoy.
Lulu's set of FRUITS came out last fall and I had only colored the basket of apples. So I pulled out the lemons because I love the look of sunshiny lemons. I ended up popping this in the mail this morning for an aunt of mine who is having a hard time with some medical issues now.

I used a different camera for this photo, and am anxious to see what it looks like on other computers. I looks brighter than the photo I took with my big camera...but I am having a hard time telling if it's as crisp.

...card recipe:

Finished size is 6" square, Bazzill cs, Bella's BEST paper {for image}, Basic Grey Picadilly 6x6 pad, "Lulu's set of FRUIT" from Stamping Bella, memento ink, colored pencils, gamsol/oms, nesties, Distress ink in Vintage Photo & sewing.

Next week we are getting ready for Father's Day...at least I am...and we have a "masculine card" challenge. Ugggg, these are the most challenging, but I know what image I am using. LOL, I sent my dad the Monstah Bash image for his birthday...it's time I do something a little more ago appropriate.    :)

yellow, blue and black, oh my...

Happy BellaRIFFIC Friday!!

My desert vacation is coming to an end...yet I still have vacationing to do because it's the long Memorial weekend. I should be headed home and probably have not hit any jackpots. If I did, I guess I could quit my job and travel and teach? lol, what a dream.

Let's get to this color challenge...did you play along? We had to use Yellow, Blue & Black. I stretched my form of blue a bit, but it's still blue. Here is my Uptown Girl LOLLY & her BROLLY...
...and I am looking at my card and I see something not quite right...did you spot it? Oh well, it isn't that noticable...I think.

I gussied up the inside of my card and didn't place the sentiment over Lolly's long legs. I think I did that the first time around...gotta change things up. I used papers from Pink Paislee's 'Indigo Blue' pack. I like that they aren't the normal blue...I probably would not be attracted to it if they were. These are more sunwashed denim...and aqua's.
Here's my fancy interior...lol, about as fancy as paula gets.

For Lolly's jacket and umbrella, I added dots of white gel pen. I found the best white gel pen at Staples. It's from Pentel and called 'Sunburst'. When I was at Stamping Bella, I saw that Emily had some of this pen line, but in gold/silver. I will need to get those eventually too. Then after my white dots I sprinkled glitter all over her because girls always look better in glitter. lol.

...card recipe:

Finished size is 5 1/4" x 6 1/4", Bazzill cs, Bella's BEST paper {available @ Archivers, for image}, Pink Paislee 6x6 pack in 'Indigo Blue', 'Uptown Girl LOLLY and her BROLLY' w/sentiment from Stamping Bella, memento ink, colored pencils, gamsol/oms, Sakura clear Glaze pen, white gel pen, glitter and sewing.

Challenge players...we are on sketch week this week and check out the inspiration...
Sooooo excited over here...I LOVE a square card. hmmmmm, now to see what other images I have yet to color up.

See you soon and have a safe Memorial weekend!!

think I would forget about you...

...no way! Even though I am away on vacation, I have set up some post for you all see. I sat down on Sunday morning and wrote up a bunch of these because I am still chipping away at getting the last release done and I have noooo idea when the next one is coming from Stamping Bella. Lol, Emily has mentioned on her blog, that she's been busy getting things together and she mentioned another release...so I need to get the stuff I have colored, assembled and on my blog.

Today I want to take you high into the clouds with Ramona and her teddy bear friend. {ahhh, I remembered to use the sentiment on this one.}
How dreamy is this scene? High up in the clouds, floating and looking down. I found the PERFECT piece of paper to set this balloon in and I have had it waiting in line to color. The paper is in the October Afternoon 'Sasparilla' 8x8 pad. I can't stop looking at this card on my desk...maybe it's because the clouds are ones that I added with my prismacolor pencils and I think they turned out really good. I seriously don't sent many images to the recycle bin...there is some way to salvage it...but I had a failed attempt at clouds with my stencil I sometimes use.
I think this sentiment is right on target for a graduation card I need for July. I may use this card...but I am also thinking I may make a framed piece for my cousins daughter and put her name on it. I may need to message my cousin to see if there are any favorite colors I could use. hmmmm

