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for my fellow canadians, eh!

I have had several appreciated questions about my Canadian currency converter button or lack thereof.  For professional reasons, I had to launch my site on a certain day without certain things in place.  For instance, my Canadian currency button.  As important as this is to me (being a proud Canadian), it has taken me a lot longer to have this done than anticipated. Too long, if you ask me.. but I am at someone’s mercy and it is out of my control.  Trust me, everyone, when I tell you that if I were in my control, it would have been done a while ago!  The Canadian button is being worked on as we speak, actually even before we have begun speaking! 

I have taken that into consideration and decided to lessen my shipping rates to compensate for the currency conversion until I have it ready!

I will keep you posted as to when it is ‘live and kicking’.. until then, there are alternatives we can discuss ( and have discussed with many of you already),  so please feel free to write the maple-leaf-bella herself!

 Thanks for all of your understanding

 

Emily

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what to do to do to do….

 

 [photopress image=”creative_accounting_001.jpg”]

My dearest 8–perhaps another repeat customer so I may have 9 on Monday!  YIPPEEEE

It’s Friday..and the first night of Chanukah… SO EXCITED… what tool should I buy myself to celebrate? (*giggles*)… Already have my EYE on a purse.. hmmm just what I need.  The great thing about shoes or purses are that they always fit AND if you need a BIGGER size, you don’t get aggravated or depressed!  So what.. I am now a size 10 shoe rather than a 9.  Do you get depressed?  NOPE.  Same with stamp supplies.. they always *fit*– LOL.  Next week, I promise to get more into the card making techniques and I have to concentrate on posting more images on my site.. lots and lots more. So, we will wait for next week for the juicy stuff.  Now I would like to confer with all my fellow crafters.. How many times have you gone to the cash at your LSS or Michaels or any hobby store and recite the following mantra “my husband is gonna divorce me if he finds out that I spent this”.  I think I have said this line about 6543 times and counting SO… thanks to my mentor and design team member Nicky Manel (you will see her work here next week), I have learned several ways of dealing with this issue.  Namely, creative accounting.

(1) as you see in the attractive picture above (hey at least the garbage can is PINK!), you can easily just crumple up the bill and flick it carelessly into the trash.. and BURY IT. (you can light on fire as well, but this is quite dangerous)

(2)  You can take your goodies to the cash and simply pay a portion in cash and the rest on credit, get two bills, make sure that the lower bill is the cash bill and keep that one in the bag.. come home with a *BIG GRIN* on your face and say to your beloved “CAN YOU BELIEVE WHAT I BOUGHT FOR $20??”  little does he know that the other $180 bill is stuffed in the bottom of your purse.

 (3) you can leave the goodies in the car til your lovey goes to sleep and THEN, ONLY THEN, dressed in holy ratty pj’s run to the car when no one is looking, grab the bag and STUFF and I mean STUFF into your closet.  When you take it out and he happens to ask you when and where you got it (if he cares) then you will have a look of SHOCK and HORROR on your face and say “THIS OLD THING?”.. ALWAYS works..

 These are my FAVES but they are getting old so if anyone wants to share their creative accounting tips, it would be my honour to learn from you.. need to freshen up the excuses!

 Toodles and love to all

Have a PHENOM weekend and I will *see* you on Monday!

 

Em

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didjaeverthink?

you would read a blog about an eraser? 

 

[photopress image=”prisma_markers_and_gamsol_003.jpg”] 

 

Hello Extravagant 8! 

Today is considered “useless” day in my books.  By “useless” I mean I-SO-CAN’T-GET-ANYTHING-DONE-SO-I-WILL-TALK-ABOUT-AN-ERASER-DAY.  I ran around dropping off my son, picking up my son then dropping him off again (only to pick him up YET AGAIN-LOL).  I stopped at my LSS to celebrate Hannah’s birthday (one of my stamping group ladies) and we all ate, shmoozed,ate drank and ate (sounds like my driving schedule! *giggles*)  Anyway enough about me cuz CLEARLY I can go on and on and on!

