Lantern Flowers are on the block today

But before I get to that, I want to tell you about an email I received today. It was from Canadian Blood Services and it said that over 4000 people will receive that email and if only half of them gave blood 400 cancer patients can receive treatment.

I started giving blood several years ago when a co-worker was diagnosed with cancer and we had a blood drive in her name. Sadly she lost her battle at 37yrs old but I never stopped giving. Dragging myself to a clinic on a beautiful summer night when I'd rather be sitting here on the deck or on a snowy wintery night when I'd rather be snuggled on the sofa has never stopped me. I still go, knowing that I have helped someone somewhere.

Really, it is painless, it takes only about an hour from the time I leave my house until I get home and it costs only a few pennies in gas to get me there and back...as they say, it's in you to give. If you've never done it, try it just once and I know you'll feel good about yourself that you did it.

I'll get off my soap box now and talk about what you came here for....STAMPING BELLA'S LATEST RELEASE! Did you see it? Do you love it? I have some fav's in there for sure and will place my order tonight. I should have done it last night but was busy writing this post and pre-cleaning for the housekeeper. Don't laugh, because I KNOW some of you know what I'm talking about!

These are Em's lantern flowers...YES....designed by Emily herself! She should be SO proud of them because they are BEAUTIFUL!



 Do I have to say it again? I stamped it on bella's BESTEST paper and paired it this time with some sublte papers from Basic Grey's Indian Summer. However, the center panel I embossed with a sizzix embossing folder and sponged on some gold ink and vintage photo distress ink. I did omit the sentiment from the sketch because I didn't have one suitable.

I coloured it with the following copic markers:

G40, 43, 46, 99, W9
Y11, 15, YR12, R24, E15, 33
W00, 0, 0, 2, 3

I had a question in my last post about why I haven't been posting my copic colours. Well, two reasons

1. if I have used more than 25 or 30 markers it gets to be where you wouldn't know where I used them anyhow
2. I've been using a lot of pencils lately and the pencils can really alter the copic colour underneath so it would be deceiving for me to list the markers because if you used them alone you wouldn't get the same result

So, if the colour palette is reasonable and I've used minimal pencils, I will list the markers. Otherwise I won't bother because it won't make sense and you won't get the same result.

Now that my air is totally cleared on all topics that are looming in my head I do want to talk about next week's challenge. Now that the calendar says it officially SPRING...although the temps here are more like summer...our challenge is all about SPRING....and what does SPRING mean to you...for some it may mean Easter, for others it may mean flowers blooming, and for others it may mean something different entirely! So whatever SPRING means to you....bring it on....and email your card to Emily by Thursday, and/or upload your card to our SCS forum with the keyword BELLARIFFIC1213.

That's it for today!
Later....Linda

If you thought Flora was cute, wait till you see.....

Bunny!

Yes, another new Uptown Gal from Stamping Bella. I think her name might be Uptown Girl Bunny and her daffodil. We'll know for sure TODAY because Emily's blog tells me that is when the release will be. I don't typically send Easter cards but her cuteness just make me change my mind!

Of course I stamped her on bella's BESTEST paper and coloured her up with copics AND as always, added some depth and shading with pencils. I dare you...don't be a copic snob and try this sometime because I guarantee you will be THRILLED with the results.

That's it! I'll be stalking Bloggabella today along with the rest of you!

Are you ready for a sneak peek?

The weather here in Southwestern Ontario has been SO AMAZING I almost have to keep pinching myself to know that it's real. It is what springtime should be like, mild temps of mid 70's during the day and cool nights that allow you to sleep with the windows wide open.

I would have pulled out my bike if I wasn't busy occupying myself cleaning closets, purging and re-organizing. But you know who did pull out her bike? Flora the cyclist....one of the new Uptown Girls coming to Stamping Bella real soon! I wish I looked so cute on a bike.

I'll have sneak peeks popping up all week as will the other babes so stick around! We will also be posting our cards on this SCS Stamping Bella March Release thread so you might want to keep checking there as well!

Later....

Late again...

...with my Bellarific Friday post, but I have a good reason! I wrote up yesterdays post when I got home from the day job and then made supper. After supper I went to write my Bellarific Friday post and thought....I have NOTHING to say! I find it very difficult to sit down at this blog if I don't have something to say besides this is my card and these are the copics I used. So that is my excuse, good or bad, that is the way it happened. The ironic thing is that I really didn't have anything to say today any way!

That brings me to our St Patty's Day Bellarific Friday where green was our theme and I pulled out Stamping Bella's Matilda on her swing. 

A little something different I did with this stamp was to selectively ink up just Matilda and not the grass beneath her so I could put her in this spellbinders label die. With the background of Basic Grey Sweet Threads paper she looks like she is swinging in a lush victorian garden.

A new week means a new challenge and we are graced again with one of Ebru's beautiful sketches. They are so simple, and so classic I can't tell you how much I love them! AND a new challenge means another chance at more bucks! With the new release coming up next week you may just as well take a chance at doubling your winnings. Email your card to Emily AND upload it to the SCS forum with the keyword BELLARIFFIC1212 and you could rake in some serious cash!