...card recipe:

Finished size is 4 3/4" x 5 1/4", Bazzill cs, Bella's BEST paper {available @ Archivers, for image}, October Afternoon 8x8 pad 'Sasparilla', 'Ramona and teddy in their balloon' w/sentiment from Stamping Bella, memento ink, colored pencils, gamsol/oms, chalk ink in 'wheat' from Versa Magic, Distress ink in Vintage Photo, ribbon and sewing.

Don't forget that this weeks BellaRIFFIC friday challenge is a color challenge...Yellow, Blue & Black. See ya then!!

poppy two ways...

Hey there! Yes, we are on auto pilot at the moment and I assume I am somewhere sweating in the desert as you are reading this. I am not a gambler...did I tell you guys that? I just wanna see the lights and the action. {maybe I watch too much CSI back in the day!}

I wanted to share my two baby shower cards I did...in watercolor. Yes, I braved through and only one bunny met her demise into the recycle bin. I used my Derwent inktense pencils that two of my BFF's LOVE. {my verdict is out still}
Here is 'Poppy' again...I could just squeeze this bunny. Poppy and all his friends are located over at The Purple Onion Designs home, in a line called 'The Sweetest Day'. They are all illustrated by Stacey Yacula and these are her first stamps.

I rarely go to showers anymore, they haven't been many in years...this year it's been booming! As it turns out both babies coming were girls with names picked, so I had to get the names in the banner that Poppy is holding. Poppy #1 {above}, I wanted to do in soft yellows. haha, I was nervous about the whole watercolor approach. So I went slowly seeing how this all blended and moved on the watercolor paper. Not too shabby...so I went a bit bolder with Poppy #2 {below}
~side note...I was also playing with the light and settings in Photoshop, in case you noticed the difference in the pics.~

Poppy #2 I watercolored twice. Yes, part of bunny needed to be recycled and part of bunny's head needed a new body. So Poppy #2 has a head that is popped up with my Helmar Scrap Dots. Little bit 3D for ya and you don't need special glasses.

I kept the cards simple, #1 went into the mail via a padded envelope and #2 went right to the shower.

I have to still play with 'Peep' out of this set. He is the cutest little bird I have seen and when I see what the Design Team over at Purple Onion did with him..I knew I had to get a card made with him too. Soooooon, it's on my list! hehe

berry sunny sunday...

Hope you are all having a great Sunday! I have some last minute things to get done before we leave tomorrow, and that means Niki gets a bath and a ton of laundry needs to get washed. {who wants to come home to dirty clothes...raise your hand} Yesterday I spent the morning finishing up cards for this week. ~Don't forget we have a color challenge for friday. Yellow, Blue & Black~  I got my card finished and I will tell ya, she's Uptown chic! lol

Today I wanted to show you the first Flynn I colored. I colored her a couple weeks ago before the sickness got me. I thought I only ordered two of the Flynn's but yesterday I found the third Flynn {Sunshiny Flynn} hiding in my rubber stack. I was so happy, I can't wait to get her colored too!!   :)
Flynn's BERRY happy does come with a sentiment, but I did write my own on the inside of the card.
I say it all the time...I get on a roll and I forget that the images have sentiments included and I make up my card and then...duh, what was I thinking? Maybe I should just stamp the sentiment out when I stamp the image out? That would be way smarter! lol

...card recipe:

Finished size is 5" x 6 1/2", Bazzill cs, Bella's BEST paper {available @ Archivers, for the image}, Basic Grey 6x6 pad in PB&J, memento ink, 'Flynn's BERRY happy day' w/sentiment from Stamping Bella, colored pencils, gamsol/oms, Distress ink in Vintage Photo, glitter, ribbon and sewing

Ok, speaking of sewing....I went to Joann's yesterday to get some thread. Just thread. But...I have been eyeing a sewing machine in the Joann's flyer, for quite some time. Well, guess who sat down to sew at it. Me, yup, and then I wanted it. I knew if I went to look at it I would want it...IF it sewed nice. Jim was next door at Kohl's, I texted him to come to the sewing machine area. {LOVE phones} It was our anniversary I figured I would get him at his weakest. He looks at me, 'what did you need me here for? to carry it?' yup...it was mine!
They are all sold out at the time...but one day I will be sewing pretty stitches on this baby. hehe  I am off to Vegas, so I didn't need it that moment anyway.

