Time for the Bees and Butterflies verdict! Sooo many of you were SO close, and many of you got the answer right! Which is really awesome because Miss Muffet II is jam packed with shapes and colours, I'm sure it was tough trying to gauge which was a butterfly and which was a bee! So well done to you all for taking the time to hunt them down! :) The answer to the puzzle is there are 11 bees and 5 butterflies. So if you got that answer, then you are in the running to win the First prize! And everyone is in the running to win the second and third prize! And because it’s my 10th Wedding Anniversary today (we-ll, it’s actually tomorrow, but we’re celebrating it today), instead of 3 winners, I’ve decided to choose 5 winners! Surprise!! :D (Huzzah for 10th Anniversaries LOL! ;D) The first winner will win: *the super yummy “Belles ‘n Whistles “Sweet Things” stamps, *Miss Muffet II as a personalized, hand signed print *and the latest “A Tasty Read” digi from the exclusive "Elisabeth Bell Digital Collection" for free! The other 4 winners will win the “A Tasty Read” digi download for free! Okay, to the winners, if you’ve already purchased the digi download “A Tasty Read”, I will offer the sweet digi download, “February Flutter", in its stead. If you have purchased them both, I will keep your name on file and you will be sent the very next digi (yet unreleased and unknown to anyone - even me! lol!) when it is released on March 1st for free! :) Soooo, without further dilly-dallying, here are the names of our winners! Belles ‘n Whistles Stamps, Miss Muffet II personalized print and Digi stamp Winner: Elise!     Hello Elisabeth! Thank you so much for offering this fab-u-lous candy! (heart pounding, palms sweaty ... LOL) I'm so excited! :) My name is Elise and I'm visiting you all the way from Las Vegas! As everyone else, I totally LOVE all of your stamps and new digi's! You truly Rock It! Okay, I tried counting the bees and butterflies numerous times ... I keep coming up with 5 butterflies and 11 bees. hmmm... I can't wait to find out the right answer! lol! luv & hugs, elise -- Elise, 2/1/10 Digi Winners: Celia Tanya Piia Michelle     Thank you for your lovely email Elisabeth. Hope I am now in the right spot? I counted 6 butterflies and 11 bees? Great idea and so much fun. LOL Celia - Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi. -- Celia Parkinson, 1/27/10     I counted 10 but my eyes might have played some tricks on me as the picture is so gorgeously filled with beautiful and bright colors - it almost got me blinded with the beauty *LOL* Smiles from Finland,    Hello, i LOVE this pic :) So bright and cherry which I am in need for. I just lost my boss and she was like a second mom to me, so is has been stressful around here. Sorry, of track, I counted 16 bees and butterflies :) Thanks for the opportunity to win. -- Tanya, 1/27/10     I counted 10 but my eyes might have played some tricks on me as the picture is so gorgeously filled with beautiful and bright colors - it almost got me blinded with the beauty *LOL* Smiles from Finland, Piia -- Piia, 2/1/10     Hi Elisabeth! My name is Michelle and I am from Sapulpa, Oklahoma. I counted 11 bees and 5 butterflies. Your stamps have become my absolute favorites - they are just beautiful! -- Michelle Yates, 1/27/10 Congratulations, ladies!! Please send me your email address and I will forward the “A Tasty Read” digi file to you. Elise, let me know how you would like the print personalized, and I will also need your mailing address in super fun Vegas so I can send you your goodies once I receive your print. Even though I will be celebrating my 10th with dear hubby, I will have my Macbook with me so I will be checking in every now and then. :) So, another blog candy is down - and many more to go! Big thanks to everyone for entering and well done on your answers! Your dexterous visual ability is one to behold!! ;D Have a fantastic weekend everyone! I'm off to celebrate my 10th with my HAWT manager and hubby! hehe ;D Biiig Hugs! xx Me "A Tasty Read", the latest digi download exclusive to the Elisabeth Bell Digital Collection. To purchase download, click HERE.

Hello Everyone! Just a very quick update on the Bees and Butterflies Candy. Instead of revealing the answer today, which would defeat the purpose of continuing to hold the candy until midnight tonight, I will reveal the answer TOMORROW at noon when the names of the winners are announced. I hope this makes sense, and I appreciate your patience. In the mean time, the Bees and Butterflies Candy Counting Give Away is still open until 11:59 pm tonight, Arizona time, and you are still free to submit your entries if you haven’t already done so. And just so you know, many of you have the correct answer... but that’s all I will say at this point hehe. ;D Good luck to each of you, and tomorrow shall be the big reveal! Oh, and last but not least, if you haven't ordered, “A Tasty Read”, the latest digi download exclusive to the “Elisabeth Bell Digital Collection”, you can get it here. It’s fast, simple to do, and priced most friendly. :) Have a fabulous day and Big Hugs to you! xx Elisabeth

The Second Digi exclusive to the "Elisabeth Bell Digital Collection" is finally here! Woohooooo!! I have been so excited to share this digital image with you. And to help me share this sweet new digi with you, Lynda (please see her stunning card design below) Iris and Rosette of the super talented Belles 'n Whistles DT have created some amazing designs for you to salivate over (hehe ;D). Please take a moment to hop on over to their blogs to view their other amazing creations. These girls are creative geniuses!  I hope you will enjoy playing with this little cutie as much as I enjoyed creating her. Please also keep in mind my Terms of Use for my digital images when ordering the download. And feel free to let me know what you think of my new digi's in my Digital Collection Gallery, as I always love to know your thoughts. Got a digi idea? Feel free to share that with me too. Perhaps it will be turned into a digi. :) Have a great evening! xx Elisabeth PS. Remember to take the chance to enter my latest Bees and Butterflies Counting Candy Give Away to win some fabulous prizes. Closes on February 3rd! More details HERE. Good luck to you! :)

