paper possibilities

grumpabella meets a new teacher...

Guess who finally set her first teaching class up!!!  OMG, did you guess ME??  Yep,  June 20th is the first day that I am gonna officially teach prismacoloring 101. Check out Scrappin' & Stampin's page for info if ya feel like joining me, maybe laughing at me...who knows, but it should be fun!  Oh, and did I mention I will be starting off by showcasing Bella's?  Yes, Bella's are gonna be local to me in Michigan and I can not wait!!

Before I show you my card for today, I have to say that the Ketto Blog hop from yesterday was overwhelming to the MAXX. I have never read so many comments on one card, even though we kinda twisted your arm for them with Bella Bucks..LOL It was awesome. I thought I would just jump on here this afternoon and do my post and here I am about two hours later and I just finished reading. I thought there was a mistake when my mailbox said I had 160 pieces of mail waiting! You guys are too kind!

Now for my card...I bought grumpabella because I feel like this on a few mornings outta the year. My hair is usually way messier and in no way long enough for rollers, but I think my half opened eyes can look like this. I colored this while I was away in DC, so I only used my prisma pencils. Gamsol...always! When I went to put this card together I knew the Basic Grey Porcelain line would match perfectly. I wanted soft and plush, like the fluffy robe that grumpy is wearing.

I am looking forward to seeing what Bella has in line for our sketch this week and I hope you check it out and play along with us. You know what they say..the more the merrier!!

 

ketto hop...

Happy Saturday wherever you are!! How's that for a very chilly saturday morning in Michigan! lol

...and if you are just popping in this morning...WELCOME to our first Ketto Blog hop!! That little girl below is Suzette Ketto from Stamping Bella and ya gotta know them by now!

So...if ya wandered here today just browsing the blogs, then ya wanna get an extra dose of eye candy and start the hop over at da Bella's blog. Then continue along, seeing all the fab-U-luss creations with Kettos and leave comments! I was told on good authority that if you leave comments on the trail that $40.00 in Bella dollahs is up for grabs! {{if you play any lottery type games, I would say your odds are better here! hehe}} just sayin'...

Let me show you around my bold little stunner, shall I?  This portrait of a young girl, not affraid to wear a little color, is colored in a yummy assortment of prismacolor pencils and softly blended with gamsol. Her glossy black hair is achieved by using a black glaze pen and highlighted with black glitter. {{maybe hard to notice in the photo}} Her luminous shin is compliments of copic markers E0000, E000 & E00 with a touch of burnt sienna prisma pencil. The glossy flowers all have some clear gaze pen on them and the wispy grass is achieved with a sharp green pencil and dotted flowers added with more glaze pens. The vibrant paterned paper is suppled by Basic Grey, from their *new* Lime Ricky line and compliment the young lady very nicely. {{do I sound like I have been watching a shopping channel or what!}}

Well my friends, it is time to scoot you along to the next stop on the Hop and over to see Vicky who has a gorgeous project to share!!! enjoy!!

stellarific friday...

Friday + Bella = BellaRIFIC friday!!!

Remember that this week was a sketch?  Here is what I did for that sketch...

Another Stella and she is doing what every girl loves to do at some time...shop! Is that rubber and ink tucked in those bags?? lol  Stella's goin' shoppin is colored in prisma pencils and blended with gamsol. I used my nesties to cut out Stella and sponge around her. The patterned paper is My Minds Eye, all the same line, called Bloom and Grow. The felt flowers and button have been in my stash for a long time and I am glad I found a card to work them into!

Get on over to Bella's blog and see what the other design team members have done as well aseveryone else!! And, have ya checked out the *new* Emmybella from Quickutz?? OMG, it's the cutest!!

I am happy it's friday and the weekend promises to be busy with rearranging my blog and updating SCS, and a good dose of coloring and card making! TGIF everyone!!

organizing ideas...

I wanna share a little something with you that I found at Office Max. We popped into the one my daughter works at and while strolling through the store I saw this...

I was first attracted to the black n' white pattern and while walking around I kept wondering if I had a need for it. Then like all fine ideas, a lightbulb went off and I knew what it would be PERFECT for!

NO MORE plastic BAGGIES for me! LOL I am sporting some style when I take my images on the road, and have them all in 2 of these little boxes! Yeah, I grew outta the first one when I came to filling with my Bella images. I took scissors and even expanded some of the slots, and carefully cut some out. So cute, so perfect and no baggies laying all over my floor!

