This card is such a sunny creation by Fran. The stamp is "Summer Icecream" by Sugar Nellie, and it certainly feels like the gelato/gelati colours inspired the overall treatment of Fran's stunning design. The papers are gorgeous and leave that tantalizing tang on the taste buds for some sweet candy to nibble on. :) Once again Fran's colouring is fantastic. And her card is purely delicious. Just like a sumptuously flavoured summer icecream treat!

Heehee! (ALL puns intended :D).

This is yet another delightful creation by Fran. I love all the soft yet energetic colours on her card, and Fran's colouring is gorgeous. If you take a closer look at the image on her blog, you'll see that Fran also used glitter on Sweet Ebony's bonnet of flowers. Adorable! The layout of the design is lovely; the flowers on the edge of the circular inset pushes the eye around the card and you discover more delightful details as you feast on this creative plate filled with delicous colours and beauty.

Be sure to visit Fran's blog to read about this image in more detail.

Here is a daaarling card that Fran created using the Sweet Ebony "Pen Pal" stamp by Sugar Nellie. I adore the colours Fran has used on this creation. And Fran's colouring is stunning!! The ribbon and the flowers make this card look extra sweet and with the warm vanilla hues, this card is total warm, vanilla sugary goodness!

Make sure you pop on over to Fran's blog to see her blog in greater detail and to view more of her delightful pieces! xx

PS. A MASSIVE Thank You!!! to all of you who have posted such delightful comments on my site! And also for all your lovely emails, thank you once again. I adore hearing from each of you and reading all the exciting things you have to share with me.

Big Hearts and Hugs to you ALL!!!

Elisabeth xxx

Here is a STUNNING creation Fran made back in May. I was very new to the stamping world back then and when I saw Fran's Bag Card with the pull out tag and all the decorative embellishments, not to mention how Fran used the sweet "Pickin' Apples" stamp by Sugar Nellie, I was gobsmacked! I thought the front of Fran's card was amazing until I saw the inside of her card. I couldn't help staring at this fantastic creation on my computer screen; I KNOW I looked like a cod fish, LOL!

What I dearly love about Fran's card here is when it is opened (which you can see in all its glory on her blog), not only are the papers adorable, but the way Fran has captured the Sweet Ebony stamp with her colouring is incredible!! I love, LOVE her depiction of this image on her creation, and it completely took my breath away.

So please take a moment to view Fran's blog and to see what all my hulla-balloo is about over her stunning creation that won my heart months ago. Enjoy!

Hello Art & Stamp Lovers!

It is already another Saturday which means a new talented Designer is featured in our Designer Spotlight. This week's Designer to grace our creative spotlight is an avid stamper, who, as described by Katharina Frei of Whiff of Joy Stamps, "...owns craft supplies beyond belief and knows how to use them. She is always on the lookout for new styles and trends. [She] has the talent to combine colours you thought would never match and turns them into a masterpiece." 

Some of you might already know who I'm talking about but to keep the rest of you from suspense, our Designer in the Spotlight this week is none other than the AMAzing Fran from the UK!

Congratulations Fran!!

Fran is another drop-dead talented Designer who not only has a wide selection of creativity on her blog but is also one of the very talented Designers on the Whiff of Joy Design Team. Fran is a designer that I have admired from the word Go! Ever since I discovered the frenzied world of stamping, it was easy to come across Fran's fantastic creations. Her work is ingenious. Innovative. Imaginative. And hypnotically alluring!! I believe one of Fran's talents is to create Scenes out of various stamp images, which is indeed a coveted skill! :)

Today I thought we'd begin with one of Fran's latest creations using one of the Honey & Pip stamps from Sugar Nellie called, "Honey's Christmas". To just look at this stunning visual, one needs no words to describe its beauty. I adore the colours Fran has used here and the many patterns that catch the eye. All I could do was sigh and breathe wordless exclamations of "Ahhh" when I first saw this card. Fran truly is gifted in creating beautiful stories out of pictures without the use of words thereby granting aesthetic flair to any piece!

Please visit Fran’s blog to view this creation and the many others she has displayed on her stunning space.

SASS is up! Woo-hoo! There are a total of 4 sketches for this week. The first two images reflect this month’s theme Paddling Pool Fun. I did TRY to stick to our lovely Paddling Pool Fun theme, but I somehow had too much fun drawing sand and little shovels and before I knew it, my illustrations had slightly deviated…oops. Still, it's all fun in the sun! I hope you enjoy them. :)

The other two images are Random Sampler sketches portraying a little character I’ve named Belle sitting on a stool with her teddy bear. For some reason I like stools, the rustic wooden kind, as well as teddy bears. They are so cute and fun to draw! :)

The first image is a portrayal of Belle from her back. The next image is a view of Belle from her front. I thought it would be interesting to show two different perspectives of the same character. Personally, I think they are adorable! :D

Here they are again:

Sand Play 1 (Shown here)

Sand Play 2

Belle with Teddy – Back

Belle with Teddy - Front

Let me know your thoughts! Have a wonderful weekend!

