I KNEW I would get your attention.. I JUST KNEW-I-T.  LOL.  Ok so there is this Ek SUCCESS SMASH CUH-RAZE going on… if you don’t know what a SMASH book is, I recommend you watch this video.  I am in LOVE with this video.  I want to MARRY this video.  hmph.  I have watched it about 10,465 time, have made my friends watch it (friends who are not even INTERESTED in knowing what a SMASH is.. now want “a SMASH”.. or to get SMASHED as I say it 🙂 ).. My kids have watched this video..  Frankie has watched this video.. well you get the idea.  Not only is it ADORABLE and CUTE and YUMMY and has a GREAT song, I admire this video for it’s marketing value.  It hooks you right in at “hello”… kinda like me, no?

Ok take a looky if you have 2 minutes to spare.. and sing out loud.. n’k?

http://youtu.be/_PFsArr4Z1s

Basically what a “smash” journal does is it removes the ANGST that comes along with the “fear of the blank page”.  These are kind of a hybrid book between an art journal and a scrapbook and a daily “log book”.  It is a PHENOMENON.  NOT ONLY is it a BOOK but it has tons of embellishments, clips, bookmarks, stickies, pockets.. OMG.. it’s SMASH HEAVEN.   Bellaland had 45 books and they all sold in 2 days.. so basically this post is a TEASE.  and I am sorry but I MUST educate you before my NEXT shipment comes in 🙂 LOL.

If you would like to see great samples of what people do with their SMASH journals.. take a looky here

The smash book comes with a handy dandy pen on one side and glue stick on another for those emergency moments where you just HAVE to glue something in your journal.. so if you collect a business card, a receipt etc.. you can just glue it in right away.  The pages in the book (I believe there are about 6 different styles) are SO adorably (is that even a word?) decorated.. and it is just so much fun to fill in.. ( just ask my friend/customer COREY.. she just pulled an all nighter with her daughter filling it in and had a BLAST doing it!)  so whether you would like it themed (summer holidays).. or just an everyday memory..it is truly an amazing thing. 

This book is basically meant for pen and ink.. so what I do is, I keep my messy art journal on it’s  own for learning new techniques and expressing myself artistically (will do another post on this).. and the Smash journal is more for writing and memorabilia.. I truly believe that these journals that I keep will be a legacy for my kids.. either they will appreciate how crazy I am, or they will really doubt that I was even human.. (OMG JUST GIGGLED OUT LOUD..)..

Here is a 2 pager that I did in my PINK smash book… I Have this obssession with doors and windows.. (among other things *ahem*).. so I decided to download some images from PINTEREST that really expressed what I was feeling at that moment, printed them out and SMASHED (oh that felt so good) them in… I stamped, and wrote as well..

take a lookie.. here’s my pink SMASH book :).. still in it’s pristine plastic (which I didn’t know I should remove..LOL)

Here is my double paged spread.. pictures of the doors :).. the SMASH TAPE, the smash CLIP

Here it is closeup 🙂

Here is my journaling page.. I USED JULIE’S JOURNALING LABELS and JULIE’S WORDS to LIVE BY which I just love :).. I also doodled with a black permanent marker

 I GOTS to tell ya.. I had SUCH a good time with this.. have already continued working on it.. and will DEFINITELY KEEP YOU POSTED!!

Now for a WINNAH of the LOVE COLLAGE stamp 🙂

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

13-CATHY P! you win the stamp!  please email me and I will send you the stamp!

Timestamp: 2011-07-12 20:08:02 UTC

So what do you think of the smash?  you lovey?

Mwah to da sistahs who wanna get smashed.. cuz I do 🙂

Em

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please excuse the condition of my hands… this is what happens when you get “down and dirty”… I recommend using a Barrier Cream.. (invisible care, gloves in a bottle are a few creams).. these protect your hands and make for easy cleanup!

I am absolutely IN LOVE with mixed media right now.. I can hide in my basement AHEM studio and forget about life outside..LOL… so take a looky at part 2 and 3 of our mixed media extravaganza and let me know what you think!

don’t forget to place a comment on the post below for a chance to win $10 in Bella BUCKEROONIS and NEXT WEEK’S THEME is father’s day or masculine card using our stamps!

Here is PART TWO of our mixed media extravaganza

And here is PART THREE!

mwah to da sistahs who wanna get MESSY

Em

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cuz I am SISTAHS!!!   I have decided to start YET ANOTHER journal.  Now sistahs.. don’t think I am CUH-RAZY.  I have been thinking about this for SUCH a long time… and now it is finally coming to fruition!  and it is so simple to boot (why is that even a saying.. “to BOOT”… LOL.. what does that even mean??.. kinda like “I don’t give a rat’s a$$..”  now WHAT does THAT mean?? hmmmm??)

I digress…

Ok, so I collect a lot of things right?  OUI OUI!   I have a lot of images I download online.. from ETSY to PINTEREST, FLICKR and from random blogs… and I ALWAYS want a place to look at them.. to reference them.. and not just stare at them on a computer screen..  know what I mean, bean?  Sometimes you NEED a piece of paper…

So this is what you will need to do the same, if you so wish (see how polite I am?)

you will need a GLUE or a MEDIUM to stick down your images.  This is one that I use often.. it is “seamless”, NOT sticky at all or tacky to the touch once dried… just a really great all around sealant and collage glue.  It comes in both glossy and matte.

