Retro Father's Day

It's time to kick the Father's Day card making in gear!

I have some nice new retro motorcycle and car dies that I have been wanting to use

and thought that they'd be perfect for the occasion!

I created an assortment of 10 cards total....

switching up the background colors 

the motorcycle colors...

and the car colors

for an assortment of combinations and looks

All of the card stock (with the exception of the base card)  is LCI Metallic Card Stock...

silver....red...and black 

so the layers...the motorcycles and the car are all glistening

I'll list the die info below at the close of the blog post... in a brief supply list

for those of you who might want to add them to your own die collection.

 First up...the retro motorcycle...

I thought that this embossing folder was a good match for this card...(and a few others)

Metallic card stock seemed like the perfect choice as well.

The base card is black...

so I lined the inside of the back panel with white card stock...

so that the sender can write and sign the card with a regular pen...

The Happy Father's Day sentiment is heat embossed..

in silver...

and the sentiment banner is popped up on low profile dimensionals...

and finished with 2 mini silver brads

*Lots of texture and dimension on this card

an a close-up...

I love all of the details on the bike

I made a nice little stack of cards with this die...

before I retired it for the day.

I also created a few cards with a different motorcycle die...

(Can't share those though...because they were snatched up in a millisecond...

before I could take a few photos)

After the retro bike...

it was time to move on to a great looking retro car...

I really like this car....

It's got great lines and details...

Isn't it great looking?

It reminds me of the cars that were on the road in my neighborhood, when I grew up

(yes...I guess that makes ME....RETRO!)

The card front was trimmed 

The left panel is a little ore than half of the normal width of an A2 card...

And the mat layers and car extend beyond the half front panel

The Father's Day sentiment is hidden behind the car...

when the card is closed.

When the card is closed..

the car extends over the inside of the cad..

and it hides the sentiment

See?

The inside sentient is hidden under the car...

Here's the car in black...

(sorry...not the best photo...

the card was already sealed upon it's little cellophane bag...

so there's some reflective glare in this photo from the cellophane.

But I wanted you to see the car in black...

I think that Danny Zucco and his crew of cohorts in Grease would love this car...

almost as much as they loved Greased Lightening!

I still need to create more Father's Day cards...

masculine cards (or as I call them..."guy cards")

can be a challenge...

But I have something up my sleeve...

Card loving friends...these retro Father's Day cards are now available at HERE...at The Bellissima Card Shop

Card making friends...a brief list noting key supplies is posted below

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle

Supply List: 

Metallic card stock: LCI

Dies: 

Motorcycle...Die # 09162...by Frantic Stamper

Retro Car...Die #DV-528 ...by Die Versions

Water Colored Hydrangeas ...Always a Favorite....

I have been busy busy busy...

burning the morning...afternoon...and midnight oil in my cozy studio...

I spent some time working on my #1 favorite kind of card...

water colored florals...

The hydrangeas that I love to water color seem to be a favorite..

and so I get lots of requests for water colored hydrangeas..
and usually...
when I add them to my Bellissima Cards ETSY Shop ....
they are gone in a flash!

I TRY to keep ahead of the requests....

and dedicate a few days each month 

to creating cards with my much loved water colored hydrangeas..

So...

since my last blog post...

I have been busy with hydrangeas...

If you visit my blog regularly...
you've seen lots of water colored hydrangeas here already
I enjoy sharing new photos of new hydrangeas
not as an attempt to bore you to pieces.....haha
but to show you the gorgeousness that happens when ink and water are brought together...
and to encourage YOU..
if you are a card making friend...
 to give water coloring a try
(I get lots of emails and messages from from card makers
telling me that they are "afraid" to give water coloring a try)

I hope that when you take a look at the photos below...
that you hurry to your crafting space...and give water coloring a try

Lucky for you...
I only have 11 photos...
haha
I actually created many more cards...
but they were sent off to their new homes prior to the photos being taken

So here they are....
(all created with images from Stampin Up's Best Thought stamp set...heat embossed with gold EP prior to water coloring)

I have a few favorites...
Do you?

