WELCOME TO BLOGABELLA

> INSPIRATION
4 Comments

It’s no occasion MONDAY! LOL

I always feel I have to put a proper title on my blog but now I don’t have one for today! LOL

Here’s a snapshot I took of Paula teaching this past weekend.. Everyone had SO MUCH FUN!

 

and then SHHHH.. I wasn’t supposed to work on creative stuff but it had to come out..LOL.. I couldn’t survive another minute without doing this page..LOL.. but I did finish my cutting at this point.. so THERE…

I decided to use WINNIE in my journal.. she is so thoughtful and wistful.. reflecting, you know?  That’s how I feel right now.. but in an excited type of way!

So you will see her with lots of my new obssession… VINTAGE WALLPAPER!!! YUMMALISH!!!!

in case you can’t find her/me she is on the bottom right..LOL.. hiding yet peeking out.. I love her.

Hope you do something crafty today!

Mwah

Em

> bellarific friday
11 Comments

it’s Bellarific FRIDAY EVENING!.. LOL.. and waiting for Paulabella to arrive

I so miss her!  and Linda tomorrow?? I am SPOILED!

I really appreciate all the personal emails and comments on my last post..  I tried to make Bellaland an extension of your home and I succeeded.  And THAT makes me feel good.  Now my blog will replace bellaland, I promise to furnish it with overstuffed couches and chairs.. always have my espresso machine on.. tea kettle..  have some crafting and stamping mags available.. and we can just chat.  Feel free to paint some paintings for our walls.. make some cards to put on the mantle.. and we are good to go!  k?  Promise?

Now let’s discuss some GORGEOUSNESS shall we?

Actually first, some WINNAHS! (you know most people would have deleted the last line and just begin with this line but I was too lazy..LOL)

Winnah for COMMENTAYTIN on last week’s Bellarific Friday post goes to… ($10 in bella buckeroonis)

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

8-J ROFF you win!  please email me and I will send your vouchah!

Timestamp: 2012-07-14 00:20:12 UTC

Now for da CONTIRIBUTIN’ winnah ($20 in bella bucks)  goes to

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

2- CHRISTINE you win!  please email me and I will send you your $20 vouchah!

Timestamp: 2012-07-14 00:21:35 UTC

Now let’s talk about this week’s challenge!  It was a sketchypoo

Let’s see what our babes came up with!  Such BEAUTICIOUSNESS (where do I come up with these words?)

Cathabella used PEACHY PIXIE

Danabella used FLYNN'S BERRY HAPPY DAY

Kathybella used SUNSHINEY FLYNN

Lindabella used UPTOWN GIRL PIPPA

Natashabella used EM'S MIXED MEDIA FLOWER

this is Paulabella’s SPOT.. and she thinks she’s taking some time off.  I am thinking I will feed her chocolate and candy and diet coke and hug her and squeeze her and make her change her mind by Monday..LOL

Paulineabella used CONFUSED CHRISTMAS DOG

Regabella used LOVE COLLAGE

LOOOVE these!

Now for our Sistahood!

 

 

Halley used FLOWER GARDEN

Jessica used BUSKETTIE (and sent me an ADORABLE picture of her son Nathan in the same pose as BUSKETTIE! Jess, I think you should upload the picture here.. I would've but didn't want to assume I could 🙂

Lynn used SAVVYSHOPPABELLA

Margo used EUNICE AND IRVING

Maria L used TOBY IS TWO

Maureen used MWAHBELLA

Monika used BOOKWORMABELLA

Gorgeousness or what???

Next week’s theme?    CHRISTMAS IN JULY!

Mwah to da sistahs who will contribute!

Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win $10 in bella buckeroonis!

Em

 

> General BLABLA
24 Comments

it’s official!

Hiya sistahs!

just thought I would announce on my bloggypoo that “bellaland”  AKA the Stamping Bella physical retail store will be closing as of August first.  We sent out a newsletter yesterday and I was SHOCKED at the feedback I received.. some crying.. devastation and sadness.  I hate to see people sad and it made me really sad to have this response.. but Bellaland really was the happiest place on earth.