Now I have to say I don't know about Staples or Office Depot, maybe they have something like this??  My hubby, daughter and sister-in-law all work for Office Max and I can't go into the other stores! I will tell you we could not find these online... they are part of Office Max's DiVoga line. Hubby says made for them, but he could be just telling me that, lol!!

My BFF Dana bought one too and if you have any need for better organization, give them a look. They have other black n' white patterns as well.

Since I am sharing this info I might as well show you how I have come up with my storage solution for nesties...

Now this binder ring/"S" hook idea is borrowed from Shannon, Mrs. Mac on SCS, when she invited me and a friend over for some coloring fun. She had the cutest room set up for her studio. I say she HAD, because a couple weeks after we visited her...she moved her whole room downstairs, to her main living area! Not seen it yet, but this sister had some awesome ideas and is ultra organized! {{Here is her post on her studio room swap}} Back to me...I love IKEA and could not figure out where I could easily put up some more rods to hold the "S" hooks. It is the same rods that I use to hold my pencils...so I came up with the idea to drill into my tall plastic drawer unit. It sits right next to me no matter how I have rearranged my room, so it seemed perfect! It works for me and when it's nice and I open the window they turn into small wind chimes!

elzy reindeer & sleigh...

OMGoodness...never sit down to relax for a little while and think you are gonna jump up and get moving! OK, don't do this after spending a day at work where you feel like your body has soaked in all the moisture and like you are working in slow motion under water! Yeah, that was my day for a good chunk today!

I have some somewhat sad news to share for anyone who, like myself is a HUGE Elzybells fan. I wrote Elizabeth a letter and told her that I decided to step down from the team due to some changes in my personal life. I have been mulling over for sometime if I would be able to teach when that opportunity finally came about and keep up with three design teams. I decided not to attempt it! I feel like I am always playing catch up on house cleaning on the weekends. I still will be showing my Elzy lots of love and watching the new releases and all the other girls!!

And yes, if ya live locally I am going to teach at a local store called Scrappin' & Stampin' in Livonia. No details yet, but stay tuned, I am stopping by on friday to talk with Barb, the owner, for class dates!!!

I do have a few more Elzy cards that I have done and they are holiday cards...again. I hope you are not turning your head or closing your eyes! lol Reindeer and sleigh is a long stamp and ya gotta make a long card or put this baby in a frame. Lemme tell ya, I am wishing I did the later now! I don't know how I will part with this!! I used my prisma pencils to color the image and I was trying out the *new* silver & gold Koh-I-Noor pencils that Elizabeth has in stock. For the sleigh I used the gold as the trim and it blends so well. I am amazed at these pencils and will be on the lookout for the larger set here in the States. Just a little color and it goes a long way with your gamsol or other OMS. I did add a deeper drown for the darker areas because I almost never just use one single color! Then I got home and glittered that sled and added lots of clear glaze to the noses and ornaments. The snowfakes are made with the Marvy liquid applique. I wanted something a little different from glitter and look how the middle reindeer is looking up...a snowflake was waiting on his nose!!! I wanted it to look like nightfall so I used a darker blue around Santa's helpers and I wrote the sentiment on the bottom with my .005 marker. It says "have yourself a merry little Christmas" 

I think that is 5 Christmas cards in my stash and I am pretty proud of myself!! I finally did something I said I was gonna do and got a head start on them! hehe, see ya soon!

stella love...

I survived vacation plus the weekend at my mom & dad's up north! Why did I survive?, because I colored up some images and dreamed of putting cards together, and I let myself get behind a little. Holidays and family time is also important so I didn't get crazy about leaving my blog...I just came home and cranked out some cards. First I want to share a Stella from Stamping Bella.

I love Stellllla! I say that everytime I see her, she just makes me smile!! Today, Stella has something to say...

and I knew exactly what she was thinking when I saw her... getting older ain't for sissies! Seriously, I can not remember who I saw color Stella with grey hair, but I remember liking it and I gave it a try. I took just my prisma pencils with me to my parents {{dosen't everyone travel with their coloring tool of choice?}}

My lighting wasn't the best when evening fell because I forgot my OTT-like lamp. I am always telling my mom her lighting is terrible to color by...very yellow. Last night when I was putting Stella together I knew I finally wanted to use the cupcake paper by Bella Blvd.  I trimmed Stella out along the squiggley line and wanted her to sit right on top of the cupcakes, but I didn't want to loose her in the pattern, so I layered a little vellum under to soften the colors and used some dimensional tape to pop her up a little.