Card loving friends....These beautiful water colored hydrangeas will be available for sale,  this weekend HERE at The Bellissima Card Shop

Card making friends...there really isn't much of a supply list today....I've included the name of the stamp set in the blog post above....The remainder of the supplies would be your own selection of water color card stock....inks...paint brushes etc...

Thanks for visiting...

Wishing you a wonderful Friday...

Michelle.

Change of Pace...It's Time for Father's Day Cards

I have been feverishly creating Mother's Day cards for weeks now...

I no sooner think that I can take a breather...

when I realize that the cards that I had created....have all been snatched up...

I am still working on Mother's Day cards...

but...

I needed a change of pace...

so I went right to my big order that came from Our Daily Bread Designs...

and pulled out a Father's Day-ish stamp

Masculine stamps/images are aways a challenge to find...

Have you ever noticed that mason stamps are usually "outdoorsy"?

Yes...

Outdoorsy....

Like this stamp that I chose to use for todays for card.

The stamp is called "Deer Single"

(This stamp is also part of a larger stamp set called Quiet Waters.... that includes quotes)

I wasn't a fan of the quotes...

so I ordered the image stamp...as a single stamps.

I like this scene...

the winding stream....the fawn sitting in the grass

the doe looking very alert...

but...

While I like the scene....

I do wish that the lines were more defined...and finer...

Still..I like the image...an enjoyed water coloring it...

to bring it to life...

The stream glistens a little bit...

(thanks to clear Wink of Stella)

The base mat is embossed with a wood grain texture.

Still..I wish that the lines were finer...

especially on the fawn.

This being said...

I'm glad that I used this stamp to kick off my Father's Day card making

And there you have it...

the first two Father's Day cards of what will eventually be  MANY cards for this Father's Day

But first...I am still working on Mother's Day card requests...

Hopefully...by mid week..I should be all caught up

and then...

it will OFFICIALLY be.....

Father's Day card making season!

Thanks for visiting!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Michelle

A Repeat Performance and a Dino-Rak Winner

Good morning!

I've been on a card making whirlwind these last few days.

Last night I was in my cozy little studio until after 2 a.m creating cards for requests

some are new designs...

and some are repeat performances.

At around 1 a.m...

I realized that I had forgotten to post the winner of the little Dino-Mite Rak

So let me do that first...

and then I'll show you a few cards...

Gayle-rn

Congratulations!

You are the winner of the little dinosaur RAK...

Please email me at tobellissimacards@gmail.com...

send me your mailing info...

and a cute little trio of dinosaurs will be on their way to you this week! 

And now...

for the "repeat performances"

If you follow my blog...

the cards that that I am sharing today will be familiar to you...

because I created a 2 cards with both of these dies...

a few weeks ago.

They were gone in a flash when I put them in my etsy shop...

and now I've been asked to create a few more..

in assorted colors...

Card making friends...

I'll tell you the supply info for key supplies right now...

as opposed to at the end of the blog...

The list is very short...

Ellen Hutson Essentials.... Bed of Roses Die

Penny Black....Camellia Die

Card Stock: LCI Metallic (for the underlay)

and

Stampin Up for the overlay

and that's it!

So now...

here are the cards...

just a few of what I created last night...

The request for this card was for an assortment of colors

with "Happy Mother's Day" stamped inside.

I went with soft tones...

a very pale pink...

 with a shimmery ivory metallic underlay

 and a soft yellow...

again...with the ivory metallic underlay

a pretty lavender...

with a light shimmery lavender  metallic underlay...

As I always say when I use this metallic cards stock...I wish that it photographed better

so that you could appreciate the soft shimmer

and finally...

the boldest of the 4 card colors...

this beautiful turquoise-like blue...

I love the contrast between the brightness of the die cut overlay 

and the shimmery ivory  underlay

So...now for the BIG question...
Do you have a favorite?
Which color did you like best?

I have a strong suspicion that there will be many more "repeat performances" of this card

in the future...

The dies are great to work with...

they cut beautifully...

and create a beautiful card....

every time. 