Business on the online side has exploded.  Literally LOL.  If you looked at our office, you would agree.  We are buried under rubbah!  And what can I say.. I really thought I was a superhero but alas.. I am just a FORTY year old chick with 2 kids and a husband who need her :)…

So this is the scoop.  STAMPING BELLA IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!  Business is AMAZING.. online and in the direction of distribution and that is why I had to give something up and I am SOOO happy with the decision so please.. if you are local and you LOVE stamping bella, PLEASE don’t be sad because I am kicking up my heels! LOL … I love everyone I have met and I don’t even have the GUTS to call them customers as once people stepped over our threshold they were in MY territory BWAHAHAHA and they became MY FRIEND.

Stamping Bella’s website will have a BIG facelift (why can’t DA BELLA have a facelift..hmph)… I will be able to create more..try to explore this artist TUG that is pulling at me and BEGGING me to explore it… I will stamp and follow my original passion.  RUBBAH!  I will continue to offer you the most current, beautiful yummalicious stamps.. and MORE OF THEM!! can you handle that sistahs?

I will be updating my blog more often… CAN YOU HANDLE DAT, my sistahs??

I will be showing more samples… CAN YOU HANDLE DAT, my sistahs?

Cuz DAT is what’s gonna happen!  We will sell Rubber stamps, and all associated with the beeyootiful magical craft.. ez mount, blocks and ink..  I can’t wait!!!

I will also continue to update my Facebook page (so you can like STAMPING BELLA and EMILY BLOCK) to see what is going on…

So let’s celebrate.. who’s getting da MARTINIS?

mwah mwah mwah!

Em

> ART JOURNALING TOOSDAY
7 Comments

Art Journaling TOOSDAY

Hiya sistahs!

Hope you had a great weekend!  We are still BURIED under ordahs from my sale.. so please please please bear with us as we did not expect such a volume to hit us.. but we are plowing through!

We also have some BIG plans coming up and an announcement so stay TOONED!

Now let’s discuss this week’s AJ TOOSDAY shall we?

The theme this week was to use your own handwriting.  I took this challenge quite literally LOL.. you can even read my two pages 🙂

Cindy was so inspired.. she made 2 PAGES! here's the first page

Here is Cindy's SECOND page!

Here is Dolores' page

Here is Lori's (pinky)'s page

Here's Mary's page

Here's Maureen's scrapodex card using scraps from her card she made for bellarific friday!

Here's the other side of Maureen's scrapodex card

here is violet's page

aren’t they BEEYOOTIFUL????

And welcome to a new player Maureen!

Next week’s theme is to incorporate a pocket or an envelope somewhere on your page… put a secret letter inside.. have your favorite things stick out of it.. use your creative minds!

Mwah to da sistahs who DIG AJ TOOSDAYS!

Em

 

 

> bellarific friday
25 Comments

it’s BELLARIFIC FRIDAY SISTAHS!

And we are BURIED here in Toronto… Not in SNOW silly… IN RUBBAH!!!  We are trying our best to process the orders as quickly as we can from my 4&*& sale.. but it is taking some time to get through so please bear with us… !! We thank you for being buried but at the same time, apologize for the time it is taking to process.

If you have any questions at all, please email me directly at (emily at stampingbella dot com) and I will make sure to give you a status…  We are trying our best I promise!

Now shall we discuss some winnahs?

Winnah for COMMENTAYTIN on bellarific friday last week goes to ($10 in bella bucks)

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

6- WENMC you win!  please email me and I will send you your VOUCHAH!

Timestamp: 2012-07-06 22:43:43 UTC

 

Now for da CONTRIBUTIN’ winnah of bellarific friday from last week goes to ($20 in bella bucks)

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

1-  AMANDA you win!  please email me and I will send you your VOUCHAH!

