Belles n Whistles - Sparkly Christmas

It's time for a new challenge at the Belles n Whistles Challenge Blog and the lovely Lynda has chosen a sparkly, glittery, blingy Christmas - Yay! How much fun! My card really sparkles much more in person - the paper is glittery, the Prima flowers are glittery and of course, I added stickles to my sweet Star of Bethlehem image. This was my favorite Christmas stamp last year, and I waited too long to order it - and it sold out! I had to wait until this year to add her to my collection. So, don't make my mistake, grab yours today.

Have you been playing along with our Advent Blog event? We have so many cool things planned this month - and we are giving goodies away everyday! We are also holding a Christmas Ornament contest and would love for you to play along! There will be 3 prizes awarded - the first prize is a $25 gift certificate! So don't forget to make a BnW ornament!

Challenges:
Simon Says: sketch

It's Release Day at Belles n Whistles!

Welcome to the Changeabelles Collection Blog Hop from Belles n Whistles!

We are so excited to be sharing with you this new and fun release! You should have arrived here from the very talented Aud's blog. If not, You will want to go back to the beginning of the hop at the Bells 'n Whistles Blog. We hope that you will be inspired by what our team has created. Pre-orders for this collection start today, and will begin shipping on October 4th.

For my card, I used Picnic Solace along with the Roses. I stamped Belle and cut her out, so she could sit on top of the picnic basket. I imagine she is admiring the roses that she just picked! I love that you can really change this release around to suit your needs! It's going to be so fun!

So what would a BnW Release Hop be without lots of prizes?!! You will want to leave a comment on each stop of the hop, because we will chose a winner from each blog - and you get your choice of a stamp from the new release! As if that wasn't enough, one randomly chosen winner from the BnW blog will receive a new set of Belles 'n Whistles stamps! So what are you waiting for? Be sure and leave a little love here, before you hop to Rosette's lovely blog!

Andrea (http://impressionsaremade.blogspot.com/)
Iris (http://cocoacards.blogspot.com/)
Elise (http://paperloveaffair.blogspot.com/)
Kathrin (http://kruemelsbastelblog.blogspot.com/)
Jodi (http://inkedinspirations.blogspot.com/)
Kathy (http://distressedstamper.blogspot.com/)
Anki (http://bargman.blogspot.com/)
Lilian (http://colortopaper.blogspot.com/)
Aud (http://audhilds-hobbyblogg.blogspot.com/)
Gini (http://ginicagle.blogspot.com/) You are here
Rosette (http://craftingmagic.blogspot.com/)

Just in case you get lost along the way - Blog hop order:

Additional Blogs to visit (Guest DT)

Liza (http://pinkcandystripes.blogspot.com/)

Mary Frances (http://franciecrafter.typepad.com/francie_crafter/)

Stephanne (http://stagnantlycreative.blogspot.com/)

Good luck and have fun!

Challenges:
Sketch Saturday: Sketch

Monthly Blog Hop Really Reasonable Ribbon - Setember

Welcome to this month's edition of the Really Reasonable Ribbon blog hop. We will be highlighting different ribbons from the store and you will have the chance to win our Ribbon of the Month kit! How awesome is that? If you have been following the ribbon path to get here, you should have arrived from Kym's blog. If you just stumbled upon this hop, then you will want to go back to the Really Reasonable Ribbon Ramblings to start. Be sure to leave a little love at each team member's post to be eligible to win this month's kit.

For my card today, I used this adorable stamp from Belles n Whistles - Princess Tales. I thought she was deserving of some of my most girlie-girl ribbons. I love the pink glittery ric-rac (doesn't every princess need sparkle and pink?). I added crocheted lace to the side and ruffled it by simply using a piece of Scoretape along the back and pleating the lace as I laid it down. Finally, I used some Cotton Candy Baker's twine on my button. The papers are from Webster's Pages.

So, I guess it's time to get hopping to the very talented Amber's Blog. I know she will have something fantastic to share with you.

Here is a blog hop list for you, just in case you get lost along the way.