Happy Sunday!!

matilda swings in for a bellariffic friday...

Greetings from me! a chick who is officially on vacation countdown on this BellaRIFFIC friday. Ohhh and I picked a good vacation time next week...it butts right up against Memorial Weekend and I will get 10 days off in a row. I am super excited...tomorrow is my 23rd wedding anniversary, I can hear some of my freinds now...poor jim. Did I tell you that I was going away next week? If not, we are jetting off to Vegas and I am a virgin. Never been, don't gamble and can't wait to see the Strip. This is why I was so paniced about getting sick, so close to going. Ahhh, but I see sunny skies now and lets show you my card for today!
Here's 'Matilda on her swing', somehow I had forgotten to order Matilda from the past release and I grabbed her in my last order. I picked out some paper from Pink Paislee, that had muted tones, for my inspiration. It was simple to follow the sketch this week & even though there was nothing in the upper portion of the sketch, I could resist making some clouds. Somehow the idea popped into my head and I just had to do it. 

...card recipe:

Finished size is 5" x 6", bazzill cs, Bella's BESTEST paper {for image}, Pink Paislee 'Indigo Blue', 'Matilda on her swing' w/ sentiment from Stamping Bella, memento ink, colored pencils, gamsol/oms, Distress ink in 'Vintage Photo', Cuttlebug swiss dot embossing folder, and sewing.

Next week the Babes are throwing out a change up and we are doing a color challange. The colors we all need to work with are YELLOW, BLUE & BLACK. I will have to get my groove on  this weekend and have my card done and posted before I leave. I am still thinking what image I'm gonna use...but I can't think too long. haha

It's going to be a great weekend here in Michigan and I hope you all have a great weekend where ever you are too!! See ya soon!

feelin' rosy...

...and the card parade just keeps on a comin'!

I still have a few more cards to share with you that I did using 'The Sweetest Day' set from Purple Onion Designs. I really did love coloring these bunnies up in colorful fur. lol, a bunny doesn't have to look like a real bunny, does it?

Here's 'Rosy' and I could resist coloring her in a deep rosy pink color. With her flower in her bunny paw, I also couln't resist making her into a thank you card. Rosy is colored up with my prismacolor pencils and blended with gamsol/oms. I added a soft background of grass and sky and the sky got a sprinkling of glitter. I had also found my trusty little chalk ink in 'wheat' and added some of that around the whole circle, using my nestibilitie in place as a mask. I colored up the 'Thank You' banner and cut it out. If you look at the set that the banner comes in, you will see a few sprigs of leaves. lol, I attempted to cut around the tiny leaves, but that got ditched pretty quick!

Rosy and all her sweet friends can be found HERE at Purple Onion Designs. Next up, I still have to show you the the two 'Poppy' bunny cards I made for baby showers. {I was going to show you those a couple weeks ago and then I got sick and after some doctoring, I am feeling WAY better.} 

Tomorrow is BellaRIFFIC friday and I hope you'll be joining us in another sketch challenge. See ya later!

 

happy mothers day on tuesday...

...haha, yes it's a couple days late. I am not that delirious from my cough medicine.

Seeeee, it's a colored image and it's graphic! I finally managed a card that I was aiming for in the graphic sense. I had it in my mind and the problem was...oh yes, there still was a problem...to get the fonts on the card without turning it into a HUGE card. I mean, yeah, it's still pretty big...but I LOVE this.

