Blog Hop Winners!!

Good morning all!   I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and you all enjoyed the hop of our new release sets!  Sorry I didn't get to the announcement last night, but I'm here now with the good news :)

The winner of the sets is # 36 Lyndal

And the winner of the ribbons is #22 Joyce

Please contact me with your details and I'll get your prizes ready!

Thank you everyone for sharing in our excitement and fun!  We hope this year our hops will grow with more and more joining in :)

Have a wonderful day everyone and I'll see you tomorrow night with our next Topical Tuesday!

Hugs for now,

Andrea :)

Friday Feature - Blog Hop!

It's time to hop and time to share with you our first release for 2013!!!  

First up let's take a look at the sets!

Designer Flowers

This is a 6" x 8" set of 26 images and sentiments, and could be used for many occasions!

Standing Tall

This is a 6" x 4" set of 9 images and sentiments and is fun to colour as well as makes for a very quick CAS card if needed!

Along with the 2 sets tonight we have new ribbon in the store, and it's gorgeous!  We've started out our gingham ribbon range with 6 colours and in 2 widths - 6mm & 16mm!  Aren't they beautiful!

So now let's talk about how we're going to celebrate the release!  Firstly you can play/hop along with us from now until 8.00pm Sunday 20th January by leaving a comment on each of the Belles blogs and adding your name to the Inlinkz below, and you do not have to have a blog to enter!  There will be 2 randomly selected winners!!  The first will receive both of the above sets and the second will receive 2m of each of the colours of gingham ribbon in either the 6mm or 16mm (winners choice).

Now because it's a Feature Friday we have a discount, so for those who love both sets we are offering them at 20% off!  Can you believe it!  Follow the link HERE to the Combo price pack in the store (don't place the sets in your cart individually)!!  The reduced amount will apply until midnight this Sunday, and don't worry, if you're the lucky winner I'll refund the set amount and include some samples ribbon for you :)

So let's start hopping!

Head to my blog HERE  then follow on from there!  If you get a little lost then come back here and I will have hopefully added in the links :)

Have fun!

Hugs for now,

Andrea x


Blog Hop Order :
Andrea
Sue
Kylie
Marion
Therese
Danielle
Gayatri

Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to you all for helping to promote our release and blog hop tonight!

We have a winner and would like to congratulate #5 Rebecca!  Contact me via email with your details and I'll get your parcel organised!

Hugs till later this evening,

Andrea

Topical Tuesday #49 - Stepping Up your card!

Be sure to check out our giveaway HERE!

Hello Everybody,

Today's Topical Tuesday is brought to you by Gayatri Murali! Hehe! Thats me:)
I don't have a video tutorial or photo tutorial today. I am going to give your tips and tricks to step up your card from clean and simple to jazzing it up.

I have used "Hold a Candle" Stamp set from AnnaBelle stamps today for my cards.
Let us start!
 The first card below is a clean and simple one layer card.

 Tips and Tricks:

1. Large white space draws your eyes toward the image and sentiment 

2. Make the focal point pop out of your card by colouring or by stamping a bold or large image.

3. Use colour inks to stamp the focal point if they are solid images.

4. Use stamping techniques like masking and sponging, layering stamped images, spatter of inks, colouring to add interest and technique to your one layer card.

I have stamped my image right in the center of the card and coloured the candle & the flame. I have also used three different colours here so the card is cheery and colourful. The sentiment is bold.

Now to the next step. From one layer card, we move to adding layers. I still want it to be clean and simple.

Tips and Tricks:

1. Layer a panel to the card front using foam adhesives.

2. Frame the focal point either by masking and sponging or by stamping on a diecut or by using diecut negative and creating a window.

3. Add senitment on a banner and adhere using foam adhesive.

4. Use simple embellishments like sparkles, enamel dots, rhinestones, brads, buttons. Not a awful lot but just a few.

I have framed my focal point by adding ink to the edges of my acrylic block and stamping it on the card panel. I then stamped and coloured my image as my previous card. Added silver sparkles from AnnaBelle Stamps around the flame. The sentiment is stamped on a strip of banner and adhered using foam adhesives.

