Valentinerific Friday

Here comes the love bug! It's such a cute little bug this, hey I drove one when I was much younger, a bright yellow one, lol!

Our theme for today was lovey, valentine... So what better image to use than a cute little car with a cute little hubbabugg in it, bringing you love and gifts. The image is lovebeetle huggabugg is from Stamping Bella, and I have finally got to use mine. Who can ever have enough images.

I coloured my image with prismacolor pencils, blended with sansador and cut it with nesties. I got all my inspiration for this card from my friend and fellow DT member Jeanie. She is just so talented, and I loved what she did with the Taylored Expressions sketch challenge #99 and had to try it myself.

I am so pleased it's Friday, it means it's weekend, and weekends mean no work, woohooo!

Do yourself a favour and go on over to the Bella Blog and see what stunning creations everyone has made for today!

Have a great weekend.

Meahni

Back to Bella

Of course here I am back to my Bellas, I couldn't drift away for too long! Although I have LOTS of other stamps which are feeling very unused. I am sure when I retire one day that will change, lol!

This Snowman with a birdie on top from Stamping Bella (of course), is one of the new releases from last month. I have just managed to use ONE of the new releases I bought and guess what, Emily is talking of another new release at the end of September. How ever will I cope!!! ... and I am nowhere near retirement yet.

My snowman was coloured with my prisma pencils and blended with grumtine. I really enjoyed colouring his never ending hat. It's a major challenge for me to colour in white, is there anyone else who also struggles with this? I never know where to add a little shading or how much to add. The image was cut out with nesties, and layered on card stock which has been through my cuttlebug. Unfortunately the photo does not show the embossing on the background paper very well, but it has been embossed, honest.

It is strange that even here Christmas is synonymous with snow, yet we have sweltering hot Christmases. I guess that comes from movies and books. It is the one thing most South Africans dream of, a White Christmas, note I said most - that does not include me. I LOVE the hot weather we have in December.

I think there is a party going on in my roof and I wasn't invited. Some birds have nested in my roof again, and I swear it sounds like they are having a disco, there is so much shuffling of little feet going on! I must get the ladder and climb in there so I can see what's potting. I mean they are welcome, as long as they behave.

Now that I have managed two Christmas cards this year, I better get off the computer and go finish the third one I've started. I'm so proud of myself. Wonder if I'll manage more than two, lol!

I'm b-a-a-a-a-a-ck

.... did you miss me, hehehehe!!! Okay, maybe no-one noticed but I was in Cape Town for two days last week, which stole just about ALL my crafting time. I am definitely planning on catching up this afternoon. I've done all my DIY around the house, on that topic, is it just me who always have things around the house to fix, or do the rest of you also do, or is it the fact that there is no man here to do it for me?? That might be it, LOL!



I have something a little unusual today, Daisy Lamp, from Stamping Bella. I'm not sure if it's a lamp or a pot plant gone wrong, but it's funky and fun, and once in a while it's great to do something unusual. For me at least.

I coloured the image with prisma pencils and blended it with sansador, then cut it with my nesties and layered it on 3D foam. I was not planning on using a green / blue combo, but when I started looking for card stock to go with my design paper I saw there was a little bit of blue in the DP. I only then added the blue to the lamp shade and voila, a blue and green card. And I must say, I really like it.

I have a busy week ahead of me. My mom is away on holiday (again :-)), which usually means I have so much more to do at home, especially when it comes to food. No-one to cook me dinner, damn, and I so looove the kitchen - NOT.



I think I might have to steal a little of my crafting time for a 30 minute nap. I didn't sleep well last night, my house alarm went off about an hour after I went to bed. Boy did it confuse me when I woke. Well of course I got the fright of my life, as it could only mean that someone is breaking into my house! But luckily that wasn't the case, I think it must've been a moth or something that set the sensor off. I was never afraid if my alarm went off, but since my house was robbed, while I was sleeping upstairs, I get really scared. My poor little heart just about jumps right out of my chest. It's not fun at all.



Anyhow, enough of my waffling, all is okay, and I am off to practice my bow and knot tying. I just watched the videos Linda has linked up on her chat box, and it is oh so helpful!

Girls' night out

Look at these two chickens, how can you not love them. See why I can't eat eggs any more ;-)

My mom's friend Jenni, is turning 80 this weekend, and she said these two ladies are just like her and Jenni when they visit and chat and shop and drink, and all the good things you can do with a great friend! I totally agree, and I think my mom is the one on the right, lol.