Jacque
Iwona
Cassi
Robbie
Kym
Gini (You are here)
Amber
Susan
Kerri
Trudy Sjolander
Cheryl
Erika

Challenges:
Papertake Weekly - sketch
Artful Inkables- Distressed Out
Creative Inspirations - Lace and Sparkle
Cuttlebug Challenge - birthday and layers
Wild Flower Wednesday - scallops and buttons
C.R.A.F.T. - pastels
Creatalicious - vintage
Stamp and Create - pearls and gems

Show us some fall colors

Autumn is just around the corner, and we would love to see some of those gorgeous fall colors on your Belle's N Whistles projects.

We had my dad's birthday party today, and I made this card for him. The fall colors were great for his card. I used the stamp Surprise. The papers were from Pink Paislee.

We hope that you will play with us this week at the BnW Challenge. Just be sure to use a Belles n Whistles stamp to be eligible to win a BnW stamp of your choice.

Challenges:
Friday Sketchers: sketch
Crafty Cardmakers - birthdays
Bunny Zoe: Vintage

Fun in the Sun!

Where is the summer going? My husband is a teacher, and he will soon have to go back to school! At Belles n Whistles, we want to keep that summer feeling going by seeing a little Fun in the Sun!

For my card, I used Little Eden. I decided that she would have fun watching the penguins hula dance for her!

I hope you will get a chance to play this week! You could win a BnW stamp of your choice!

Can you tell I chose the challenge at Belles N Whistles?

Ok, anyone who knows me or follows my work, knows that I love to distress everything that is not moving! So, of course, when it came time for me to choose a challenge at Belles n Whistles, I picked distressing! Yay! So get out your inks, your distressing tools or scissors - and use any type of distressing that you would like. Remember, you are playing for a BnW stamp of your choice!

I used the adorable Clowning Around from the Forever Young collection. I cut my circles (which by the way are also distressed!) using the Kreaxions Circle Cutter - my new favorite tool! That bodacious bow was made using some fantastic 1 1/2 inch wide Rose Satin from Really Reasonable Ribbons.

I hope you will get a chance to play along!

Challenges:
Crafty Creations - sketch
Crafty Pad - picture inspiration
Stamptacular Sunday - Ice Cream colors (cherry)
C.R.A.F.T. - babies and children
Artful Inkables - stitching

Glitter and Pearls

I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July if you are here in the States and a great weekend for my friends elsewhere.

How girly is this theme - glitter and pearls? And of course so many of the Belles N Whistles stamps are perfect for this challenge! I used one of the newest stamps, Fairy Play, from the Forever Young collection. I highlighted her fairy dress with Copic Spica pens and added stickles around my border and on parts of the DP. I used a pearl swirl and single pearl accents to further enhance the card.

We would love to see you join us for this challenge. One lucky winner will get to chose the BnW stamp of their choice!

Challenges:
Quixotic - sketch
C.R.A.F.T. - purple and green with gems
Basic Grey - photo inspiration
Dutch Dare - photo inspiration
Paper Play - card for a child

My picture inspirationfor the Beary Scrap

Happy 4th of July Weekend! Tomorrow is the big day. I hope you have some fun plans for the holiday. When I first saw this inspiration picture, I knew exactly which stamp I would use - Warm Apple Pie from Belles N Whistles. I used copics to color her and then made the frame around her using Spellbinders Classic Frame. The papers are from Pink Paislee, 365 Degrees.



Have a great weekend and come back to see new inspiration from the Beary Scrappy Gals starting on Monday. We have a new challenge - to use embossing. You could win some great Bo Bunny goodies.

Challenges:
Midnight Madness-sketch
Flourishes - Fruit Inspired
Papertake Weekly - In stitches
Crafty Catz- distressing
Pixie Dust - Red, white, blue
Stamp Something - the colors of your flag (The Beary Scrap is sponsoring this challenge)
Belles N Whistles - Since I'm on the DT, I'm not entering it, but the challenge is Red

Does it get any sweeter than Belles n Whistles with pink, brown and white?

Any time you mix Belles n Whistles stamps with pink, brown and white, you know that is a recipe for sweetness! And that is exactly what our challenge is for you this week - Easy Peasy!

I used the new stamp, A Child's Prayer, from the Forever Young Collection. I love this image, because I feel that I have so much to be thankful for, and this card really expresses that. I hope that you will join us this week - and you could win your choice of a Belles n Whistles stamp.