*THIS CANDY IS NOW CLOSED. WINNERS' NAMES WILL BE ANNOUNCED FEBRUARY 4TH @ NOON. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! :)* UPDATES  *In order to give more people the chance to enter, THIS CANDY HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3RD, 2010, closing Wednesday February 3rd at 11:59pm, Arizona time. The winners will be announced at midday, Thursday February 4th.* *Everyone has a chance of winning. Count the bees and butterflies and whether your answer is correct or not, you are still  in the running to win. :) *Miss Muffet II personalized, signed print will measure 8x10 inches. Just letting you know this happens to be one of my awesome long blog posts, so you may want to grab a cup of hot chocolate LOL!... Enjoy! ;D ❄ ❃ ❄ Can you believe it’s almost the end of January?? It boggles the mind! And there couldn’t be a better time for some EXCITING blog candy, my first candy give away for 2010! Woohoo! Aaaand, I have three yummy sets of prizes to give away! The first prize is the delicious Belles ‘n Whistles “Sweet Things” Collection released earlier this month! This beautiful collection includes six stunning stamps which are deeply etched, highly detailed, foam-mounted and die-cut, on high quality red rubber, ready for immediate use!   Cupcake Surprise Beary Big Hugs Kitty Love Smile! Sweet Love Perfect for the up and coming big romantic event next month! And because these little beauties are so versatile, they can also be used all year ‘round. I really love this particular set through Belles ‘n Whistles! If that’s not enough, the second prize is a personalized, hand signed print of, Miss Muffet II! The print will measure 8x10 inches and will be printed on archival quality, Fine Art Paper. The third exciting give away offers a little more instant gratification for your sweet tooth! The winner will receive the next exclusive "Elisabeth Bell" digi, A Tasty Read, which is yet unreleased, for free! The winner will have the image sent directly to their email account, a day before it is released, and they can begin playing at their heart’s content. Yaay! :D And to whet your digi appetite some more, you can now see the second image from the exclusive, Elisabeth Bell Digital Collection, to be released on the 1st of February. Scroll down to view the coloured version, and click HERE for the digi black and white detail of A Tasty Read. A bit of background on this digital image, after a short poll on one of my recent statuses on Facebook regarding what some of your thoughts were on digi’s, Christine Nay offered a brilliant idea for a digi (kudos to Christine!). Christine said she loved images with books because they can be reduced down to be put on book marks. In turn, I marveled, “Ingenious!”  Soooo, enter adorable Li’l Liz (please see image below) reading a book while she is sitting on a tree stump. A snug scarf wraps around her head, and she is wearing a cute little top and flared jeans with a patch on the knee (a fave detail of mine to draw). I put a bitten apple in her hand too. Who can resist eating while reading a good book? I certainly can’t, especially whenever I’m devouring the Harry Potter series (all puns intended hehe). I hope you like her Christine! :D And I hope the rest of you like her as much as I enjoyed drawing her. :) How to enter this Candy: As usual, anyone, anywhere in the world may enter (even the owners of the stamp companies I work with can enter! ;D). You will need a personal email account (or one that you have access to) should you be the lucky winner. If you have a blog, that would be great. But if you don’t have a blog, that’s okay too. As always, I will ship the winnings to the lucky winner at my expense, but please remember that I do not cover customs fees. Plus do this simple thing: All you need to do is count how many bees and butterflies are in the above image, “Miss Muffet II”. Fun and simple! I have provided a sample (below) of what the bees and butterflies look like so you’ll know what to look for. There are so many colours in “Miss Muffet II” so it may be a bit tricky... if you need to use a magnifying glass, go ahead! ;D Then below this post, share your answer, including your name and where you’re from. Please also add your blog address and post this candy on your blog too if you have one. Please provide one entry per person. If you leave more than one comment, it will still only count as one entry. *The winner will be drawn randomly, and everyone has the chance to win. I will post the correct answer on Wednesday, February 3rd at noon here on my blog.  Uh-oh. I’ve just now decided that instead of one winner,  there will be 3 winners! LOL!!  (Hence the saying, “Changing one’s mind is a woman’s prerogative,” hehe). The first winner will receive the delicious Belles ‘n Whistles collection of stamps, Miss Muffet II as a personalized 8x10 inch print with my signature, plus the digi download, A Tasty Read, for free. The other 2 winners will each receive the digi download for free. Woo-hooo!! To the first winner, please allow up to 4 weeks for delivery of your prizes. As soon as I hear from you, once the winning name has been announced, I will place your order for the print. As soon as I receive it, I will send it, including the Belles ‘n Whistles “Sweet Things” Collection, to you.  To the digi image winners, as soon as your names have been announced and I hear from you via an email, I will send you the digi to that email address. * UPDATE: This candy will close at 11:59pm, Arizona time, on Wednesday, February 3rd. The winners will be announced here on my blog on Thursday, February 4th at midday, Arizona time. Good luck to everyone! Let the bee and butterfly counting begin! :D Enjoy the rest of your January! And a VERY HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY to all my Awesome Aussie friends!! Biggest Hugs! xx Elisabeth News Flash! “Miss Muffet II” is now available in my gallery store to order as a personalized print. This gorgeous print can be personalized with any name or short sentiment of your choice. Alternatively, “Miss Muffet II” is also available with the simple Curds and Whey recipe, providing a lovely accent to brighten any kitchen or child’s bedroom. (Please note that shipping will be applied at check out)