You can now see the same stamps but jazzing up a little by adding layers and a few embellishments, you are taking it to the next level.

 

The final step here is to jazz it up a bit more using patterns, textures and colours.

Tips and Tricks:

1. Use pattern paper on the background. You can use one single paper for the entire background or divide the background as you like and add pattern papers. 

2. How to choose pattern papers? Pick a colour from your stamped image and then choose that colour pattern paper. You can also pick two colours from your image say red and blue from the candle and divide the background in half. Use red for the top half and blue on the bottom half.

3. Reduce you stamped panel size and mount it using foam adhesive to make your focal image pop and stay in focus.

4. Add other embellishments like ribbon, twine, readymade flowers or die cuts. This adds layers and texture to your card.

So here is my final card where I have used Chilli polka dot digital pattern paper from AnnaBelle Stamps on the background. I have trimmed my focal image panel to a smaller size but kept the frame, embellishments same as the previous card.  I have used the beautiful blue satin ribbon to make a bow. And finally the senitment on the banner strip. You can see the focus is still on the candle and the sentiment against the red polka dot background!

So here are some tips and tricks to make a card and jazz it up as you like. Always make sure you focal image is still your focus and the embellishements are to enhance or highlight  the focal image. Embellishments are accessories unless an embellishment is used as a focal point.

Hope you like my tutorial and my tips as well. If you decide to make a project using the tutorial, Make sure you upload your projects on to the ABS gallery HERE
If you have questions or comments or suggesstions, shoot me an email: scrapawayg3@gmail.com

Thanks for visiting!

Hugs

Gayatri

New Stamps Coming Soon!

It's nearly time for another Blog Hop and release and so to lead up to it, and because we can't do it without you, we're having a giveaway promotion!!!  Would you like to receive these gorgeous ribbons below in the post?  Would you like me to include matching Sprinkles?

5 metres of each colour ribbon shown and 6mm Sprinkles in each colour to match!

Then help us to promote AnnaBelle Stamps and our January Blog Hop by doing the following :

- Do a post on your blog, Facebook page or anywhere where someone will listen and let them know about our upcoming release/blog hop this Friday night!  Include a link to this post!

- Follow our blog or like our Facebook page!  This way you'll know exactly when new and exciting things are happening at AnnaBelle Stamps!

- Pop back here and add your name and link to your post to the Inlinkz below!!

Submissions close Friday 18th January, 2013 at 10.00am and a random winner will be announced at 12.00pm AEDT!!

We hope this year will be an exciting year for AnnaBelle Stamps, and we hope with your help more people will come to know us!

Hugs for now,

Andrea

AC154

Welcome to a brand new challenge, and this week we have a colour challenge for you to join in with!

Possibly more suited to Autumn are these colours than for our Australian Summer, and hey, it's not as though we need warming up at the moment, but they are something to challenge us!  Hasn't it been 'warm'?!?

Of course our usual guidelines apply and our new prize of a $15.00 Discount Coupon is up for grabs!!

For the next couple of months we have a wonderful Guest Belle playing along with us!  Please make very welcome Janet O'Brien!

The Belles have some great projects to share with you this week so let's go take a look :

Therese

Sue (It feels odd not calling Sue 'Sue W')

Kylie

Gayatri

Marion

Danielle

Andrea

Well that's it from us today, now it's over to you!  Share your projects with us by adding your link to the Inlinkz below.  You have 2 weeks to play so start planning now!

Hugs,

Andrea

AC153 Favourite

Thank you all for playing along with our first challenge for 2013!  It was a great CAS design to get back in to the swing of things!  With the challenges now every 2 weeks we're sure more of you will find some to join in, especially now that we have our "FREE" Digi's page!

This week our favourite spot goes to Karin with this beauty!

Thanks Karin for playing along with us!  Email me and I'll send through your prize details :)

Now our Top 3 shares for this week!!

Ann

Suze

Nicole

All gorgeous ladies!  Thanks for sharing and inspiring us!  Be sure to grab your blinkie from the blinkie page!

See you all this evening with another brand new challenge!!

Hugs for now,

Andrea