Timestamp: 2012-07-06 22:45:11 UTC

Now let’s discuss this week’s theme!  This week’s theme E M B O S S I N G on your card!  I can’t wait to show you the GORGEOUSNESS!

Let’s see what da baberoonis came up with shall we?

Cathabella used YOUNG LOVE

Danabella used VINTAGE HI WHEEL

Kathybella used UPTOWN GIRLS VICTORIA and JULIETTE

Lindabella used TALK TO THE BEAR

Natashabella used CARNATION flower head

Paulineabella used our MEMORY definition block

Regabella used GRANDMA'S GRAMOPHONE

Gorgeous phenomalishiousness, no?

Now for da sistahood!

Amanda used GARDENIA GREENTHUMB

Christine used DANDELION WISPS

Joann used TALK TO THE BEAR

Leslie used FLYNN'S BERRY HAPPY DAY

Lynn used BELLA'S TOPIARY

Margo used UPTOWN GIRLS CHELSEA AND LAUREN

Tanya used BEER PEEP

are these gorgeous or what?

The theme for next week’s bellarific friday is a sketch!

don’t forget to leave a comment and you can win $10 in bellarific bucks!

theme for AJ TOOSDAY is your handwriting!

Mwah

Em

> ART JOURNALING TOOSDAY
6 Comments

It’s ART JOURNALING TOOOSDAY!

hiya sistahs

Hope you had a GREAT long weekend to my fellow Canadians and a great day off tomorrow to my American sistahs!  We were BIZZY BIZZY BIZZY this weekend.. preparing kids for day camp, hanging out with friends.. having company over and just chillin’.. ok and I was able to be a bit artsy fartsy.. LOL

So this week’s ART JOURNALING challenge was driplets, droplets, smears.. you name it!

Let’s see what our sistahood came up with shall we?

Cindy's page

Here is Galit's page

and Violet's page

This weekend was on the crazy side… my friend had a bad friday and this page kind of reflects my mood and how I feel as a friend.. when I saw these images.. I went crazy.. I found them in an old book and I just had to put them here :).. I also used embellishments I have been DYING to use but had no “opportunity” to use them… so it was really really fun to make … I know you probably see me use a different journal a week.. I have VERY MANY.. I have commitment issues..LOL… This one is an 8*8 sketchbook and I love the size 🙂

Here is MY page... using a font inspired by one of Teresa Mcfayden's classes.. and some goodies from a collage packet that Denabella bought me... and of course the pennant she is holding and how cute the 2 girls are.. oh and WASHI TAPE...yum

Here's a closeup of the pennant .. oh and I have been DYING to try this leaf stitch on my sewing machine.. so I just did a little bit to see how it would look and I LOVE IT!

and here is a closeup of the bottom of the page.. you can tell when I really enjoy one of my pages, ay? I don't shuddup.

and since I was dripletting and dropletting (are those words?  doesn’t really matter.. I like them).. I decided to driplet and droplet on an extra piece of mixed media paper I had.. and guess what I made…. yep another scrapodex card… I LOVE scrapodexing.   Have you bought yours yet?  have you started filling them out????hmmmm???

Here’s my little card using our CIRCUS TENT stamp and sentiment.. also these little clippy things that i am now officially in love with that I had to remortgage my house for.. and finding mortgage arrangers that can help you are expensive, not to mention the clippy things themselves! LOL.. but so cute no?  You will see the orange splitter splatters in the background and the admit one ticket is from that same collage pack dena bought me from NYC.. oh and a little vintage  food stamp stapled to the side :).  Sometimes I just don’t wanna write in my journal.. and that’s where our stamps come in.  That circus stamp just said exactly how I felt about my life at that moment..LOL

would LOVE to see your creations.. would LOVE for you to submit!  don’t be shy.. it’s just “us”!