I used the Stamping Bella sketch from last week for this card. I have to say, I used to struggle terribly with sketches, but I am starting to like them a lot. If you make sure the image goes with the sketch, which I didn't do in the past, then it is SO much easier to put a card together... especially when you've seen it used.

This image is from Penny Black, the sentiment from Stamping Bella, cut out with a nestie of course. I inked the sentiment with a very light blue chalk ink.

The paper is from Basic Grey, again the 6x6 pad, and the white embossed paper was put through the swiss dot cuttlebug folder.

I've been busy hey? We had terrible weather this past weekend, so I couldn't do any DIY, didn't want to go out for food, actually I got home on Friday from work, parked my car in the garage and didn't take it out again until Monday morning when I had to go to work. That is my perfect weekend!!!

Stamping Bella has a great sketch this week, by none other than Paula, but fear not, it is a sketch for us normal folk this time, it won't give you a huge big headache. So who's going to join me, I am definitely participating. (You can find the sketch here.)

Now I'm out of here, Ellen Degeneres is on and I'm missing it....

Happy Birthday Mom

Are these not just the cutest mice in town. Good thing they are not real or Simby and Misty (my 4 legged babies), would try to catch them, they won't care how cute they are.

This stamp is one of my Penny Black stamps which is sitting on the shelf not seeing any ink. I loved this stamp when I bought it and I think this is only the second time I used it. And I've had it for about 3 years. It's a shame there isn't enough time for all the stamps.

I made this card for my mom for her birthday. It is unbelievable how quick and easy it was to put together. The other one took me hours, this one about an hour and a half! (Well I hope it doesn't show ;-))

I coloured the images with ...... lets guess..... prismacolor pencils, what else, blended it with sansador and paper stumps, cut out with.... wait for it.... lets guess.... nesties. OK sorry, I realise my guessing games are quite boring, lol!

I added some glitter to the flower centres and raised the image with 3d foam pads. I also chalked the edged of the image with a little bit of ink, while it was still in the nesties die.

I have now read Paula's grass tutorial, but I have to admit, I need to practice a lot more. I also for some reason, don't ask me what, couldn't get my pencils sharp. I know that sounds odd, but it's true.

That's it from me for today, in fact for the weekend, how did it fly by. I can't believe it's nearly Monday already. I think we should change the 'rules' make weekends 3 days long. I am sure everyone will agree with me....

Bella Challenge

Oh my goodness, I cannot believe it's been this long since I've been on my blog. It is winter here and in winter I tend to hibernate a little. My computer is in my study, which is a cold room in my house, unless I plug a portable heater in... and my couch, nice and warm and cosy, is usually so much more inviting.

I managed to join the Bella Challenge again this week. It was a sketch by Linda this time, which I must add was not as hard as the one Paula drove me insane with - LOL! For the first time I had to colour my Bella black, it was quite strange and unusual. The card is for a girl at the office who is about to have her baby, and as she is black, I couldn't give her a card with a white Bella now could I.

I coloured her with prismacolor pencils and blended with grumtine. Now you may ask grumtine. Well I bought it the other day from a craft supplier, and it works just as well as the sansador and it's slightly cheaper. It has an orange cent so when I use it my whole house smells of oranges. The cent does not remain on the card, pity, I wish I could get perfume for my cards. Something that smells like baby powder, wouldn't that be cool.

I am very happy that it is not me who had to do all that shopping, especially not for baby stuff, I'd rather have bags full of craft supplies!

I am definitely catching up on google reader this weekend, I've not visited any blog's for so long. I'm dying to see what you've all been up to.

Have a great weekend, and enjoy summer, soon it will be back here - YEAH!!!

Ballerina again

Here I am again, with my second little ballerina. This is a general little card, with no home yet, but I so wanted to use the second ballerina that I coloured up I just had to make something quickly.

I have seen this little round style card on various blogs in the past and have been dying to try it. I think my image might have been just a bit too big, but I made it nonetheless. The card does stand on it's own, I held it by hand so the image and ribbon didn't look all skew :-))

It was coloured with my prisma colour pencils, and cut out with nesties. All the cut outs were done with my round or scalloped nesties.

The inside was also cut with my round nestabilities template and I tried the method described on the package to make a card base with a nesties template. It turned out to be a lot easier than I thought :-)

I am VERY sad to share with you that the whales were all euthenased. They managed to get some back in the sea, but the whales kept turning around and swimming out to the beach. They decided to rather put them to sleep than to allow them to suffer further. It seems that a navigation error on the whale's part caused them to do this, but I am pretty sure it is some man made intervention that caused it.