I hope that love enjoyed seeing a splash os Springtime color here at my blog...

and Gayle-rn

Don't forget to send your mailing info to me!

Thanks for visiting...

Have a great Saturday, my friends!

Michelle.

Relaxing in the Garden

I am always on the hunt for nice dog stamps and dies.

I recently found this dog stamp while browsing around...

and placing an order... 

at Our daily Bread Designs.

As soon as it arrived here the other day...

 I took it out of the box....

and

I set it aside as a reminder to myself...

to use it ASAP.

While I love to water color and can hold my own with water, ink and a paintbrush...

I am very opened

and not ashamed to say)

 that I am.......alcohol marker challenged..

In a BIG..and very serious way !

I can blend .... and color with alcohol markers...

but ....

I am in serious need of....

H E L P.

The only thing worse than me needing HELP with al aspects of alcohol ink coloring..

is....

the level of HELP that I am in desperate need of when it comes to coloring faces and limbs.

My efforts at coloring flesh tones

is a scarrrrry experience.

Imagine THE worst flesh tone collier g that you have ever seen...

now times that by 8 million 

and thats my level of expertise.

Trust me...

it's NOT good.

So anyway..

 whenever I find stamps that I like that can easily be brought to life 

with a little bit of coloring of some sort...

I am almost always interested in that stamp.

This sweet little dog lying in the flower garden was one of those stamps.

Isn't he adorable?

...and

his close-up.

I embossed the dark brown mat layer with a wood grain embossing folder

then colored the flowers and grass.

I used an assortment of different greens for coloring the grass to give it some depth and shading.

When it was time to assemble the card...

the image layer definitely needed the thin black mat behind it.

Without it...the card looked unfinished.

I just love this stamped image...

I'm sure that this little guy won't be my last big stamp...

but for now...

he is my favorite dog stamp.

Card loving friends...this sweet puppy relaxing in the flower bed is now available for sale at The Bellissima Card Shop

Card making friends....the brief  list of key supplies is posted below

Thanks for visiting ...

Have a great Friday!

Michelle

Supply List

Card Stock: PTI & Stampin Up

Markers: Stampin Up

Stamp Set:  Dog Sympathy (Our Daily Bread Designs)

CAS Note Cards with Vintage-Style Images

If you follow my blog and know my style...

you already know that I am 100%, hands down....

a CAS card maker...

Today's cards are truly a reflection of my CAS-iness.

(I said CAS-iness...NOT Craziness!)

The stamp set is Favorite Book....

by Artistic Outpost

I simply stamped the images out on linen textured card stock...

added a little bit of color each image with some subtle water coloring highlights....

then matted each image on card stock that I embossed

with a favorite embossing folder called Textile Textures.

The final addition to these CAS note cards 

was the addition of some tiny accents placed on each

with Nuvo Drops ...

using colors that coordinated with the water coloring highlighting on each card. 

The images from the wonderful stamp set are very sweet....

very vintage...

and very compatible with creating a CAS card

There are some nice details in each image....

Love the big bow in her hair...

her petticoat peeking out from under her dress...

and her Mary Jane shoes.

Such a sweet little face....

I see a future leader here....

so serious...

so involved in his book

great posture...

great "presence"...

very official..

very mature looking...

Isn't he adorable?

another sweet face...

Love the haircut

and neck tie/bow

and his baggy knickers

and there you have it....

a simple sweet stamp set 

and a simple sweet note card set

and as the saying goes....

"Sometimes....less is more"

Card loving friends....These sweet note cards are available at The Bellissima Card Shop as a gift boxed set of 4 cards

Card making friends....No supply list today....(the stamp set name/mnftr is noted in the blog post....card stock is LCI...PTI...and Stampin Up...enamel drop accents are Nuvo Drops)

Thanks for visiting!

and PS...If you missed yesterdays blog post...there's a little Mini RAK giveaway going on there...just post a comment at yesterday's blog post where the dinosaur cards are posted.....and you'll be "in it to win it"

Michelle

A Dino-Mite RAK and a few Dino-Mite Cards

I am still rolling right along 

with the promise to myself about using things that I have had...

but have not used...yet

I am actually very happy to report that I am doing better than the promise of doing this once a week...

it's a great feeling to know that I am really using...

and enjoying...

my "stuff"

I am also sticking to my promise to do a little RAK now and then here via my blog...

so.... this blog post will offer a RAK at the end

I went through my Little Boy and Little Girl categories of stamps and dies...

and...

