Fabulous Finds Friday — Pretty Bella!

Bella means pretty — and the stamps from Stamping Bella are pretty indeed!

Here’s a pretty card made at the Stamping Bella booth at CHA:

Notice the pretty bling in the top right? It’s Bella Bling! Here’s what a package looks like:

And the lovely husband-wife owners, Ryan Cohen and Emily Block:

Two more cards showcasing their stamps:

Happy (belated!) Valentine’s Day!

I was so busy chatting and posting about CHA that I totally missed posting some Valentine’s Day cards! (Luckily, I had made my Valentine’s Day cards early, so I was able to get those out to some very special people.)

So from me to you, here are a few quick V-D cards:

(Yikes — sloppy stamping there on the bottom…. Sheesh.)

Here’s a very quick card made by stamping, cutting and punching hearts:

(The hearts came from a Fiskars stamp set and a matching punch)

When it came time to mail my Valentines, I realized I was ONE card short! And I didn’t have time to make another. So I reached into my stash and found this perfect card — all it need was two punched hearts in the basket! I was so pleased with myself, hee hee hee.

(The Hero Arts bike is a fave!)

Hope your day was sweet! Thanks for stopping by. And do come back — I’m not done with my CHA report! You can read my lengthy report next week on the Crafts ‘n things newsletters — it’s free, just sign up at www.craftsnthings.com.

Fabulous Finds Friday — New Ways to Embellish

Today I’m featuring two new embellishments (both seen at CHA, of course!) — Nestabling and Candi.

As if Spellbinders’ Nestabilities dies aren’t cool enough, bling makes them even cooler.

Check it out:

(sorry for the blurry photo)

Nestablings are made by Want2Scrap and match many of the Nestabilities dies. They are easier to use than I thought — I pick them up with the tip of my craft knife and carefully line them up with the die-cut shape. I just love how they set off the die cut and add just a little somethin’-somethin’.

My other find is Candi by Craftwork Cards. Candi is like a sweet treat for your cards or projects! These small dots are sort of like brads, but without the legs. About the same size as a medium brad, they are paper-based so they can be stamped, glittered, inked, colored, embossed, etc.  Because they have a cup-like dip on the back, they are best adhered with dimensional dots (or Craftwork’s own Candi Fix pop-up dots.) You can also use them upside down. Take a look:

And look at the beautiful roses, made from turning the Candi upside down:

And here’s a (blurry — sorry ’bout that) step-by-step look at building that rose:

Thanks for stopping by!

More CHA news

It’s been almost a week since the Craft & Hobby Association trade show closed… and I am still sorting through my notes and uploading photos!

Here are some shots from a new stamp company, Harmonie:

Note the beautiful etching on the wood.

Love this little owl! Their stamps come in wood mounted or clear.

One more:

How cute are these critters?

Here’s another card from a Canadian company, Your Next Stamp Company:

Stay tuned for more CHA highlights … slowly, but surely!

CHA Report… A New Stamp Company

Today’s sneak peek from CHA showcases a stamp company that is new to U.S. markets. One look and I was smitten!

The company is called La Blanche, and is located in Germany. (You’ll be able to find them in the U.S. soon.) Besides the gorgeous designs, the stamps are intriguing because of how they are made. The stamps are foam-backed, making them very light, and the image is made of white silicone. When I first saw the stamps on the display board, I thought they were soaps! Because the stamps are silicone, you can impress them into hot material, such as Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel.

Look at the exquisite detail! I have not had time to try the stamps out, but here are some samples from the booth:

(The boy on the mushroom looks shiny because a coat of clear embossing powder was melted over the entire image. So elegant!)

The company also carries a line of its own crisp, white paper. Before stamping for the first time, use a stamp cleaner or baby wipe to clean any release resin from the stamp. At the show, the artists were stamping in archival black ink then coloring with Ranger Distress inks. I’m thinking Memento and VersaFine would also be good choices.

I hope to report more on these after I’ve had a chance to play with them myself.

In the meantime, check out the company website at www.lablanche.eu, and tell them I sent you!

Come back for more CHA news over the next few weeks.