If you haven't yet been to the Elzybells blog or website, do go and have a visit. They are having some really great specials for June. There will also be a new release in June - so much exciting stuff happening....

My next stop, father's day cards... just a pity neither my Elzy nor Bella stamps have arrived yet. It seems they might have been lost in the post... I have had sleepless nights for the last 3 nights worrying about my orders. It sucks!

Mother's Day

I'm back! I told ya I won't be here for a while, got to work, unfortunately. But I'm back and was hoping to post yesterday already, but I had to save a lizard that got stuck to glue, I just hope it's okay. I'm so upset about it and too afraid to go outside where I left it in case I find it dead :-(

Believe it or not, but this is my very first mother's day card for my mom. I've been making cards for a few years now, but have just never been organised enough to make a card on time. Okay, I didn't buy one, like some people I know - hehehe Mar got to tease you. But still it is pretty poor that I've only now managed it. Better late than never hey!

This image was sent to me by Paula, and I chose the paper BEFORE colouring this time... I coloured it with my Prismacolor pencils and blended it with Sansador. The sentiment is from Micia, it was the first time it saw some ink, and probably won't again until next year....

I layered the image on 3D dots and it was cut out using my nestabilities. I love this pinking circles, and can't believe it's the first time I've used mine. I've been wanting to use it for the last 3 cards I made, but it wouldn't work out.

That's it for now, not a lot to share today. Got to go clean the bird's cages, play ball with my babies and make something to eat, I'm star-ving!

Oops nearly forgot. Stamping Bella has free shipping, to ANYWHERE! If you want to get some of their new releases, or even the old ones, they're all fabulous go have a look. The offer is on until 4 May and the code is happyweek.

Enjoy!!!

Goodbye

(This post has been edited....)

LOOK I've fixed my spelling mistake - thanks to all of you for sharing your mishaps with me. I'm glad to know I'm not the first :-))

Another card for today and another colleague leaving, not so lucky to be retiring.

I felt a bit guilty lately, that I've been neglecting my Penny Black stamps, LOL! I have a few, and have almost never used them, and since I've been images from all over, and been buying stamps as if my life depended on it, I haven't used them. The other day when I was stamping out my new stamps, I decided to throw a PB into the mix, and coloured this one up.

I don't really have an image with a group of people waving goodbye, isn't that what you usually get on the farewell cards at the shop? I thought this little hedgehog giving the other a flower to say goodbye, was sweet enough for the occasion.

I coloured this image with my lyras and blended it with sansador, what else these days. I added some glitter glue to the ladybugs and daisies, but it's not really showing on the photo. Cards always look so much better in real life.

This was one of the images I just coloured up in whatever colour came to mind. Well I tell you, I struggled for hours trying to find paper to match. That green pot - it threw me out completely.

In the end it turned out okay, but I am not going to be so quick to just colour up in future.

Off to do my next card..... I'm on a roll for a change!

Very first CHALLENGE!

I've really impressed myself!!! I've managed to make a card for a challenge, and not just any challenge, the Stamping Bella Challenge.

It's really simbple and probably why I managed it :-), you have to use pink and brown, oh and a Bella stamp of course. I have just one tiny problem, the email has to reach Emily by 5pm EST. Now seeing she's in Canada, and I'm in South Africa, I have no idea whether my email I just sent made it on time. I do know that we are ahead of Canada, and it is gone 10pm here. I can only hope for the best.

This image was sent to me by Paula, and seeing it's been cold here the past couple days, and winter is threatening to spoil my mood, I decided this little image is just perfect, except that she looks FAAAAAR too happy. I would not be looking so pleased if it was so cold that I needed such a warm jacket. (A word of warning, I am due to moan a LOT more in the coming months about the cold weather - in case you haven't noticed, I HATE winter!!)

Anyhow, enough blah blah stuff. The image was coloured with my Prismas and blended with Sansador, cut out with my oval nestabilities dies and layered on 3d dots. Nearly forgot, I addes some glitter glue here and there.

The results of our elections are slowly coming in, and it looks like, as usual, the ANC have won again. I guess when you're out numbered 10 to 1, that is likely to happen. We can only hope for the best. But who wants to talk about politics, I'm off to google reader to go and see what the rest of you have been up to.