Next week’s theme is HANDWRITING.. I don’t care if you grunt or sigh..LOL.. Handwriting is a very important part of who we are… you can scribble.. you can bubble print.. but at least one little portion or big portion should be your everyday handwriting..  it can be your background, focal.. whatevah.. you can write nonsense.. scribble in a stream of consciousness.. write a letter… then decorate over top if you would like to.. splatter.. spray..  go crazy!  Now  you can enter a SCRAPODEX card (2.5*4  I believe the size is.. or 2.25 *4..grr)  with that theme.. or an art journal or both!!

Don’t forget this week’s bellarific friday as well.. post a comment for a chance to win $10 in bella bucks.. and enter for the chance to win $20 in bella bucks!

mwah mwah mwah to da sistahs who like da driplety dropleties

Em

 

> bellarific friday
17 Comments

It’s bellarific friday!

hiya sistahs!  so you liked da scrapodex ideaR?  me too!  will be stamping on some this weekend and will show you how it looks!

but now down to BIDNISS…

Let’s talk about some winnahs from last week shall we?

Winnah for COMMENTAYTIN’ ($10 in bella bucks) goes to….

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

4- DOLORES! you win!  please email me and I will send you your vouchah!

Timestamp: 2012-06-29 16:20:18 UTC

 

Now da winnah for CONTRIBUTING! ($20 in bella bucks)  goes to…

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

7- Lindsay you wiN!!!  please email me and I will put your moolah in your account!

Timestamp: 2012-06-29 16:23:26 UTC

This week’s theme was a sketch

Let’s see what our BABEROONIS came up with shall we?

Cathabella used FLYNN NEEDS A CUPCAKE

Dana used GRANDMA'S GRAMOPHONE by Rheea

and here's the inside of her card

Kathybella used UPTOWN GIRL MOLLY MAKES A DETOUR

Lindabella used GRANDMA'S GRAMOPHONE

Natashabella used BLOW A KISS JANE

Paulineabella used BESSIE LULU

Regan used GRANDMA'S GRAMOPHONE'S quote

How is DAT for bellarific goodness..hmmmm?

Now for da sistahood

Amanda used IDA LULU

Corey used JAVABELLAS

Jessica used IZZIE HAS A PREZZIE

Leslie used IZZIE HAS BALLOONS

Lynn used UPTOWN GIRL WINNIE

Margo used SPRINGTINI

maria l used GERTIE LULU

Violet used CURLY SURPRISEABELLA

aren’t these creations gorgeous???  LOVE them!

Now for next week’s theme…

EMBOSSING!  your card has to be embossed somewhere.. lots of options sistahs!

Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win $10 in bella bucks.. and play next week you have a chance to win $20 in bella bucks

And if you need anothah challenge.. we have one going on in our splitcoast forum… making a tag shaped card using a bella stamp or using a tag.  you can find the thread here

We have a long weekend here.. do you in the U.S.?

have a great weekend sistahs

mwah mwah

I may be back  before then!

and aj toosday theme is DROPLETS.. SPLOOTCHES and DRIPS!

have fun!

 

> Card Samples
10 Comments

so much inspiration.. so little time

Sistahs,

don’t you feel sometimes that you would just like a 3 day LOCKDOWN?  where you are in your craft room like a mad woman creating non stop.. no knocks on the doors.. no making dinner.. no “MUMMMMMMMMYYY”…s?  LOL.. well I am having one of those moments right now..

I have discovered Patty Van Dorin’s BLOG.. and am in LOVE.. I found a project that she has been doing over the years and it just sang my name..  Don’t you love how powerful our craft network is.. how pinterest works.. how blogs work?  I love it and I don’t.  I love it because I can keep myself constantly inspired.. and I don’t love it because I can keep myself constantly inspired. LOL.

 

So when I discovered her SCRAPODEX PROJECT, I instantly emailed her and asked for her blessing to re post her images and her project and maybe “play” around with my sistahs and she said yes!

Here is a picture of her scrapodex.. *WARNING… YOU MAY NOT SLEEP TONIGHT, AND YOU MAY JUST LOCK YOURSELF IN YOUR CRAFT ROOM*.. don’t say I didn’t warn you….

K does all of this make sense to you?  NOW do you see why I am inspired??? hmmmm???