Welcome to lots of rain and cold!  This kind of weather makes me think of toadstools with gleaming windows of golden warmth, and little chimneys peaking up from little red roof tops with a hint of smoke curling up to twinkling stars. And inside each little mushroom house, are tiny fairy folk with woolen socks right up to their knees, and mice wearing vests and fluffy scarves wrapped snuggly around their little bodies, huddled together by a faery hearth drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies that pop and ooze delicious honey when bitten into the centers. Huzzah for rain, cozy hearths and teeny folk with hot chocolate! (And "Pop Biscuits" from Enid Blyton's Magic Faraway Tree tales! (which I loved reading as a child)) It's very late right now, but I wanted to quickly share with you one of my latest designs that I've been working on the past couple of days,  "Miss Muffet II", which can be found in the "Sweet Art Collection" gallery. "Miss Muffet II" is actually based on an illustration that I created years ago when I was studying Animation at the QCA, Griffith University, in Australia. I've kept it all these years. And just last week, I decided to pull it out and see what more I could do with it. I plan on adding Goldilocks shortly to it to go with the Nursery Rhyme theme that I've been yapping about. It's been fun playing around with brushes and filters in Photoshop. I really don't know how I existed as an artist before discovering the convenience and sheer fun of digital editing! Last but not least, it's lovely to know that my first digi, "February Flutter", has been well received. Thank you to everyone who purchased the download! And a BIG thank you for your wonderful comments, I am always incredibly flattered, and feel really honoured, over your love for my work. I hope you will have lots of fun playing with the two little fairies. And there are definitely more digi images to come!  Oh, and I know I've been promising some blog candy, so I hope to get one going very soon! In the mean time, it's just too much fun enjoying the cold weather and drawing and playing Rummikub with my hubby. ;) Have a wonderful weekend! Biggest Hugs, xx Elisabeth

They’re finally here!! The FIRST EVER “Elisabeth Bell” Digital Image is now available!! Woohoo! “February Flutter” is now available in the Digital Collection gallery here on my site, as part of the "Elisabeth Bell Exclusive Digital Collection." I thought creating an image that would work with the big month of romance coming up (namely February) would be just the thing. I hope you like it! :) And not to worry, my images as rubber stamps will continue to be my number 1 stamp product. :) Some details about my Digi’s. Each of the designs are my own images that have not been released anywhere else. Some of them you may have seen in one of my galleries, and others are absolutely new! Woot! And you will find them only on my site. To add to your sweet tooth’s instant gratification, I will be making available one new Digi each month. PLUS I have decided to hold a Digi Blog Candy each month where one winner will have the chance to have their idea turned into a digi! Whoever the winner is will get their idea turned into a Digi AND they will receive that particular Digi for free! And to further add to this excitement, I will hold a Digi Candy Give Away here on my blog in the next few days so be sure to keep your eye out for it! ;) Here are some other details. All transactions for my Digi's are made through PayPal. The download of the image will be available in an email sent to you once the transaction is completed. My digital images are for personal use only, and redistribution (copying/swapping etc.) is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Absolutely no commercial use is allowed. Please, please read and be certain of my Digital Images Terms of Use. If you do not agree with my terms, please do not purchase to download my images. If you do choose to download them, I am granting you a limited license to use them with set parameters for your use. Please know that I reserve the right to remove any or all of my Digital Images at any time without further notice. All purchases of Digital Images are non-refundable. If you have any questions, or have problems with your download, please contact me. I hope you love these fresh new images as much as I loved creating them. And please let me know what you think of them. I always love to know your thoughts! Enjoy! Biggest Hugs, xx Elisabeth

Happy January to You! Just popping in very quickly to let you know that Free downloads are now available on my site just for you. Yaay! Right now there is one image available, which is my very own "Elisabeth Bell Designs" image for your desktop background (see image above). And there will be more downloads to come very soon, so be sure to keep checking the Downloads page. Ooohh, and some MORE deliciously exciting news to come too! Including something about... Digital Stamps! EEEEEeeeeeee! Yes, I said it! But don't worry, rubber will continue to be my number one stamp product. And I will be taking things one step at a time with the digitals and offering limited numbers only, as I really adore my designs on rubber, especially working with my friends at Whiff of Joy, Belles 'n Whistles, SCACD and Ladybug and Friends. They are the Best! So working with digi-images is simply an added bonus. :) At the moment I'm figuring things out to set things up and already have some sketches in mind which I'm sure you'll adore. :) PLUS more yummy Blog Candy coming up, and really exciting BIG news that I'm absolutely positive you'll LOVE! So be sure to get some good sleep now, haha! ;D Oooooohhh!! And be sure to check out my latest yummy stamp design releases through Belles 'n Whistles and Ladybug and Friends. Spring and love is in the air, including super Dads, so be sure to have a look-see. We're sure you'll love them! ;) *Snaps fingers* One other, lastly but not leastly, thing. If you haven't joined me on my Facebook Page yet, you're invited! The more the merrier, I say, and the more merriment could also mean more fun Freebies and Giveaways! We are almost at 700 friends... I think when we hit 700, it will be Freebie/Giveaway time! Woohoo! So if you love art, card making and crafts and love the amazing rubber stamp companies that carry "Elisabeth Bell" designs, then what are you waiting for? Join up if you haven't already and grab your crafty friends and come join the fun! *Click* on the Facebook window below and I'll see you there! Have a fabulous rest of the first weekend in 2010! Huggles! xx Elisabeth