Some PAINTBRUSHES.  I love these!  They are the perfect assortment of sizes and shapes.. I use them ALL the time!

and you will need a journal… I bought this one… it’s nice and BIG!

what I am doing is printing out ALL of my inspiration (LOL- and there’s LOTS of it).. on my colour printer .. cutting it out and gluing into this sketchbook!  I am planning on assembling in LIKE colours so it looks nice and PRETTY… what I also will do is take my watercolors and my acrylics and make a swatch next to the pictures just to get some nice colour combos going… not quite at that point yet.. but will share when I do it :).. will also put fabrics.. paint chips.. OMG.. it’s ENDLESS SISTAHS!!! (SOMMMMEBODDDYYY STOPPP MEEEE.. wasn’t that from a Jim Carey movie??)

you can also use a TINY ATTACHER like the RANGER one to attach your photos, clips etc.. I LOVE that STAPLER!! OMG!

Now don’t forget , if you are using a wet glue like the PERFECT PAPER ADHESIVE mentioned above, make sure you apply the glue on the sketchbook page (enough of it to cover the whole area your image will take up), place your image and then seal it by covering the whole image with the glue as well (can I say the word IMAGE again? LOL)

Here’s a closeup of the first page (I actually used GOLDEN GEL MEDIUM here.. cuz I didn’t have my PPA at home!)

and page 2 and 3

the BEST part about this whole thing is how CRUNCHY (crunchy in journal terms means wrinkly pages and from the side, when filled looks very worn in and YUMMALISH)  the book will be at the end… I am so excited to work on this, you have NO idea!!

What inspires YOU sistahs?  Any specific websites I need to find?  If you decide to start this project, please please share your journals with me… you can post it in our FORUM.. on our WALL on FACEBOOK too!  would LOVE to see!!

but WAIT.. there’s MORE! (said in a very INFOMERCIALISH voice)

Our Julie Fei-Fan Balzer-ABELLA, art JOURNALISTA extraordinaire will be running 7 days of videos using her stamps !!!  Her first 2 videos are PHENOM and INSPIRATIONAL.. she really is inspiring.. you will wanna whip out your paints and go CRAZY!! that’s what I’m doing tonight!  If you want to learn more about journaling you should really read her posts.. she is really AMAZING.. TRUST me..  She is also running a contest.. you must enter every blog entry and write WHY it is you LOVE stamping.. that’s a pretty easy question, no?  You will have a chance to win all 7 of her stamps! Winners will be announced next week!

here is her video using JULIE’S JOURNALING LABELS

and HERE is her video using JULIE’S PERFECT CIRCLES.. BRILLIANT I say! BRILLIANT!

Don’t forget to check out her blog.. tell her I sent you when you place a comment!

can’t wait to see what she is up to tomorrow!  oh and I may be up to something toooooooo!!! hehehehe!

DON’T FORGET TO PLACE A COMMENT on the BELLARIFIC FRIDAY POST for a chance to win $10 in BELLARIFIC BUCKS!  our theme this week is FLOWERS!! don’t forget to enter a card for a chance to win $20 BELLARIFIC BUCKS!

Where the heck IS EVERYBODY? YOOOHOOO!! i know you’re there….

Mwah to da sistahs who are inspired and who KNOW the name of that JIM CAREY movie mentioned above because for the LIFE of me, I can’t remembah!!!

Em

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Hiya sistahs,

I had my lalalala day last Friday with my friend Galit, and I was very tempted and did in fact buy the CUTEST, BUBBLIEST, YUMMIEST looking Fuji polaroidy (is that a word? LOL) camera.. I just couldn’t resist.. and boy did I have an ideaR to go with it.

I mean COME ON.. could you resist this thing?

so my idea was to start another journal (of course).. you don’t have to start a new one.. you can continue in the one you are using now.. and I decided to take pictures .. random instant pictures throughout the week and journal about them in my “MOLEY” (that’s what Dena and I call our Moleskine  journals).. I think that photos are so important in journaling.. I mean nothing better than capturing a moment, right?  So this is a type of journaling when I am not in the mood to HAUL.. and I mean HAUL my supplies out, this is a fun way to just sit and write what you felt in that picture.. what about the picture made you TAKE that picture..etc..

So now my new thing is that I NEED another tattoo.. yup I know.. I am CRAZY.. but I reHeally want one.. and that is the basis for my entry below.  Dena’s friend Gina has a GORGEOUS tattoo right in between  the thumb and pointy fingah.. you will see in the picture below.

just some inspiration for a snowy Wednesday

mwah to da sistahs who lovey da tattoos and da MOLEYS

Em

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Hiya sistahs!  I hope you had a great weekend!  We had a pajama weekend in the bella household.. had two sicklets (= sick kidlets) but got a lot of journaling done.

I know I have shared little snippets of what journaling means to me here and there. I have been journaling for over a year and a half and it has been medicine for my soul.  There are a kajillion different sites/styles to follow and in the end, you end up finding your own.  I LOVE to use my stamps in my pages.. it just makes me happy.. It depends what mood you are in.. you will see as you spend a few minutes every day how much better you will feel.  You can have a journal with inspiration from magazines, ephemera, stamps etc.

Here is one that I did this weekend.. although it was snowing I felt kinda springy!

In this layout I used our new SCRIBBLE garden stamp.. I just stamped it across the page (cathartic in itself) and colored with watercolors.. My dad had called me that fine morning and read me this quote from the newspaper so I had to use it.. it is just so true.. why focus on pettiness when there are more beautiful things to pay attention to 🙂

I used my watercolors and used my black glaze pen for the quote.. to add shine and dimension 🙂

I had so much fun with this page and I will try to share more 🙂 (that is if you would like to see more! LOL)

I will also be carrying more art journaling tools (I LOVE TOOLS).. my favorites.  I hope you try to do a little something for YOU today.. stamp, rip, paint,scribble, doodle.. . Something!  I promise you will love it!

Mwah to da sistahs who scribble

Em

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