 I wanted to talk about this BIG TICKET ITEM for sale on my website!  I just love this eraser I swear.. it is soft and gummy yet firm enough to even get into close corners!  I use it to erase my chalk *errors* and the paper comes out soooo clean that you wouldn’t believe there was anything there in the first place!  important stuff huh?  But really, it is important cuz without it, you would have one helluva messy card!  Another use for it is to smudge your chalks.. fun to play around and make backgrounds!

 So, I thought I would post something today.. Something brain candyish that you really don’t have to focus on and HERE IT IS!

Off to cut, stuff, and index.. til the wee hours of the night….

 toodles to my 8!

Em

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a swirly hearty wednesday to all!

[photopress image=”heart_card_001.jpg”] 

 

Hi fabulous 8!  (my audience has exploded! *giggles*)

I am on my way to get my 3 new bellas made (nope, not telling)!! SO EXCITED you have no ideaR! Picked up lots of rubbaH yesterday so should be packing and posting more stuff today!  Valentines is almost done and should be on line (fingers crossed) by Monday!

Here is a happy card I made using my swirly heart and tombow markers to colour in.  I just love tombows for their translucency and ability to get into small areas without streaking.. OH and their wonderful, amazing colour palette… just love those tombows!  So I coloured each swirl in by hand in different colours, stamped it on my “bella coated paper” with Black memories ink, layered it on my “romance” by Bazzill and then layered that on my ultimate fave Bazzill colour “parakeet”.  YUM!  Then, I FINALLY used my scalloped scissors made by fiskars.. have had a small obssession with the ‘scallop’.  Everything I have bought for the past 2 months has been scalloped in some way..LOL; paper, scissors,trimmers,templates,punches.. hmph.  So I scalloped the bottom of the parakeet leaving some room for my ‘thinking of you’ sentiment and I stamped it with my swirl to match the heart (shhh don’t tell anyone but if you get my swirl border, you have one or two extra swirls that you can cut off and use for your background) . 

Before I layered it, I looked into my organized (not) drawer of ribbons and found this spectacular little bit of pink satin and voila!  

 Now my question to all of you right now is… what do you think happened after I made this card?

 Yup, I had to go and by about 600 yards of every different colour satin ribbon.  Hmph.

 

toodles to you

have a great day

Em

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I need a stiff….. DRINK!

 

[photopress image=”cosmotini_card_002_1_2.jpg”] 

Hello six of you

I am so tired and needing some sleep but am so *juiced* by this card that I had to share.. oh and by the way, I have no idea what sleep is.. I am always awake and inspired and creating and emailing and surfing.. hmm a full time job me thinks!  This card actually was inspired by Julie Ebersole – one of my faves around – and her love for ‘tinis.  I was out shopping (for a change) and saw this AMAZING paper (Karen Foster Designs) that I thought Julie would love and her love for my Cosmobella… what a treat to pair the two together!! Of course had to send it to her!  Oh and my curly “cheers” sentiment which makes me happy too!

I am obssessed with the Mineral Spirits technique (I am posting a kit on my site cuz I love it so much–called the bella spirits and blender and sanding block) and I actually tried something new!  I usually use a beautiful coated paper that works amazingly with the technique AND is cost efficient-(will be selling as well) but THIS time.. THIS time I used hot press water colour paper.. OMG. OMG. OMG.. it was spectacular.  The prismacolor colored pencil just ‘melted’ and ‘blended’ into the paper… what a treat (V.V.V. expensivo)! And of course Black Memories ink (my fave) and quickie glue pen and sparkle.. otherwise known as GLITTAH.  LOVE IT!!!  do you think I had fun with this card????