Challenges:
Wild Flower Wednesday - sketch
Paper Sundaes - Pretty as a Princess
Practical Scrappers - flowers
Creative Card Crew - Thank you
Papertake Weekly - Ice Cream Flavor
Meljen's - fiber, ribbon, lace
Totally Gorjuss - Sugar and Spice
JUGS - pink, chocolate, vanilla
Bunny Zoe's - Nice and Girly

Belles N Whistles - Forever Young - Blog Hop

What an exciting day! We have a new release at Belles N Whistles - Forever Young. To showcase this fabulous new collection, we have a blog hop. I know you are going to love each and every new stamp - they are all adorable. And besides getting to see all of this inspiration, you have a chance to win this entire release! I'm sure that got your attention! If you have been hopping along, you should have arrived from my friend Elise's blog. If you just stumbled here, you will want to go back to the very talented Iris's blog. Be sure to leave some love at each of the DT's blog for your chance to win.

I love the stamp I am getting to hightlight - A Merry-Go. Doesn't that just bring back wonderful childhood memories?

You can pre-order these stamps today, and they will ship on June 22 or 23rd. (Please note, the store will be closed from June 23rd - July 5th, so you will want to get your orders in before that so you don't have a delay).
Now it's time to hop on to Jodi's blog - I know that she will have something fabulous to show you!

Challenges:
Paper Sundaes - sketch
Lexi's Creations - something old (old book was cut up for flower)
Shabby Tea Room - Summer fun
Colour Create - baby pink and blue
S2G - pink
Stamp Something - Happy somethings
Bunny Zoe's - Nice and Girly

Here comes another Belles N Whistles Challenge!

I hope you enjoyed playing along with the first Belles N Whistles challenge! Get ready for another fun one! My friend Andrea came up with the theme of punches and ribbons. You know you love using them anyway, so why not go for it?

Since we are getting into the full swing of summer, I used Splashing Good Times. Don't you think that it looks like they are sitting right in front of the sun?

You will have a week to play along with us.

Challenges:
Midnight Madness - sketch
Design Dollies - sporty
Papertake Weekly - Fun, Fun, Fun
Creative Inspirations - Beach theme

Sunshine and Apples

Today, I am so happy to share with you a card made using Sunshine and Apples from Belles N Whistles. I live in the mountains of North Carolina, and apples are one of our main products. We have an Apple Festival every year at Labor Day - so this stamp just makes me smile!

I think I distressed this card every way possible - tearing, shredding, inking with distress inks, glimmer mist. I even distressed my ribbon that I used to make the flower, with ink and glimmer mist, to make it match my DP papers a little better. Don't forget to enter our DIY flower challenge at the BnW blog. You could win a $25 gift certificate to Belles N Whistles! How is that for a sweet prize?

Challenges:
Midnight Madness: Sketch
Stampin Sisters in Christ - Distressing
Sketchy Colors - Earth Colors
Stamptacular Sunday - Pearls and Swirls
Shabby Tea Room - Polka Dot Tea Party
Charisma Cardz - 3D
Pixie Dust - Add a pearl
Clearly I stamp - flowers
Create 4 Fun - vintage card
Flourishes - DIY flowers
Color Throwdown - color challenge
Creative Inspirations - distressed
Wild Flower Wednesday - distressed
ABC- "v" Vintage
Totally Gorjuss - Bling it on

Belles N Whistles Flower Fun!

I am so excited today! To begin with, I get to share with you my first card as a DT member for Belles N Whistles! I love these stamps designed by Elisabeth Bell and am just tickled pink to have been named as a member of their awesome team! The other excited news is that we are now holding a Belles N Whistles Challenge every other week - and it starts today. Our inaugural challenge is DIY flowers. Don't you just love it?




For my card, I used the Watering image. This cute stamp is from the spring collection. I made my flowers using a Spellbinders flower die and grungeboard. I was really going for a polka-dotted yellow, but they turned out more like wild leopard flowers, but hey, they're fun! If you would like to play along, just make sure to use a BnW stamp and make any kind of flower for your project. Then be sure to upload your picture to the challenge folder in our gallery. If you need some inspiration, be sure to check out all of the wonderful creations from my team members - These ladies really know how to rock a challenge!