Stay toooooned because my next posts JUST MAY BE some coloured up sneak peeks!





cute overload

That is my theme this week and I'm going to start with Stamping Bella's Millie from Millie and Milo exchanging gifts.

The two cuties come together, and even 'joined' together, but I separated them so I could use them together or independently.

I stamped her on bella's BESTEST paper and paired her up with some Basic Grey Hopscotch.
Of course I used copics and finished up with some prismacolor pencils

E000, 00, 11, 21, 23, 25, 29, 42, 43, 44
BG000, 10, B00, 01, 02
R01, 02, 05, 20, Y15, YR23

Did you see? Did you see? Emily has announced a BIG HUGE release for next week!!!! She is even showing some sneak peeks on her blog! You know what that means, there is gonna be some awesome stuff and you are gonna need some bucks. Play in our challenges on Emily's blog and/or in our SCS forum and you could get some...JUST FOR ENTERING your card! Now how easy is that! Hope to see you there!

Bring it on!

I'm talking SPRING! ...we are having UNUSUALLY warm weather here in Southwestern Ontario and since I work for a natural gas company I should be wishing for cold weather, but sorry UG, I am NOT! I'm really enjoying this mild winter we've been having and in no way has it made me lose my lust for SPRING.  BRING IT ON! And if you bring it in March instead of late May, I'll take it without a single complaint!

This week Emily's AJ Monday theme was spring and with the great weather this weekend I was inspired to play.

This one was drawn with pencils, overdrawn with markers and painted with watercolours and Derwent inktense. While I was busy drawing and painting I was also baking. Now there is something you should know about me...I DON'T BAKE...I LOVE TO COOK (insert foodie) but I don't have much of a sweet tooth and baking has never been something that interested me.

However the last couple weekends my new Looneyspoons Collection cookbook has inspired me a bit. Last weekend I made a lemon poppyseed loaf and yesterday I made banana blueberry muffins. But it gets better! The poppyseed bread called for the usual flour, sugar, baking power, baking soda, etc...and so did the muffins. However yesterday when I was making the muffins I accidentally grabbed corn starch instead of baking powder. They are both yellow boxes,so  easy mistake! And I would have made that mistake if it were not that I made dish mid week that used corn starch. So when I realized the mistaken box I had a lightbulb moment. Last Sunday when I made the poppyseed bread I realized I DID use cornstarch in place of the baking soda! Guess what...no one knew!

Now that I know the difference between corn starch and baking soda next week I might try making something in the bundt pan I got for a wedding shower gift 24 years ago that has never been used! Stay tuned!

later, Linda

It's a happy Friday!

Really, aren't they all! And I have no big plans for the weekend, maybe do come cooking and I do have a couple pair of pants that need hemming so maybe I should get around to getting that done before I grow out of them or something. I'm sure some of you know what I'm talking about, I have a couple pairs of pants in my closet that require hemming but I bought them, then they got too small and I think now they may be too big...but better big than small!

I'm getting off topic here, so let me get to the point and today that would be Stamping Bella's vintage gumball machine.

I coloured it with copic markers and got a bit carried away because I wanted the blue to be much paler to make the red gumball stand out more but I wasn't about to start over so I just looked for some bright and cheery paper to match and with my sketch already decided on it came together in a snap!

With next weekend being St Patty's day we wanna see some green! That's the challenge....use some green...use a little or use a lot, but get some green on there.

If you want a chance at some bucks, email your card to Emily at Stamping Bella. And for even more bucks to be had upload your card to our Splitcoast forum using the keyword BELLARIFFIC0912!

Till next time, I've got some stuff in the works that you won't wanna miss.

Ramona is sending some love

This weeks theme is POLKA DOTS and there is NOTHING I love better than polka dots, unless maybe I match them up with stripes or plaids...neither of which I did here, but it still makes me smile.

And REMEMBER, link up your cards to our Splitcoast forum using the keyword BELLAIRIFFIC0812 to be entered into this weeks draw for some bucks.

For my card I picked Stamping Bella's Ramona Fishing from a recent release and since there were already a couple of these coloured up GORJUSLY I didn't want to look like a copycat so I tried to change up my layout a bit. I was pretty happy with my result but I will admit, it took me FOREVER to get that string on there but no pain, no gain....I love the texture!

I used my usual memento ink and bella's BESTEST paper, pairing it up YES AGAIN with the Miss Caroline MME paper...I can't get enough of it. These are the copics I used, but I did finish it up with a bit of pencil.

E000,00, 11, 42, 44, R20
YR30, 31, E31, 33, 35 (for the hair!)
YR23, BG000, 10, 11, 70, 72,  75

Next week we are back to a sketch! LOVEY THOSE SKETCHES! And LOVEY Ebru for putting her heart and soul into creating them for us. I'll sign off now and leave you with the sketch.