I started coloring 'Ramona's cake', last weekend. Remember, I color and then sometimes it 'ages' on my desk until I assemble. I had this all colored except the fruit on top...then friday night I pull up the BellaRIFFIC friday post on Emily's blog. HERE if you have not seen it yet, even though I know you have...     The very first card looks kinda familiar to mine, cake wise, in the color department. Luckily I choose pale yellow and Kathy's{newest bella} was wearing blue. My next thought was 'Damn, hers is GORGEOUS!' haha  But, you are gonna have to see mine too since I turned it into my mom's Mothers Day card.

~side note~  My mother likes to give me back cards that I have colored. She will send them to me for holidays, birthdays...I get my stuff back in the mail. So inside this card, I wrote: 'Give this card back to Jordan some day, so that she can give it back to me' I figured I would beat my mom to the punch and just tell her that this one I want back. I mean...sweetest mom sentiment and all, it fits me to a T. At brunch she procedes to try and give me the card back, so I can give it to jordan. I told her to take her card home. hmmmm, maybe she didn't like the style? Next year I am springing for Hallmark.

Back to my card...I am pretty dang proud that I cut off part of the image on the right. Why is that SO hard to do? Then I took the time to cut out all the little letters. {I'll tell you below which fonts they are} I played and played with the positioning of the words. This card excited me way more than anyone else. {maybe it was the cough medicine after all?}

...card recipe:

Finished size is REALLY big!, Bazzill cs, Bella's BESTEST paper {for image}, 'Ramona's cake' from Stamping Bella, colored pencils, gamsol/OMS, memento ink, Quickutz skinny font, Sizzix Naturally Serif Alphabet and sewing

Don't forget that this week is sketch-week and here it is...
Get your card or layout emailed to Emily by thursday evening! see you soon!

better late than not bellaRIFFIC friday...

Hi! Guess who.

My BellaRIFFIC friday is way late because I have been sick with a capitol 'S'. I realized on thursday, after I came home from work, that my lymph nodes in my neck were very sore and that I felt some swelling. I don't know much about lymph nodes but I know when I go for a physical, the dr. is always feeling around in the neck/throat area. Must be important. Swelling + pain = infection? Yep. Seems I had an acute case of sinusitis and the Urgent Care facility I went to was kind enough to get me loaded with some drugs. I left Wal-Mart with a sweet cough syrup that tastes like 'you-know-WHAT' but contains codeine, so I could finally sleep and not spend all night coughing. I simply thought is was allergies, then a cold and to have sinus problems and not have a sinus headache or facial pain...that was new to me. {I am keeping the medical papers from the dr. visit so I don't forget this and the symptoms}

I was on the couch friday night, looking at the BellaRIFFIC line-up and it put a smile on my face. But all I really wanted to do was get back to feeling like I cared to post my stuff. When I am out of sorts and sick, or a nagging pain or anything like that, I am not pleasant. I don't wanna talk, I don't wanna read emails, I don't wanna do anything but get better.

Here is my 'SEWING' card and ya'll know I did real sewing, since I love my sewing machine!
'Flynn NEEDS a cupcake' was sitting on my desk without her little banner before I ran to Urgent Care on thursday, then I had to come home and finish her up. {then my energy took a dive and I was on the couch, but it was 10pm} I colored Flynn up with my pencils and I wanted to cut her out and layer her. I almost never use ovals, so I thought that would be a nice change. Even though the red flowery paper that Flynn is glued onto is kinda busy, you can see the grass she's standing in. I used those little $1.00 alphabet stamps that the local stores were carrying a few years ago, to stamp out 'SWEET'. When you purchase Flynn she does come with a sentiment. Sometimes I forget to use them.   ;)

...card recipe:

Finished size is 4 1/2" x 5 1/2", bazzill cs, Bella's BESTEST paper {for image}, misc. girly pp, 'Flynn NEEDS a cupcake' from Stamping Bella, memento ink, colored pencils, Hampton Arts alphabet stamps, twine, glitter and sewing.