So I went to staples, bought myself a ROLODEX and got to work.  Now there are so many uses for this little treasure… First of all the surface is so small that whatever you put on it will look cute :).. if you are working on a card or layout or collage, instead of having your table covered in scraps, just stick the little pieces on these cards!!  If the cards are too Flimsy you can make your own cards out of watercolor paper, scrap paper.. whatever.. the sky is the limit!  You can use your scrapodex just as daily inspiration, papers, paint, color combos and whenever you are in a rut, you just flip through this magical little place…

The scrapodex can also be “functional” (some people need to justify this baby.. I understand.. I do it too ).. so you can use it as a “catalog” of your stamps.. stamp them out.. write their name out.. pick a piece of paper you would ultimately like to use in a layout or card and staple a piece.. decorate it.. color it in and write down what colours you used.. this can be your reference guide!  You can slap on paint on it to catalog the colors you have.. so if you would like to look at what a color looks like in the future.. just take a peek at your scrapodex!  If you are already smearing a swatch of paint, why not finish it off with a piece of washi tape and book text?  Have a little collage while you are at it.. you can do the same thing with your ink colors, paper colors, markers, pencils etc.   What about if you are a quilter?  glue your fabric scraps, ribbon, even thread in there.. YUM!  It’s kind of like a journal but on a smaller scale.

Patty has a post on her blog where she explains how she does it.. it’s very simple.. and so much fun.. and once it’s full!  well.. need I say more?

Jayden and I started working on our “CARD THINGIES”..LOL that’s what she calls the inserts.. and we had a blast..  here are mine..

And here are Jayden’s.. I think she did a GREAT job on her “card thingies” don’t you?  and she was so focused with brads and buttons and papers.. her tongue was actually sticking out and I think I spotted some drool.. 😉

So I was thinking that maybe we can incorporate a scrapodex card with art journaling TOOSDAYS… or maybe it can merit it’s own day?  Whaddya think?

Mwah to da sistahs who lovey da ideaR

Em

> ART JOURNALING TOOSDAY
3 Comments

It’s ART JOURNALING MONDAY on TOOSDAY!

Hiya sistahs!  I am SO glad that the 4-0 is over and now I am officially 40+1 day..LOL.. and enjoying it.. stress free.  Made some goals I wish to achieve by the time I am 41 and I am gonna make sure they are all met.. but I won’t BORE you to tears k?

So I am a day late in AJ monday.. I am sorry for that but I am trying to keep everything under control on our end.. which is a bit tough..LOL.. but we are handling it.  We are buried under orders so please be patient with us.

I think I am going to move AJ mondays to TOOSDAYs from now on if that’s alright with you.. seems like a bettah day for me to post!  I have another project I think you will all enjoy! but I will show you that tomorrow.. it is SO MUCH FUN.. I started doing it and I think you will all love it too… so stay tooned!

So this week’s theme was STRIPES.. and our very own TERESA MCFAYDEN joined us in the post!  I am so excited!!

so let’s see what everyone came up with

Here’s Teresa’s page using her very own stamps DO THESE STRIPES MAKE ME LOOK FAT (lol. every time i read the name of them)

here’s a different angle

Here’s Corey’s page

Here’s my page using DO THESE STRIPES MAKE ME LOOK FAT (lol) set and PIE CHARTS HAVE NO CALORIES (think I have food issues? Lol)

Here’s PINKY’s page (Lori)

and here’s Violet’s page

Aren’t they AMAZING????  *SIGH*

And for the rest of ya’s… I think you need to go and get yourselves a journal.. and play along.  k? k.

Next week’s theme?   droplets, splootches, drips.. I wanna see drip marks sistahs… it could be from liquidy watercolors, ink refills, walnut stain.. sprays..

Have fun and see you on TOOOOOSDAY for this challenge!

(i am still gonna see you tomorrow.. don’t panic k?)

Mwah.

Em.

the 40 (there I said it) +1 day old

mwah.