Thank you for the sweet Christmas well wishes,  and the lovely messages and cards I received from you. I love hearing from you and it makes me so happy that my work finds a wonderful place in your hearts. This is the best Christmas gift I could receive as an artist.  And speaking of Christmas, it has whistled by us all too quickly,  and now the dawn of an exciting new year is upon us. Just popping in really quickly to wish each of you a glorious 2010 as I whistle out the door myself to join my family and good friends for some happy new year festivities. But I wanted to introduce this little lady to you first. "Goldilocks at the Mail Box" is an image I've been working on the past couple of days during some "Me" time. I hope you like her. I had so much fun illustrating and colouring her that I couldn't stop at just one version of this sweet little girl. So I have posted two different takes of little Goldilocks in the NEW  "Sweet Art Collection" Gallery. The differences are minor and barely noticeable... but playing around in Photoshop is completely irresistible to me. :) You can see one of the completed versions of this lovely image below. For close ups of both versions of Goldilocks, please visit HERE and HERE.  "Goldilocks" will not be available to be made into a stamp at this time, but I am planning on creating a line of nursery rhyme images with her as one of the stars. Which is why I have created an entirely new gallery for this purpose. Woot! It will be an exciting new year to be sure! And there will be lots more excitement to come too, so stay tuned! Oh, and I will talk more about digital stamps soon. I have been against creating digital stamps. However, I have been thinking about it, so stay tuned for more, hopefully exciting, details on that point too. :) Have a safe and prosperous 2010! Sending you lots of love, xx Elisabeth

Looking back over 2009 my family and I have experienced many blessings. My hubby and I went to Disney Land for the first time during our marriage and for the first time in my whole life in December of 08. Then we went back for our 9th Wedding Anniversary in February earlier this year. Each of our three children turned a year older, and so did I! I began working with 3 fantastic rubber stamp companies in July, Belles ‘n Whistles and Susana’s Custom Art and Card Design here in the States, and Ladybug and Friends in Norway. And I continued my exciting designing for rubber stamps venture with the very popular Whiff of Joy Stamps in Switzerland. It has been a wonderful and productive year and I am both thankful and amazed by how much good has been accomplished in the short matter of 365 days. But I couldn’t enjoy half of the fulfillment I feel without the incredible support from those of you who love my designs. Thank you for the joy that you bring to me through your letters and your comments. I love reading the posts you leave under each of the Blog Candies I feature, and I only wish that I could offer something to each of you, other than my profound heart felt thanks and my love to you. Happy Holidays and a Very Merry Christmas to each of you. And when Christmas is over, I will be launching another sweet Blog Candy Give Away for your sweet tooth and to kick off another glorious New Year! Always Your Joyful Artist, xx Elisabeth Follow Me on Twitter