I usually do not take pictures during the day and sometimes that means you can see where I put the glitter, but ya don't get the pretty sparkle you do in person. For this I appologize, but take my word, this Stella is pretty & vibrant!

Did you play along with our sketch challenge last week?? This week is another sketch from our talented Nicky! I got mine done last night and I can not wait to show her off on friday. Here is the Bella post to give you all the details about sending your card to Emily, and here is the sketch. Love it!!  Emily has some big news to reveal today and have ya checked out her latest find and our newest Babe!! Sarah Pendergrast Check her out and say HI!! She is uber talented and I am loving her scrappy style and wishing I had a wee bit more time to play with that medium again! Fingers crossed and maybe we will get to meet our newest sistah in June when we travel to Toronto to see Emily & Nicky! {{Paula's passport arrived last week!!}}

Well, I am feeling very wordy and better ski-daddle outta here. I missed ya guys and I ain't going anywhere for a loooonng time. Hubby did just spring on me that he and our daughter decided a trip to Mount Rushmore was needed. I told them to quit watching National Treasure with Nicholas Cage because I wasn't going!! LOL 

dainty charlotte KETTO...

Today is a BellaRIFFIC friday hosted by Stamping Bella and I have a fantastic sketch  to share with you...from our very own Nickabella {& Shannanbella}!

Here is the sketch we were supposed to follow and I followed it as closely as any sketch I have ever done! lol I think some people think I don't know how to follow direction and I won't name names...lol!

Isn't she pretty and delicate! Meet Charlotte Ketto...don't ya love all those little stray bits of whispy hair around her head.  I colored this while I was in Washington DC, so I didn't have any paper in mind, I just colored her in a soft pink, because she looks so innocent and dainty with her little purse with a cherry clasp. I used my prismacolor pencils and blended with gamsol. I added the black glaze pen to her dots on the dress, purse straps, shoes and all the dots around her head. I cut her out with my nesties when I got home and added the glitter, and for some reason I even put a tiny bit of glitter around her head?? I don't know why, just a glitter mood I guess! haha

The paper is a combo of Basic Grey's Urban Prairie, some 12x12, some 6x6. With all the elements in the sketch, circles and squares and rectangles, I wanted to keep it all in the same matchy family. A girl has her methods at times...

Now, since I was gone when this sketch arrived and all my posts were presheduled, I didn't get to tell ya all to get a card made and send it on to the Bella, but I hope you did! I can't wait to see what all the other Babe's have done and the peanut gallery as Emily likes to call it!

So here's to a nice weekend and this sister, er...Babe, is headed up to her parents for a few days and will be back on Sunday! See ya soon!!

 

a sneak and a peek and look what's for sale...

Stamps are for sale! Stamps are for sale!!! Here is my last peek at what is on the 'shelves' today at Elzybells!

Hi guys! I am home and where I belong... with my "stuff" and not sitting in the car. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time and I swear I saw Michelle Obama or at least their puppy Bo, I {{heart}} Washington DC! I just love being home better...LOL

So, this is what I came up with for something a little different, to showcase the three images that come with this acrylic set. It doesn't open like a regular card, it just pulls out and I will write in the back. Remember I said that I had a lot of June birthday's coming up? hehe...another card off that list.   :)

I colored this with my pencils and blended with my gamsol. I added a little glitter, a little clear glaze pen and a lotta love! lol I am not one to sit and try out 'new' ways of making cards, I kinda like to just show off the stamp... this card had me playing and turning and measuring and re-doing... But, I did something different and I hope my friend loves it!!

I also hope you have been checking out my design team friends cards too. If you have a special little someone who will losing those baby teeth, a fishing fan, a soccar star...there is something for everyone and MORE!! There are so many ideas from the past few days. Elizabeth is ready for business so go see what's going on in the store!! See ya soon...

birthdays, bears & cupcakes...oh my!