I got out a stamp set called Dino-Mite....

by Clearly Besotted

I wanted the adorable dinosaurs to be green...

but didn't want to do any coloring of painting...

so I stamped them out on some green card stock...

and then cut them out with the ScanNCut2

(I love that machine!)

I had a little 6x6 pad 

(not sure by who)

that is dinosaur prints...

and only dinosaur prints

The 6x6 pad is also a new item that I have had for ages..

and I had never used even one single sheet form the pad.

I was rolling right along with getting out 2 things from my insane "stash"

(Yay me!)

After the ScanNCut did it's job with the stamped images...

and cut them out perfectly..

I gussied up the dinos a bit with the Spectrum Noir glitter markers...

I used the Stampin Up Balloon Punch to punch out some balloons

I dug out some bakers twine that seemed like it would go well 

with the card stock colors I would be working with....the balloon colors..

and the print colors.

Oh!!...I just realized that  the punch is Item #3  

on the list of things that I have in the studio..but had never used

and...

the twine is #4!

(Wow!..I am impressed with myself!)

Then the card making began...

Isn't this guy adorable?

and here he is...

up close and personal

and as if the first little guy wasn't cute enough...

look at this guy...

I just love the goofy look on his face

and...

how about that mani and pedi?

By the way....that purple splat/smudge on the dinosaur footprint paper bothers me...

it's part of the print...

there are other splats throughout this print....but THAT one...

in THAT spot...

bothers me.

I think that this guy had the sweetest face of the 3 dinosaurs

when compared to the other 2 goofy (but lovable)  guys...

He's happy looking...

isn't he?

By the way....The Spectrum glitter markers are nice..

lots of glitter...

but...they are a bit tough to control..

the liquid runs out of the pens quickly..

too quickly

and applying it to small spots is a bit of a challenge for that reason...

I have actually ruined images when i have attempted to apply the glitter...

and a whole plop of liquid has exited the pen..

and landed on my work...

So...Nice shimmery glitter?

Yes

Nice easy precise application of the glitter?

No

So there you have it...

I used 4 things when creating these cards...

that I have had for quite a while...

and that have never been used.

Now...about the RAK...

if you like these little guys...

and would like to create a few dinosaur cards of your own...

Just leave a comment below..

and I'll pick a winner on Thursday evening

and I'll send a few dinosaurs to the winner!

Card loving friends...These cute guys are available as new additions at The Bellissima Card Shop

Card making friends...you won't find a supply list posted below...because I've already noted all of the key supplies and products above, in the blog post.

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle

A Touch of Autumn in April

Autumn has come in April

in my studio.

I am still keeping the  promise that I made to myself

 to use something that I have..but have never used...

at least once a week.

I've kept my word....

and today....

I kept it twice!

I got out 2 stamp sets that have never seen ink

and inked them up.

Well, actually...one of the stamps is from a double Stampin Up set..

I've used stamps from Part 1 of the set...and today used the stamp from Part 2.

The stamps in the spotlight today are

You've Got This (Stampin Up)

and

Lighthearted Leaves (Stampin Up)

It was love at first sight for me immediately...

as soon as I stamped this leaf over the You've Got This background stamp..,

(more info about the background stamp below....included with the next photo)

anyway..

I stamped the leaf with Versamark ink...

covered it with gold fine detail embossing powder

applied heat to set the embossing powder.....

and then...

water colored all of the little nooks and crannies.

As I was working on the image...

I thought...

Love Love Love

and one more...

Love.

Look at this gorgeousness!

Look at the mosaic like detail on this leaf!