Details:
Stamp: Belles N Whistles - Watering
Medium: copics,Glimmer Mist, stickles, Distress Inks, CTMH ink pads
Papers: CTMH, Bazzill
Accessories: Organza ribbon (Really Reasonable Ribbon), Chipboard - CTMH,
Pearl Flourish - BG
Tools: Spellbinders, MS branch punch

Challenges:
Creative Card Crew: Sketch
Sir Stampalot - Blooms and Butterflies
Flourishes - Chipboard
Stamptacular Sunday - Pearls and Swirls
Crafty Pad - Over the Edge
Totally Gojuss- Bling it on

Have a Bloomin' Good Day!

I love a good challenge, something that pushes me out of my comfort zone. The color challenge at Roses on Paper was to use orange, pink and yellow. This is just not a palate that I normally work with. But with this cute Belles 'N Whistles image it was really fun! The tag pulls out and reads "Have a Bloomin' Good Day"

Challenges:
ROP - pink, yellow, orange
Truly Scrumptious - sketch
One Stitch at a Time - Going Dotty
Pile it On - Cute and Cuddly
Alota - Flowers
Crafty Angels- One for the girls
Clearly I Stamp - April showers bring may flowers
Sweet Stampin' - summer colors

Please say that this has the "WOW" factor!!

Elisabeth Bell is one of my very favorite designers, so....when I saw that Belles 'n Whistles was having a DT call, I knew, I had to throw my hat into the ring! I love BnW stamps - and I'm thrilled that they have gone clear! I really appreciate being able to see where I am stamping.

I pulled out all of my BnW stamps, and inked a bunch up - trying to decide which one to use. So, I'm not always good having to narrow things down, so you will get to see several stamps in action.

I am over the moon about my first card! I figured out how to use 4 of my stamps on this one card (See, I told you I didn't want to narrow down my choices). Everybody is hanging out at the pool - and my tubing girl is getting ready to jump right in! I've not seen anyone else make a card like this before - I combined an easel card with a tent card. I colored all of my images with copics. Liquid glass was added to the inter tube and the pool water to make them shiny. The pool is a digital image from BnW. I wish all background stamps were digital - It was so awesome to be able to size this for my purpose.


I cut out a layered palm tree with my cricut and embossed the trunk with a cuttlebug folder. There is a sandcastle border at the bottom of the card, that is made with distress embossing powders, so it really looks like sand. I was really pleased with the depth I was able to achieve on this card. I hope this says "WOW" to the ladies choosing the new DT members! I would so love to get to design with these stamps all of the time!


My second card is just so sweet! I used Tea Time for it. Now, normally, I don't cover my cards with flowers, but Kimm at the Beary Scrap is adding this new line of Mulberry flowers - and I really am crazy about them. I colored the flowers with Glimmer Mist - and made the large ribbon flower in the center by twisting some lovely vintage ribbon from my stash.
I did add my favorite techniques - distressing, stitching and coloring with copics (I even added a little bling in the upper corner!)

So, wish me luck on the DT Call! It's open until Wednesday, if you want to give it a try.

Challenges for Card 1:
Crafty Pad - Punches
Incy Wincy - Anything Goes
Pollycraft - Here Comes the Sun
Stamp With Fun - Friends
Delightful Sketches - Punches
Color Throwdown - Rose, Kiwi, turquoise (mine are a little more muted)
Copics Colour Challenge - BG11, BG02, R20
Lili of the Valley - Here Comes Summer
Crafty Ann's - Anything goes
Crafty Calendar - The Great Outdoors
Sweet Stampin - Summer Colors
Stamp Insanity - Easel does it


Challenges for 2nd card:
Crafty Pad - Punch
Alota - flowers
Crazy Challenge - bling
Delightful Sketches - punch
Incy Wincy - Anything Goes
Creative Card Crew - April Showers Bring May Flowers
Colour Create - Khaki, aqua, brown, cream
Clearly I Stamp - Flowers

Belles N Whistles

I love the Belles n Whistles stamps! and this one is so cute! I used the sketch from Stamp with Fun. I layered the stamp image for depth, paper pieced the patches and pockets on her clothes and colored with Copics, highlighted with Copic Spica pens. I made the flower with crepe paper (I cut a length of paper streamer, folded it about 1/3 down the length, then sewed a running stitch, and gathered it to form a rosette), I sprayed it with Tattered Angels, and heated it to burn the edges slightly. I added an antique mother of pearl button to finish it off. These have become my favorite new embellishment. While you are at the Stamp with Fun sight, check out their DT call!