This week is a sketch challenge and do I need to get busy on putting this together. I just looked at the sketch myself, just before I started preparing my post and I feel behind already. lol.
Hey, another winning sketch! Look at there...hehe thanks to Ebru.

I will be back for another card tomorrow, because I want to show you what I gave to my mom for mothers day. I call it a double-whammy card...it has a colored image, but it's also graphic. You'll see!

rollin' rollin rollin...derby girls R rollin....

Happy BellaRIFFIC friday & {drumroll please...}

WELCOME to the WORLD to the newest lil' Duncan, Savannah!!  Jessica {from work}, Alex {daddy} & Sydnee {big SIS} & 'dirty' aka Dakota... have a new BEE-utiful baby girl to love. As I write this on thursday eve, just got word she arrived safely today...as we all waited for word at work. Yep, someone was not waiting for her due date of next thursday! I was in the restroom getting ready to leave for the day, when I got a page from the front desk. I washed my hands quicker than I should have, raced up front to ask if baby was here...and there stood Rogelio {shop employee, coming for his check} LOL. I was like 'Sweet Jesus...I thought the baby was here, I was in the bathroom!' But, she's here now and guess what...I gotta get to making that name frame for her bedroom. Funny, Jessica reminded me just this week that the wall was waiting for it in the new nursery. I made one for Sydnee and if ya'll don't remember, you can see it HERE. Thing is, Savannah is A LOT longer than Sydnee. Before I get started on that project, we should show of what we are really here for, right? 

Let's start again...BellaRIFFIC LOVE with a sketch from Ebrubella...check out my 'Rolanda KETTO' birthday card for my sister's BFF Michele {aka Bad Witch}. Michele has decided that in her early 40's it was time to take on Roller Derby. I have had a blast the last two saturday's watching bouts at local rinks. Toss away a few misconceptions...it's FUN and I pretty much can understand this sport. lol!!
the outside & the inside...
We are all getting together for Mother's Day brunch, sister & her family, Michele & her boys, my Mom & I...so I had to do a card for Michele cause she always asks. haha...I guess that means she likes them?  With this weeks sketch, I decided a KETTO throwback was in order since the newer stuff is a bit larger and with the sketch, it would be one GIANT card. {can I share with you that when we first married and Jim would get his mom & grandma cards...he ALWAYS bought the biggest freaking card that the store had. I finally explained that the cards were kinda tacky, oversized and it did not prove that you loved them any more than one that didn't require a Uhaul to deliver. He changed his ways.}

Back to Rolanda. I colored her on kraft paper, you notice that? I have not done that in so long, and I have been looking at some cards made by a talented girl named Dorcas. She has fun tips on how she achieves such a sold bold look on kraft and I decided to pull a piece of the brown paper out. {ok, I realllly wanted to use my October Afternoon pad of Sasparilla and I thought this would go great with it.}

The KETTO's color up quick...it was all the embellishment/layering that took time. I wanted to use the Sasparilla letters for the ROCK, and a die cut font for the 'derby girls'. The positioning of the 'derby girls' was all over this card, before on settle on this look. I realized that Ebru did have a tag off to the right side, so a lightbulb went off. I reallly like this card! I have always loved the cards with this layout of the four squares and the image on top. ***sigh*** 

...card recipe:

Finished size is 5 1/2" square, kraft cs, Bazzil cs, October Afternoon pp in 'Sasparilla', 'Rolanda KETTO' by Stamping Bella, memento ink, colored pencils, gamsol/OMS, Sakura black & clear Glaze pens, Sizzix 'Hollywood 61' font & sewing.

Next week's BellaRIFFIC challenge is gonna be a piece of CAKE for me. The challenge is SEWING {real ~or~ faux}. Come on, a card isn't complete with a lil sewing on it!! woohoo

I am outta here...I will see ya this weekend for a couple baby shower cards I needed for myself. The wind is picking up and storms are brewing outside...yikes