Happy Holidays Everyone! Wow, only 9 more days to go! I can't believe Christmas 2009 is almost upon us. I remember when we were all celebrating Christmas last year! I suppose time flies when you're having fun! :D Just popping in to share with you a new design that I created for both my Amazing Dads, being my darling Dad, and my wonderful Dad-in-Law, called, “No.1 Dad”.  Earlier this year, I decided that for Christmas, our parents and all our sisters will be receiving a T-shirt from my Redbubble T-shirt Gallery (the brothers will be getting something else). But after looking through the dazzling array of very feminine tees in my gallery, I was all too soon alerted to the fact that if any one of my Dads was to wear a Tee from me, it would have to be a design specially created for him. And one that exuded a little more "manliness" lol! I have been in a bit of madness these past few weeks with getting images done for the beloved stamping companies I work with and for other clients who have commissioned me to create personalized pieces to give as Christmas gifts. Not to mention, suffering from a horrid head cold that my two youngest kidlets caught from someone else and passed on to me, precious little things. Ugh. It hasn’t been easy. Bu-ut, life rarely is. However, always, always an adventure, as my husband’s wise Grammy often says! So with all the cataclysm wreaking havoc here in the Bell household (drawing with the insufferable drips and sniffles is not fun at all might I add), I managed to create this image just less than a week ago. There is actually a little story that goes with, “No.1 Dad”.  “No.1 Dad” is based on a black and white drawing that is probably 15 years old. While looking through an old drawer in my art studio containing a mountain of precious, old illustrations earlier this week, I came across a picture that I had created for my Dad over a decade ago. I had drawn it for him and put it on a Father’s Day card. Back then I did not have Photoshop or any of the digital software I have access to today. So the original image I found was but a raw sketch of what it once was before I hand-drew it onto some cardstock before giving it to my Dad. I don’t even know if my Dad still has the card...then again, he probably does. My sweet Mum is a bit of a hoarder like me haha. So upon re-discovering this image, I instantly felt it was the perfect illustration to put on a T-shirt for my Dad, and now, my wonderful Father-in-Law too. I can tell you that I have two of the Most Terrific men in the world to call my Father.   It was natural for me to update the image slightly to fit a more universal, and beloved perception, of “Father”. The wreath is original, but I added “Dad” on the ribbon, including the trophy with the number “1” on it. I also added the attache bursting to the hilt with money hehe. After all, I perceive both these men in my life to not only be brilliant, but brilliant bread winners!  When I added the colours, I chose from a palette weighted with deeper, historically significant hues; colours that also exuded a sophisticated appeal, class, as well as integrity. For apart from my own husband, I can think of no other two men in my world that exude class and integrity than my two Dads. So you see, with the historical significance this image holds for me, the design becomes something more than simply an illustration.  Because I thought it was so cool, I have decided to share it with the rest of the world. So whether you have something picked out already for the Number One Dad in your life for Christmas, you now have the chance to share this with him too, if you wish, now or during any time of the year.  So now that the image has been completed, the shirt has been made, and my Dads have their gifts on their way to them, I can sit back for a moment (all 30 seconds of it LOL!) and be relieved! :) Wishing you all a Wonderful Christmas! And remember that the true meaning of Christmas is not in the desperate last minute acts of hunting down something to give. Or fretting over the exhausting, over-stated bloat of consumerism.  Nor can it be found under the tree or wrapped in pretty wrappings. The real meaning of Christmas exists year round, it never leaves and is always found where love is invited. Christmas is in the warmth of your heart and in the solace of your home. It can’t be seen. It is felt. It is like the wind, you can not see it, but you can feel it, and you know it is there. I know this feeling comes from a loving Heavenly Father who sent us His only Begotten Son many years ago, His gift to us. And for this reason alone, we celebrate Christmas and is the true meaning behind this most wonderful time of the year. Happy Holidays and have a safe and enjoyable Christmas!  Sending you all Warmest Wishes and Super Big Hugs! Your Joyful Artist, xx Elisabeth Follow Me on Twitter

Good Evening Peeps! Little Wixxy here on behalf of Santa. Santa, being so very busy at this time of year and short of time, did not delay choosing the winner. There were no frills or frivolities - he had a quick look at all the entries and chuckled at many of them (as some of your entries were hilarious ;D). He then closed his eyes, ran his thumb down the list and randomly stopped at a name.  As I am not Santa, I can’t tell you what was going through his mind at the time, but as one of his little helpers, I can assure each of you that he wished that all of you could win this amazing prize. But as there is only one winner, all we can do is pat her heartily on the back (or send her cyber back pats) and offer sincere congratulations...and hope that maybe she’ll be so kind as to send us some love heehee. ;) So let us not delay letting you know who the winner is for “Santa’s Sleighful of Candy”. Here is our lucky winner’s comment: What would I do if I won this, firstly after picking myself up off the floor, I would then stroke, kiss and admire all the wonderful stamps! Then I would look at them for about a day before I ink them up! Then I would make cards for all my craft friends and have a little message inside "don't you just hate me, LOOK AT ALL THESE WONDERFUL STAMPS THAT I WON ON ELISABETH BELL'S BLOG, nah, nah, nah!!!!" I would also include a sheet of all the stamp images stamped on it!!! LOL!!!! Thanks for such an amazing chance to win! Living in England but I am an Irish girl! My Blog: http://allgluedup.blogspot.com/ -- Helena, 11/28/09 Congratulations, Helena! Tee-hee, your comment was but one of the many that made Santa chuckle. And he said to me that he has determined that you have been a good girl all year so he is very happy to hand this awesome prize to you. PLUS an “Elisabeth Bell” T-shirt which you get to choose from Elisabeth’s Redbubble T’shirt gallery.  So be sure to contact Elisabeth with your choice of tee and size, along with your mailing address, and as soon as your shirt arrives in the mail, she will send all your winnings off to you in beautiful England. Woohooo!! Super thanks to everyone for participating, as this Candy certainly wouldn’t be as exciting without each of you - and your sparkling comments! ;D  It’s now past 8pm now so it’s time for hot chocolate and bed time stories with the reindeers before lights out. Oh, and Happy 1st of December to you! Biggest Yuletide Hugs!! xxx Wixxy aka: Santa’s Little Helper ;) Follow Me on Twitter