Look at all of that color in each little gold embossed section of this leaf!

and....there ya' have it!

Justification for....

Love at first sight!

and...

2 more beautifully detailed leaves from the Lighthearted Leaves stamp set...

They started out the same way as the first card, above....

The leaves were stamped over the same background stamp

which as stamped on misted water color card stock

I love how the colors blend...right off of the stamp...

and onto the misted card stock.

Once the background dried....

I heat embossed the leaf...and water colored...

and again...

Love Love Love.

and a little bit of extra love for the Emily Bronte quote

Oh my!

Look at that shimmery golden mat beneath the green mat layer...

and....

The gold embossing on the leaves steals my heart...

and..the colors make me feel like I should be apple picking...

on a clear crisp chilly and sun drenched Autumn day....

Upstate...New York

and this simple but sweet little tree...

at first glance...

just a tree...

but...

but...

look at those leaves!

Each tiny golden edged leaf encapsulates beautiful color

and finally....the fourth card created with Lighthearted Leaves... 

again...this leafy branch was stamped over the background stamp...

heat embossed...

and water colored...

and....

and....the result is more gorgeousness.

Oh!!..Those colors!

and the gold!

and the soft water color-like background in glorious Autumn colors.

Forget Spring...

forget Summer...Bring on the Fall

After creating these cards...

I am ready for Autumn! 

My final thought?

I am SO glad that I chose these 2 stamp sets to work with today.

This was their maiden voyage..

Their first time being inked up.

and..

I keep thinking...

Why did I wait so long use these stamps?

I love the details on the leaves.

I love how they look when heat embossed.

I love the water-color-like background stamp

I look forward to working with these stamps again...

soon.

Card loving friends...These gorgeous note cards are available for purchase at The Bellissima Card Shop

Card making friends... a brief list of key supplies is posted below

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle.

Supply List:

Stamps: You've Got This (background image)...Lighthearted Leaves 

Card Stock: LCI, PTI, Stampin Up

Embossing powder: Fine Detail Gold by Sparkle N Sprinkle

Color/Ink: ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Markers

Sweet and Simple...

I've got a few sweet and simple cards to share...

very CAS...

very me...

This is the first time I inked this stamp set up...

it's sweet

and it creates a nice little card.
I should add...it comes with a window die...
so that you can cut out the window...
and look through it to see a little stamped scene.
I didn't use the companion die  for these cards....
maybe next time .

I kept the coloring" simple...

very basic...

I really didn't "color"

I highlighted...

the kite and kite tails...he little boy's clothing...the cloud edges...

the tree....the grass and grass line...flowers...and the bench....

just a hint of color here and there...

I chose Autumn-like colors for the tree...

(and then coordinated the matting with the Autumn-like colors as well)

I sketched with green along the grass line

*I'll tell you about the clouds below...

I added a sky blue outline to each cloud

added some color to the flowers and little boys clothes...

and done!

The clouds were actually a group of 3 clouds 

that were part of the stamp with the image of the bench...

I cut tat stamp in half so that I could add more clouds to each little scene

I am SO glad that I chose to cut the stamp

It allowed me to create the scene that I wanted to 

by having the ability to stamp the clouds only..

wherever I'd like to.
(I'll post a photo below)

This scene was highlighted with color in the same way as the prior scene..

and matted with coordinating colors

and again...

done!

Here's the stamp set...
The 3 little clouds are part of the bench stamp...
I cut the clouds off to create a separate stamp
and...I am already thinking of other stamp see that I can use those 3 little clouds with...

See?

Just like the blog title says....

Sweet and simple..

which goes along with what I always say...

Not every card has to be a grandiose production to create!

Card loving friends...these sweet little kite flying scenes are available for purchase as new additions at  The Bellissima Card Shop. When you stop in at the shop, be sure to take a look at all of the other cards that are also available!

Card making friends...a short supply list is posted below

Thanks for stopping by...

Michelle.

Supply list:
Stamp set: Stampin Up Happy Home
Card stock: PTI and Stampin Up
Ink: Memento Espresso
Markers: Stamin Up