*Big Hugs!!*

Elisabeth xx

Today is the last day for this week's Designer Spotlight. Wow! Where has the time gone?? There just aren't enough days in a week to showcase all the stunning pieces created by Marlene! I've so enjoyed featuring her works this week and am sad that another week has come to an end. *pout*

But enough remorse. I get to show off one more (atleast!) gorgeous creation by our fabulous Designer, Marlene, of this week's Designer Spotlight! So today, I have decided to portray Marlene's AMAzing card holder which she made not too long ago where she has used the very pretty Sweet Ebony "Summer Ice Cream" stamp by Sugar Nellie. If you look closely, her card holder houses all the Sweet Ebony card designs that Marlene had created up to that point! Wowsers! How fantastically innovative is that!! This piece is just visually stunning and flawless. And as always, Marlene's colouring expertise is simply that. EXPERT!!

What a way to go, Marlene. Out with a celebratory Bang!! :D Marlene has been very busy this week with her family and I hope all is well with her and her own. Thanks, Marlene, for being this week's marvelous Designer in the Designer Spotlight!

This one has got to be one of my favourites out of all of Marlene's creations! It is one of her earlier pieces using the Sweet Ebony "Kitty" stamp by Sugar Nellie. Marlene's colouring is adooooorable, and her colour choices for this design is fantastic. Furthermore, the design in itself is jaw dropping, loooove the circular card! Such a beautiful layout. Marlene is a true master artist and designer to say the very least!!

Today I wanted to show off Marlene's sumptuous "Notebook" design that she created a little while back and sent to me as a gift just recently. When I received it, I was over the moon!! This is a picture I took when it arrived in the mail. I love all the ribbons and tassels and Marlene's colouring is absolutely flawless! The attention to detail and her craftswomanship (hehe) is more stunning and exquisite in real life than in pictures! If you haven't done so already, please take a moment to hop on over to Marlene's blog where you can get all the details regarding materials she used and also see Marlene's original photo of her gorgeous creation.

Here is another gorgeous creation by the superbly talented Marlene! On her stunning card, Marlene used the very pretty Sweet Ebony "Pen Pal" stamp by Sugar Nellie. Marlene's coloring is flawless, and I LOVE all the sweet details around her card. The satiny flower with beaded leaves and gauzy pink ribbon with a hint of silver kicks this design up a few girly notches! And the soft colors and patterned papers give this card an extra shot of oestrogen! :) Love, love, LOVE it!! 

Today I would like to showcase Marlene's GORGEOUS Christmas design using the Honey's Christmas stamp by Sugar Nellie. Marlene has an incredible knack to make everything look ridiculously easy. But we KNOW that it must have taken some work to make her creation absurdly beautiful!! Hee-hee!

I love the colors, the swirls, papers, the decorative embellishments - the ribbons, the snowflakes! And Marlene's coloring blows me away. Again! (Make sure you check out her Distress Inks coloring tutorial, it's legendary!!) And to top it all off, she designs a SEPARATE. STUNNING. Envelope! To match the already crazy-beautiful card!!

Okay. I'm hyperventilating here! LOL! Can you tell that I adore her creative genius?? :D Hop on over to Marlene's blog to see more of her super creations!

* I have updated this blog by adding as a condition to please limit 3 images per request. Lots of love to you all! *

Hello again Everyone!

Here is more exciting news! I have received several requests for use of my images on banners and just to make it official, I am thrilled to tell you that my answer is:

"Absolutely! Why not?"

I am flattered and absolutely delighted to share my images with you in this way!

You are welcome to use any of my images in the Sweet Art Color and Sweet Art Ebony galleries. I appreciate you asking me for my permission in the first place, and I’d like to point out that I am giving you permission to use my images for online blog banners/headers only. In other cases, please remember that it is very important to ask the artist for permission for use of their personal images.

You may have noticed that my website inhibits the ability to easily copy or download imagery. This is for purposes of protection of both imagery and copyright. Please let me know which image you’d like to use for your banner and I will send it to you as a jpeg file at 100 dpi as soon as possible.

I received inspiration from the very talented Rachelle Anne Miller and we are both of the same opinion that we hope our illustrations bring a bit of joy to your online spaces!

I only ask that you follow a few simple conditions:

1. Please make sure you leave my copyright/website on the image and that it remains clearly visible. (© Elisabeth Bell | www.zhibit.org/elisabethbell)

2. Please choose images from the Sweet Art Color and Sweet Art Ebony galleries ONLY.

3. Do not alter the image in any way!

4. Use this image for your blog banner ONLY. Please contact me for any other use.

5. Please post a quick comment under the image you would like to use or under this post (make sure to include your blog address) so I can keep track of where my images are located.

*6. Please limit 3 images per request.

Thank you, again, for being such wonderful admirers of my images! I'm so excited to share my work with you in this way, and I hope that my images will brighten up your space a bit in a way that you will enjoy! Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a wonderful week!