*THIS BLOG CANDY IS NOW CLOSED.* Thank you to all those who entered. The winner will be randomly  drawn and announced later this evening at 8pm.  Good luck to you!  *Blog Candy closing time edited. Please see below* First, a couple of exciting announcements. SCACD just recently had an amazing Blog Hop and NEW stamp release featuring the “Elisabeth Bell for SCACD Random Sampler Set 2”. The super talented SCACD DT outdid themselves once again with their amazing creativity using these wonderful stamps. To see the yummy new stamps, or to place your order, please click HERE. And secondly, just yesterday, the enormously talented Belles ‘n Whistles DT held an exciting Blog Hop featuring the 2nd gorgeous installment of the Belles ‘n Whistles Christmas Collection (you can still see the amazing blog hop here). Once again, I was gobsmacked by the caliber of beauty and creativity the Belles ‘n Whistles DT wove with these delightful new set of stamps. See the stamps and place your order HERE. Huzzah for such AWESOME DT’s to work with! You ladies are definitely, Creative Geniuses!! Now onto the matter regarding what I’ve been meaning to do for the past few months... Santa has been busy pestering me all month to get “Sleighful of Candy” out to everyone and to increase the Christmas spirit of Giving. So I finally caved, put everything else down (momentarily) and agreed to his wishes...after all, I don’t want a lump of coal in my stocking! LOL! This Christmas season, Santa and I (one of his little elves hehe), want to send one very lucky winner a very happy Christmas filled with lots of super yummy candy for their stamping and creative delight. One lucky winner will receive one entire stamp Collection from not one, not two, not three, but FOUR separate stamping companies, namely, the fabulous companies I am privileged to work with: Whiff of Joy - Winter Stamp Kit 2009 (No longer Available) - 6 Character stamps, 4 Accessory stamps (uncut, unmounted on quality red rubber) plus Whiff of Joy sentiments by founder and the very talented, Katharina Frei. Belles ‘n Whistles - Christmas Collection I - 5 Character stamps, 1 Accessory stamp pre-cut and foam mounted on quality red rubber. Susana’s Custom Art and Card Design - EB for SCACD Sampler Edition 2 - 7 unmounted, uncut Character stamps on quality red rubber. Ladybug and Friends - First Release - 8 clear/acrylic, unmounted Character stamps. By clicking on each of the stamping company names above, you will be directed to the very set of stamps the winner will be winning from each company. Which means one super lucky winner will receive FOUR separate Collections featuring “Elisabeth Bell” designs exclusive to each stamp company! Which translates to, the stamps in each Collection equals to 31 stamps total, PLUS Whiff of Joy sentiments, which the very lucky winner will win! Do you feel Christmas in the air?? EEEEEeeee!! How exciting!! And if this isn’t enough, I will add one of my exclusive "Elisabeth Bell" T-shirts to the winnings (t-shirt will be winner’s choice from my Redbubble gallery) that the winner can wear on Christmas day hehe. We-ll, okay, only if the winner wants to! ;D Who Can Enter? As always, anyone, anywhere in the world may enter. I will be more than happy to ship the prize to the winner, but I do not cover customs fees. What Do I Need to Do To Enter? Entering is free! And all you need to do is answer the following question below this post, and leave your first name and where you’re from. Then please post a link to this candy on your blog and remember to leave your blog address if you have one. If you don’t have a blog, that’s okay. Feel free to enter anyway. So the question is: “If you were given 31 delightful stamps featuring “Elisabeth Bell” designs, what would you do with them?” There is no right or wrong answer. And if you so choose to keep them all to yourself, that completely applies too! Heehee *Santa’s Sleighful of Candy will be open for 7 days, or the rest of the days of November of this year, and will close at midnight Arizona time, on Tuesday morning, December 1st. The winning name will be drawn randomly on Tuesday December 1st and announced at 8pm that night right here on my blog including  my Facebook Page. So be sure to leave your answer below this post and spread the word! Only 7 days left before December! Good luck to you all!! Biggest Warm and Wintery Hugs, xx Elisabeth PS. Sources have informed me that “Eclipse” the movie is coming out in June!!! That's like, only 7 months away... AAAAUUURRRGGGHHHH!!!!!  WOOO-HOOOOOOOOO!!!!! *hyperventilates and actually passes out* *THIS BLOG CANDY IS NOW CLOSED.*  Thank you to all those who entered. The winner will be randomly  drawn and announced later this evening at 8pm.  Good luck to you!  Follow Me on Twitter

Things have been sooooo busy lately at the Bell household, and I dare say that all this busy-ness is notoriously responsible for the lack of activity on my blog as of late. Not to mention the fact that New Moon was released at midnight on November 20th, and, well, who could think of anything else? LOL! Eeeee! What a crazy fun night that was! I have posted a few pics on my public Facebook Page if you care to take a peek. Speaking of which, if you have been visiting my blog, you may have noticed frequent updates that I keep on Facebook. Huzzah for Facebook and the ease of giving brief updates hehe. And to make things easier (or more complicated LOL), I am now Tweeting. So feel free to stop by and visit me on Twitter and say G'day. :) I have been promising to launch another Blog Candy featuring one entire Collection from each of the 4 wonderful stamping companies I work with, Whiff of Joy, Belles 'n Whistles, Susana's Custom Art and Card Design and Ladybug and Friends. Sorry to tease you all so much by making you all have to wait so long heehee. But I WILL post the candy this week...fingers crossed LOL! ;)  What I'd like for Christmas is the ability to snap my fingers and voila, the task at hand is done and completed perfectly. Ahh, now that would be AWEsome! But alas, as it stands, I still have to do everything myself LOL! With a bit of help from hubby here and there. He truly is the Best hubby ever by the way (he came with me to the New Moon midnight release after all!!). Oh, and below is a pic of me sporting one of the tees I created. I'm also thinking of removing the date so the tee will be more friendly to wear at any time. For those of you who bought a tee, I hope you enjoyed wearing it as much as I loved wearing mine! ;) And of course, a big big thank you for your purchase. On that note, this Twit is finally off to snooze and remember, more delicious Candy coming soon! Be sure to keep an eye on this space.  Have a fabulous evening! Hugs, xx Elisabeth

