Bella Carta

Cowboy Cupcakes (EIC127)

 
I'm playing along with Etsy Inspired today, featuring the store of Claylicious ceramic gifts that are functional and decorative! There are dishes, plates, mugs, jars, wall art....and MORE!  My trio of card werew inspired by the clay creations and colors found in this store.  Here are a few a my favorite:   

 
And oh, how I love this yarn bowl:

 

The details about my cards:
Paper:  Halfway Cafe and Wanted paper by Cosmo Cricket, Kraft CS by Papertrey Ink 
Cucpake is die cut using a Cricut and the Simply Charmed cartridge
Accessories:  Buttons and ribbon from Papertrey Ink

 

 

Warm and Fuzzy Stitches

 

Just a quickie card featuring Unity's Material Girl stamps that coordinate with Cosmo Cricket paper collection of the same name.

The spools are stamped on Kraft, cut out and then I used a few scraps of yarn in three different shades of red to wind around them.

 

It's the weekend - let's hang out!

 

This card features a stamp from a Unity Kit of the Month (are you signed up for these, they're wonderful!).  The cardstock is Sweet Blush and Aqua Mist (from Papertrey Ink) and the paper is Cosmo Cricket's Sugar Rush.   I stamped the sentiment (from Unity) on ribbon and stapled it to my project.

June's recipe for Friends Having Fun

I've been having an absolute blast with the Friends Having Fun challenges! Having fun is what its all about, isn't it?

Our challenge was to make a birthday card and incorporate the following elements:

• brads or eyelets to make a shape (I made the heart shape)
• use numbers (paper from Cosmo Cricket Material Girl 6 x 6 stack)
• use a tag
• have a bow on it  (I did a knot in the button twine)

The details:  Stamps used are from Unity, the paper is Cosmo Cricket Material Girl 6 x 6 stack), the ink colors are black, Not Quite Navy, So Saffron and Ruby Red (SU), the brads are Ruby Red from SU.  The button is from PTI Ocean Tides color family.  The size ... it fits a business size envelope its 4 inches by 9 inches.

Please take some time to check out  the other "Chefs" in the kitchen cookin' up some fun, and don't miss out on our Design Team (DT) call :   http://friendshavingfun.com/2010/06/562/

Our Fearless Team Leaders:
Sara  www.scraphappie.blogspot.com
Margie www.ohbumbleismemargie.blogspot.com

And the Recipe Design Team:
Juanita  www.stampintwilghtmom.blogspot.com
(me) Rebecca www.bellacarta.typepad.com
Jeri www.craftyjsplace.blogspot.com
Piali www.touchofcreation.blogspot.com

I've been having an absolute blast with the Friends Having Fun challenges! Having fun is what its all about, isn't it?

Our challenge was to make a birthday card and incorporate the following elements:

• brads or eyelets to make a shape (I made the heart shape)
• use numbers (paper from Cosmo Cricket Material Girl 6 x 6 stack)
• use a tag
• have a bow on it  (I did a knot in the button twine)

Friday ~ its sew sweet!

Yay, its Friday!

For my project I used the Unity/Cosmo Cricket collaboration of Material Girl Stamps and matching 6 x 6 pad.  The paper is die cut using the negative (the piece leftover from the Top Note die, I used it in my card on Monday).   I stamped the little dresses in different sheets from the paper pack (I love it, it all coordinates together!).  I used a  Copic marker to color regular twill ribbon to match, then stamped the sentiment.  The clothesline is twine, I used brads to hold it in place and the dresses are attached with foam dimensionals.

Details:
Paper:  6 x 6 Material Girl paper deck {Cosmo Cricket}
Stamps:  Material Girl {Unity Stamp Co} 
Cardstock:  Kraft
Accessorie:, silver brads, twine, Copic sketch marker YG11
 

Its sew sweet!

Have you seen the new Unity/Cosmo Cricket joint venture pairing Unity's stamps wtih Cosmo Crickets paper?    Material Girl, Material Girl Gets Scrappy and Garden Variety.  This is from the Material Girl stamp set, with matching paper in a 6 x 6 pad. 

I colored some button twine with my R24 Prawn Copic sketch marker in a color that matched the deck.  The sentiment is stamped on twill. 

Stamps:  Material Girl (Unity Stamp Co)
Paper:  Material Girl 6 x 6 pad
Accessories:  Twill tape, Button Twine, Copic Sketch Marker R24 Prawn, Top Note die

FTC disclosure:  I won the Material Girl 6 x 6 pad with Material Girl Gets Scrappy stamp set from Unity during their second anniversary.  This car

Going retro for Father's Day {Friends with Flair}

The contest is now closed (although you're welcome to leave me a comment on my card!)

 the winner is #2 - Savannah!

 

Woot, woot !!! Its FRIDAY!!!!    And it gets better!  You've found the Friends With Flair blnkie - just leave your name and a comment below and you'll be entered to win 25 stamps from Unity Stamp Co.   Make sure I have your name and email, and I'll choose a winnner on Saturday morning, and presto - Unity will send you 25 randomly selected stamps.

For my Unity project today, I used "Retro BBQ .... Sweet Summer Time" stamp set.  I watercolored the image to get a color inspired by the Le Crueset red flame color, and then used dimensional gloss over top.  The paper is from Cosmo Cricket (Wanted) with matching chipboard alphabet. 

And the sketch is from Friends Having Fun, sketch challenge #2 <----- you can click to go check it out.