 

 Here is another adorable *new* teddy that you'll be able to order tomorrow at Elzybells! This is just perfect for anyone, any age and I made it for one of my friends who's birthday is coming up. {{it seems there are a LOT of June birthdays and I am glad I am getting cards made early!! lol}} I colored these teddy's with my Lyra pencils, but this time I used the set called Lyra skintones, that I picked up at Hobby Lobby.  They are a chunky, fatter pencil than my regular Lyras. Since I knew it was gonna be a girly card I decided to shade around the bears in pink and I really like how it came out. I used my nesties, glitter and a little bling...been in a little 'bling' mood too! See what happens when you don't clear off your table and leave supplies out from your last card... lol

One more day of peeks and at some point today I should return home today to take this off auto-pilot. Did you forget I was away??  Elizabeth over at Elzybells, will have her *new* rubber ready for sale tomorrow and check out her special she is offering on the Koh-I-Noor pencils. Until I return...stay cool! paula

filling the jar blog hop...

It's time for our mid-month blog hop with My Favorite Things and I am sooooo excited to show you what I filled my jar with!

If you are just passing through and ya want to start from the begining to see what everyone has done with their jars...and you know ya wanna... then Kim's blog is the place to go to. She starts us off with a bang on every hop and it's time to get movin'! If option number two is your way onto my blog the you should have came here by the way of Natalie's blog. She is one girl who gets me wanting to scrapbook again, her pages are totally my style and I love everyone of them. Then we have me, here I am wanting to tell you my treat filled jar is for a pampered pooch! lol  If you don't have one then ya gotta know someone who does! {{hi Bessie!}}

So, before I get to this simple, easy recipe I wanna fill you in on the My Favorite Things deets. The label sets we got in the mail after I had this marvelous idea to bake dog biscuits. lol  We were told to start thinking what to fill our jar with and if it homemade then all the better. So I start to search the internet for dog treats and start thinking about which set I am going to use because I own two of the dog sets. Last saturday I make the treats and get that outta the way because I knew it would be a busy week with projects and getting ready to go on vacation with the family. Forward ahead and dog treats are a HIT, with my little guy and all my friends dogs. Then the labels show up and to my initial surprise I am wondering why I didn't do something to give a teacher or something to make you pretty! Man, oh man... time was running out and I so wanted to do dog treats. Well, ya make it work, isn't that what Tim Gunn says on Project Runway? hehe

Here I am throwing a dog party for pampered canines and you are invited! I pulled out my 'Let's Go For a Walk' set because the dogs had party hats on. {{ I think this set is retired from MFT now, but there are still two other dog sets}} I colored and cut out with my circles with nesties and even got my  pinking edge nesties in there. I cut the scalloped strip with a small corner rounder and ran it through my crimping tool, putting adhesive on the jar lid and the black scalloped edge. The polka dotted plastic sheet is from Ki Memories and I am glad to finally be using it...had it for months now. It was easy to cut and I added adhesive right to it and wrapped it around my jar. The patterned black/cream paper is from foo-fa-la and it's just something I grabbed in a clearance bin because it looked classy. I cut the dog bone out myself because I don't have the set Friends Furever... I almost ordered it but was affraid it wouldn't arrive in time to use. This is where the labels set came into play...I used the sentiment from the beauty set..."prepared by hand, just for you". I was happy!

Now to the dog biscuits! The first site I went to had this easy, 4 ingredient recipe. The site is called Bullwrinkle.com and the recipe is for the peanut butter puppy poppers.

You will need, 2 cups of whole wheat flour, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of peanut butter and 1 tablespoon of baking powder. Mix the dry, mix the wet, combine and roll out. I used small Wilton cookie cutters in the shape of a flower and I baked them for 20 min. at 350 degrees. I had no problem with burning, the recipe does say to keep an eye on them though. I think I figured I got 10 dozen cookies outta one batch and I could have made a few more, but I was ready to wind up my baking session! lol

I am certainly no math wizard and I like easy as well as the next person. 5 pounds of whole wheat flour cost me $2.39 and it will make several batches, several! The peanut butter is the biggest expense but this has got to be way cheaper than those store bought treats and fancy gourmet varieties. I even got one of the guys at work to try one and he said it was bland, but they smell just like a yummy peanut butter cookie. Treat you favorite canines to some and have some fun with the kids!

Now, I know I kept ya longer than you probably wanted to stay because ther is soooo much more to see along the inspiration highway. So get on over to Jody's and she what stunning work of art she has for us to drool over... Make it to the end of the hop and I am suspecting there could be some candy...

{{big wave}} see ya!