Just sending out a Ho-Ho-Happy reminder to order your Belles 'n Whistles Christmas stamps  if you haven't done so already! :)  Belles 'n Whistles is growing!  And there are already so many delightful stamps to choose from. Yaay!  But hang on to your Santa hats, because there are many MORE coming very soon! ;) So take a moment to stop by the Belles 'n Whistles online store to have a look around. You won't be disappointed! Let the merry Christmas card makings begin (um, at least I'd better get started!! LOL! ;D) Wuvvles and Hugs! xx Elisabeth

Where would we be without Stephenie Meyer's genius??  I'd say we'd forever be "sitting in Switzerland" heehee ;D.  The Twi-hards would get that joke, as lame as it is...it is past 2 am and I'm still awake. Guh. So all my jokes are lame after 2 am and on any days ending in "Y"... For all my fellow Twilight fans (and for those who may not yet be),  I created a New Moon "Midnight Madness" tee design to strut during the New Moon midnight movie release! They are now available in my Redbubble store. So far only one design (which comes in black...all puns intended hehe). I hope to create a few more in the next few days so we can get our tees to wear on the release date (not much time left!).  Above is the text that is shown on the tee, quoted none other than by the  super hot bodied, Jacob Black: "I believe that…we have a date."  (Jacob Black, New Moon, Chapter 7, p.168) 11.20.09 The image of the clouds and bright moon in the background was taken by Erin Hancock, a personal friend and budding photographer. Erin, your image is genius! I have also added a second T-shirt, called,  "The Midnight Madness Tee 2". with the quote, "Sometimes, kismet happens." by Bella Swan (New Moon, Chapter 5, p.126.) This design is a simple one, featuring a red moon and text written in Twilight font (oooOOOooo) with the movie release date beneath. Plus the design is not boxed in, unlike the other design.  So far, this one is my fave. Click HERE to get yours. The design can also be seen below. The creative New Moon tees are at a special discounted rate for a limited time so be sure to get yours and get it in time for the movie! Woohoooo! Have a great new week! As for me, the Sand Man is calling *yaaawn* so I'm off to catch some Zzzeeees. Hugs! xx Elisabeth

This is it. It’s that time again when another SUPER EXCITING Blog Hop AND New Stamps Release is upon us! Woooo-hoooo!! Here are the exciting details: Which stamping company will be holding the Blog Hop New Release? Belles ‘n Whistles and the ingeniously creative Belles ‘n Whistles DT! Which blog will the Blog Hop and New Release start at? The Belles ‘n Whistles Blog! When will it begin? On Friday morning, October 30th, at 9 am Europe time - that's like 3 am East-Coast time (USA) and is actually 9 PM Thursday evening for Summer in Hawai'i and it will last ALL DAY! Woah. *Jumps on couch (a little too high on the fifth bounce) and crashes through ceiling* Not only that, there will be lots of fabulous prizes and I’ve heard, yummy, drool-worthy details in store (the edible kind that is hehe) for you to enjoy and wrap your taste buds around. EEEEEEEEeeeee!!! So now, I will pick myself up from off the roof (now how did I get up here? LOL! Too much bouncing around on my couch I dare say! XD) and just wait for Friday. Friday. Friday. Friiiiddaaaaaaayyy. Have a great Thursday and be sure to be at the Belles ‘n Whistles blog on Friday morning! You won't want to miss it! ;D Yaay for Super Excitement!! Wots of Wuvvles! xx Elisabeth (aka: Vee) PS. I have also changed the font on my site for increased legibility (easier reading). I should have done it ages ago but alas, I was too attached to the Kristen ITC font. Ah well, cest la vie. Hope the change has made a difference for the better. :)

In some “spare time” that I had over the weekend, I sketched up a couple of fun, foxy, total “Kick Butt Chica” images just for the heck of it and thought I’d share them with you. For the past few weeks, Clint (my hubby, Right Hand Man and Partner in Crime) and I have been reading Cassandra Clare’s trilogy, “The Mortal Instruments” together. I won’t go into detail, but the books are basically about a human girl and Shadow Hunters, Demons and Vampires. Very exciting stuff! Quite different to Stephenie Meyer’s four book series, “Twilight”, but still highly entertaining! (And if you know me, you KNOW that I'm a bit of a Twi-hard. Can't wait for New Moon the movie to come out!!) If you don’t know what a Shadowhunter is, you’ll have to read the books to find out ;). Clint and I love them (my faves are Books 2 and 3). As Clare’s books have been on my mind (obviously), I created a couple of sketches of “Volterra”, my alter ego and Would-be self in an alter dimension. Volterra has powers that include the ability to manipulate voltage, create invisible power currents and shoot prismatic ice shards that materialize from her finger tips which also fill her quiver. She may look warm (my hubby says “HOT” arr arr) but to the touch, she is glacial; one touch and you’re frozen! (Heehee) Highly skilled in the arts of archery, long and short range combat and telekinesis (and everything else - why stop there!), she’s a master (or rather, mistress) of deception and needless to say, not one to mess with. She is also, might I add, aesthetically pleasing haha! A mutual friend of both Clint and myself on Facebook inspired the name in the first place. His alter name happens to be “MOS” which stands for “Man of Steel”. Our friend with his own imaginative banter makes me LOL!  Volterra Version 1 is above Volterra Version 2 is below I have been visually thinking of Clint’s alter ego too, and have conjured up a particularly fascinating specimen of a design in my mind. I plan on sketching him up in the next little bit (his name will be Shadowhunter...at least it is at this point unless we figure out something else more interesting) and will post the sketch here. I haven’t stopped thinking about what type of gear Shadowhunter will be wearing, his colouration, the skills he has etc. It’s really exciting!! Mind you, I still LOVE to draw my super cute designs. They are essentially “Me”, an Elisabeth Bell trademark so to speak. Cute and sweet is all about EB! ;D And I’m constantly thinking of super cute designs which, to my continual amazement, seem to melt out from the tip of my pencil. Sigh. I really love what I do. :) I hope you enjoy the sketches of Volterra. And more exciting news! Coming up!! xxx Vee ;D