Details:
Cardstock:  Kraft, watercolor paper
Paper:  Cosmo Cricket Wanted collection, with matching chipboard alpha
Accessories:  Twine, dimensional gloss
 

Fly ... sweet sparrow

 
Its time for another Friends Having Fun color challenge!   Allison picked for us the colors of a desert sunset .... turquoise, terra cotta and lemon yellow.  I had several great paper packs to choose from  in these colors Cosmo Cricket Halway Cafe, Wanted and Crate Paper Crush and I went with Cosmo Cricket's Halfway Cafe.  I sanded the paper edges just to make it a bit softer.   The textured background is made by using an embossing machine, and then inking the raised portions.    This card is also from Unity Stamp Co's second anniversary challenge - Unity Takes Flight.   The bird and sentiment are stamped on oak veneer (very, very thin wood).  I had a card posted yesterday that used these colors, too! 

Stamps:  Sweet Sparrow from Unity Stamp Co.
Cardstock:  Aqua Mist and Lemon Tart from Papertrey Ink, Halfway Cafe paper from Cosmo Cricket
Ink:  Terracotta from Papertrey Ink, Cocoa Bean from Memento, and Broken China from Tim Holtz distress inks.
Accessories:  a little brass key that I dipped in versamark and heat embossed to a copper patina, wood veneer, ribbon.  

 

Just Us Girls, challenge #17 My Time Made Easy templates!

This week's JUGS challenge is ALL about templates, Lauren's templates to be precise!  I had ventured over earlier to her new "My Time Made Easy" store and downloaded this FREE template {Cutesy Cover} but hadn't had a chance to use it yet, till today!

How fun is this template?  Just a bunch of fun!  These templates are really easy to use - I don't have a personal cutter (cricut, gypsy, slice) but I still found these easy to use! I just cut my paper down to 8.5 x 11 from a 12 x 12 sheet, then popped it into my printer, the PDF image prints out direct on the paper and cut with your paper snips.  One of the things I really like is that the score lines are light gray and dotted, they are easy to see but then blend into your finished project! 

I added a large grommet to mine and tied a ribbon around the whole thing. Its the size of a deck of playing cards and can hold small gifts, a gift card or some treats (like cookies!).  The stamp is from Jen, thanks Jen!  I used my silver dew drops on the corners - earlier today I managed to spill them and I'm still picking them up from EVERYWHERE {rolls eyes}.  That was my second catastrophe in my stamp room today, the first was managing to get black ink ALL over me!  Luckily, it washes off!

The paper is Cosmo Cricket - Fleuriste, the ribbon is grey taffeta from SU (the grommet is from SU, too) and the stamp is from Verve (in Raspberry Fizz ink from PTI).

Buon Martedi Grasso (TTIC #20)

Buon Martedi Grasso !!!!!

Happy Fat Tuesday!!!!  Gosh, another lent season is upon us but TODAY ... today mi amiche (my friends) is for REVELRY!

Oggi celebrare (today we are celebrating) La Cita Bella Volterra e tutto Italiano! (the beautiful city of Volterra and all things Italian!).   You will also get a little dose of italian in today's post. The very talented Jen choose our challenge:

So for your creativity challenge this week were instructed to revel in the beauty that is Italy. Showcase the landscape, the culture, the food, the music… anything that catches your fancy about Italy.  What catches my fancy? 

SHOPPING!!! And italy is the mecca of shopping.    Italians are incredible leather craftsman, and to honor that I chose to create a purse (out of paper).  I'm not too proud to admit that I completely and totally WAFFLED the first one!  I had it all cut and scored right and put the sticky tape on it and dork that I am assembled it wrong! So I cut a second one ... and missed one of the steps - and threw that one out too.  This is actually my third one!  The pattern wasn't hard, its from Scor pal - I just recommend making one from plain cardstock first - it would have probably been easier to "see" the pattern while I was cutting and scoring.  The pattern is available here at Scorpal <----- click it to go see, its the first one shown in olive.   I used a 12 x 12 sheet from my Cosmo Cricket Flueriste package.  Its embellished with a vintage button, some brown Twill ribbon (PTI) and a vanilla tag (SU).  I've hand written "la dolce vita" on the tag.  The paper is wonderfully distressed, so I just smudged the edges a bit more with Chocolate Chip ink - the paper photo corners, tag and the circles under the button are from the reverse of this sheet.  

Cielo di Toscana!   (the blue skies of tuscany)

For you comment challenge Jen asked:

I want to tell me have you been to Italy? What did you like best about it? Have you been to Volterra? And what are you hoping the director of New Moon captures about Italy in the movie?

I've been to Italy - many times :-) its a beautiful place and I never get tired of the amazing things to see.  Volterra is, like most of the tuscan towns, just beautiful.  Volterra is an area that was occupied by of gli etruschi (the etruscans) long before those we know as italians.   I'll try to dig out some of my pics and maybe *finally* try my hand at digi scrapping :-) promises, promises!   I could go on and on ....... but I won't :-) Volterra is home to some incredible alabaster craftsman .... you can check those out by clicking on the link.  And the Etruscan museum.   

AND OME!!!! The Volturri have joined the blog-o-sphere! 

No post would be complete without a comment on the beautiful language Italians speak.  "Textbook" Italian is probably closest to the Milan region, everywhere else - there are minor to major differences (the differences seem to get larger as you travel south)  in how the language is spoken and words used.   But its a beautiful language to speak and hear.  And I hope any Italian readers will forgive me if I've made a grammatical error, I'm a bit rusty!  I don't get many chances here in FL to brush up on my written italian.

Ciao bella!