*Big Hugs!!*

Elisabeth xx

I cannot tell you how long I have admired Marlene’s creations and her ingenuity with inks and her skills when it comes to coloring. Her decorative ability also leaves me looking like a cod fish with my jaw hanging open. Sheer surprise and wonder popping through my stunned gaze. Each time I see any of her pieces, I. Am. Blown. Away. This gal is AMAzing-AMAzing!! So I couldn’t resist featuring her as our Designer in the Spotlight for this week!

Congratulations to you Marlene!!

When it comes to Marlene’s flattering repertoire of her use of my Sweet Ebony images on her cards, I must admit I am left feeling giddy and extremely gleeful. He-he! She has so many cards to choose from! So deciding which card to begin with is one of my delicious problems! LOL!

So I thought I’d begin with her latest creation using the Sweet Ebony stamp, “Claudia” by Sugar Nellie. I just LOVE the rich, warm tones in the brown and cream hues. And all the colors and decorative elements, including Marlene’s superb coloring, create that nostalgic, vintage appeal. Which I simply ADORE!!

As with all Designers in the Spotlight, I will be featuring Marlene's pieces all this week until Saturday, and her creations will appear first in both the Honey & Pip Gallery and Sweet Ebony Cards Gallery on my site. So be sure to check out her images there. And please take a (nice long leisurely) moment to visit Marlene’s blog to see her gorgeous card and her other fantastic creations on her site! :)

Wow!! Just when there’s so much happening in both reality and the cyberworld, the weather gets worst and my internet goes down due to the storms so I cannot access the internet nor do any blogging of my own! Oh, the crazy irony! :S Now that my internet is up and working again, I've MUCH exciting news to share with you!

First of all, Katharina of Whiff of Joy has announced the winner to her exciting 100 000 Hits Blog Candy Give Away! The winner of this competition (which was drawn randomly by random.org) receives so many goodies! First, the complete first Whiff of Joy Guardian Angels collection designed by Yours Truly :) which will be released soon AND another free complete set to give away as a blog candy on her blog! We were sooo excited by the astounding number of comments everyone left, it was mind boggling! So without further delay the winner, after much waiting and anticipation, is

Jennifer Ofiana!

CONGRATULATIONS Jennifer!! I’m so excited for you! To view more details on this exciting news, please visit Katharina’s blog!

SASS Stand In

Next, I must apologise that I don’t have any “Paddling Pool Fun” SASS sketches to share you with this week (I’m so sorry to those of you who have been waiting for these). But, in its place, I’d like to share with you a sketch I’ve called, “Apple Tree”. I have created this image for my husband’s aunty for her birthday. It portrays all four of her grandchildren playing beneath the tree. On the wooden ladder climbing up the trunk of the tree, I have placed each of their names, the eldest grandchild’s name at the top down to the youngest on the lowest rung.

I illustrated the image in pencil and left it looking "sketchy" to obtain that rugged feel. I then very quickly colored the children and the foliage and fruit of the tree to basically match the warm color palette in her home in Photoshop and left the rest of the image in black and white to attract attention to the subjects at hand. I then tweaked the image in Photoshop to create a watercolor effect.

Shown here is the finished version. You can see the basic step by step process of the image under the SASS gallery (who knows, perhaps it will become a stamp some day?).

Overall, this sketch took me a couple of hours to create. It is unlike the usual pristine and immaculate looking compostions I have created, but it is the look I was after. Sort of a "shabby chic" effect. The more weathered or distressed the look is, the better!

For this illustration, my inspiration was none other than the fabulous artist, Holly Hobbie! Feel free to let me know your thoughts. I hope you like it! :)

To share a little more about this sweet portrait custom designed for my hubby's luck Aunty (and she still doesn’t know about it, it’s a surprise!), I have sent it off to have it printed on beautiful fine art watercolor paper by Hahnemuhle. I will then frame it and present it to her as her gift. I really hope she likes it too!

Next, I will reveal who our Designer Spotlight is for this new week AND I have some very exciting news to tell you about using my images for blog banners! So stay tuned!

*Biggest Hugs!*

Elisabeth xx

** Whoopsie!! I accidentally placed all of Camilla's links to Rach's blog! Sorry about the hiccup. Everything has been fixed now. Thanks for pointing it out Heather! :) **

Today is our last day for this week's Designer Spotlight. I've absolutely enjoyed featuring Camilla this week and I have loved viewing all the many stunning creations Camilla has to offer on her blog! This card is Camilla's latest creation posted on her blog where she has used the Sweet Ebony stamp from Sugar Nellie, "Reflective". I love the rich, warm tones found in the creams and chocolate browns, and Camilla's colouring is exquisite. All the details on this piece are mesmerizing. Be sure to check out all of Camilla's amazing creations on her blog!

I hope you all have enjoyed Camilla's beautiful works as much as I have. Thank you, Camilla, for being this week's fabulous Spotlight Designer!! You are fantastically talented!