 Toodles to all six of you and have a phenom day

(Oh I think we are up to 7-my mother in law is reading too *giggles*- I better behave)

 

Em

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wanted to add color and cheer on a Monday

[photopress image=”scrappinspintoolstation2.jpg”] 

 

Hello cherished 6 of you ( I think that is how I will start every blog) LOL 

After a hectic weekend with my little ones (tyler -4.5 and Jayden 18 mos), I can finally sit down and relax a bit :).  I have been working on Valentines images which will probably be on the site next Monday!! They are incredible (if I do say so myself).  What is frustrating for me is that I just love the images and want to create create create but have no time.. but no worries.. already have some prepared surprises that I will try to put in my albums some time this week!  So I have been surfing AND SHOPPING (yikes-don’t tell hubby).  I wonder if I should have a ‘creative accounting’ post on my blog to teach all of you my shopping strategy with my hubby… I probably think you can teach me a few things as well :).  I will post something on that! 

After a weekend of running, cutting rubber, packaging, and of course surfing and shopping I found this great colourful happy product.  Colour always makes me happy.  Oh, and storage makes me even happier!  I have every container that exists along with bags, boxes, kits, trunks etc.. (you get the idea) and I love to hear about everyone’s favorite organizational tool so please share!  Anyway, I am rambling.  CHECK THIS OUT!  It has all the criteria : colour AND storage capacity so I had to order it. It looks amazing can fit all my stuff and then some.. now the only thing I have to find is room on my desk to put it on.. looks like a volcano erupted over here.. as my hubby Ryan always says.. you can buy all the boxes on this planet but it’s what’ up here (and he points to his head) is what needs to be organized.  What does he know anyway? Just because he knows where everything is at any point in time doesn’t mean he is organized.. LOL.

So here it is.. my latest purchase that makes me HAPPY.  And the service was incredible as well (which is what counts most to me!).  You can see the full site if you click here

 back to work.  hmph.

Em

 

 

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Prisma Markers welcome special

[photopress image=”prismacolor_marker_sample_0.jpg”]Good aft.  all!  Here I am again talking to myself (just kiddinK), I have now recognized that I have 6, count ’em 6 people looking at my blog!!! love it.

 I am not gonna be long.. just wanted to tell you a little bit about  Prismacolor markers.  I have been using Prismacolor and Copic markers for a while now and then I went on Amuse’s site to read Linda’s blog and saw that she used them too!  Freaky.  Prismacolor markers (and pencils-we’ll get to that later)  are my FAVORITE things (actually I have lots) and one thing I must explain to all of you now is that I will never post anything or sell anything for that matter that has not been tried and tested by me.  There is nothing that bothers me more than a great salesperson that knows nothing about the product .  Soooo I have lived and learned so please trust me when I say that I love something is because I really do!

Ok, Pros about Prismacolor markers:  they are nice and opaque in colour.. beautiful palette to choose from and most importantly, they don’t streak!  so when you colour your image in, you can colour direct to paper and it will look STUNNING (as if it was colour copied-I swear).  I bought a few colours and got a great deal on them so I wanted to pass it on to you.. I have a limited number of kits (72) and few individual markers but at that price (I figured), it is great to compliment what you already have.. and they are great colours to start out with!  Enjoy.  If you would like to see the colours I have available click here.  I also just coloured oopsy daisy in with the colours I have in stock (kit comes with olive green, terracotta, tuscan red,  and eggshell)  the colours I have ‘a la carte’ (my Montreal breeding is coming out) are sand, brittany blue, terracotta ,eggshell, and tuscan red.

have a great day everyone

toodles

 

 

Emily

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this is it!

I was told I was “live” oh my.  I have been working on my Valentines images (yummalicious).. I just cannot wait to share! Oh and also, you must make sure you visit my site daily as I am constantly putting in more images.. I had to go ‘live’ at some point ! So there is a lot more to come.  A LOT more. Please stay tuned.  I have a Prismacolor opening special.. very limited number of kits available at an AMAZING price.. will post later today (I haven’t even started my shpiel on prismacolors).. just you wait.  You can expect lots of commentaries (i can’t help myself), lots of techniques, lots of yummy pictures of my favorite products, contests.. I don’t know.. whatever I think of that morning!  So… please stay tuned and let me know if you have any questions at all!

 

Emily