Four NEW SASS images today! ♥ Lady Valentine (above) ♥ Kitty Love ♥ Fix-It Honey ♥ Posies for You Each image has a Valentine/Spring theme about them. I loved drawing each one, particularly “Lady Valentine”. The inspiration for her is by, Jannette Basham, a personal friend of mine as well as a talented stamper. You will find her comment (which lead to the idea for the image) below the design in the SASS Gallery. Thanks Jannette for bringing Lady Valentine to light! ;) Naming the image, “Lady Valentine”, also adds another meaning for me. I am currently reading, “The Mortal Instruments” trilogy, by Cassandra Clare (great books!) and the villain's name in the story is none other than, Valentine. So as diabolical as the Valentine in Clare’s books may be, “Lady Valentine” is as sweet and serene as they come! (Well, looks can often be deceiving, but that’s how I envision Lady Valentine anyhoo). ;D You will find each of these new SASS images in the SASS Gallery where you can leave your comments. These images are also provided below. You can also find them and add your comments on the offical "Elisabeth Bell" public Facebook Page. And the exciting news is, one of these new SASS images is already promised to become a stamp! ;) Oh, and last but not least... LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS TO NEW MOON!!! Wooooo-hooooooooo! See the official trailer HERE. I have many other New Moon related Youtube links posted on my Facebook Page...I'm just a tad nuts over the series LOL! I've been meaning to design some tees to wear to the Midnight Madness release. So I'd better get cranking! As soon as I have some images, I'll post them here. Lots of hugs to each of you! xx Me

In light of celebrating the season of Fall and Thanksgiving, here is a beautiful, Arizonan October sun set from our back porch. This jpeg doesn't do the real visual justice. But the brilliant embers painted in the sky was an amazing way to end yet another day. I also have some more new SASS to post soon which I think are waay cute. ;) So stay tuned! And last but not least, "New Moon", the movie, is coming up very fast! I have my tickets for the midnight showing (12:01 am to be exact) and Clint (my hubby) will be coming with me hehe. He's even read all the books in the series with me THREE times!! Now there's a supportive Twi-hard guy if I've ever met one! Woohoo!! I'm so ecstatic! Have a great rest of your weekend! Hugs, xx Elisabeth

This evening, after encountering a potty training accident (our 3 year old son refused to sit on his potty and “whoopsied” over a convenient little spot of carpet (convenient for him anyway) in the living-room) and after cleaning up the spill, Alora and I were able to return to our serious task of randomly selecting the winner of this exciting candy! ;) So finally, the moment is upon us! We will now find out who the lucky winner is of 2 Awesome stamp collections from Belles ‘n Whistles and SCACD and one delicious stamp from Whiff of Joy PLUS an exclusive Elisabeth Bell t-shirt! Massive Thank You’s go out once again to Summer of Belles ‘n Whistles Stamps, Susana of SCACD and Katharina of Whiff of Joy Stamps, for their generosity with providing the stamps for this yummy blog candy give away! Alora was Santa’s (hehe) helper this evening and she did such a great job! After Mommy (who was feeling rather enterprising once more) printed out everyone’s comments, we placed all 17 sheets of paper filled with all your comments in a circle. Alora stood in the middle of the circle and spun around various times until Mommy yelled, “Stop!” Alora then pointed at one of the pages. She then picked it up and randomly selected one of the comments on the paper. Then she sat down and read the winning entry, including the person’s name. And we got it all down on video for you to see! I have uploaded the video of Alora's announcement which can now be seen on my public Facebook Page. But I know you’re all dying to know who the winner is, so I’ll tell you right off the bat: Congratulations Jackie!!!!! ;D Here is Jackie’s comment: "Father Christmas is Santa of course! even though I was quite young when I realized that he does have helpers and they sure do make sure to let him know when your naughty or nice. As I tell my grandsons, as I did their parents, Santa is real and he is always watching, checking his list and sometimes twice. ha ha! Thanks for the chance to win some wonderful yummy candy. Bless you for your kindness and sharing your gift for the art of crafting! link candy to my blog http://papermoments.blogspot.com/" -- Jackie, 10/13/09 WooooHOOOO! *throws rice, beans and confetti everywhere and endeavours to smash some paper plates because that’s all our family uses haha* Jackie, send me an email with your choice of tee, as well as your size and the colour of the tee you’d like, including your mailing address. As soon as I hear from you, I will place your t-shirt order and as soon as the shirt arrives in the mail, I will send it away to you! Congratulations to you once again!! Thank you to everyone who participated! It was so fun and heart warming to read all your wonderful comments and to get to know you a little better :). May Father Christmas visit your homes this Christmas, whether in person, or in the spirit of the most wonderful season of the year called Christmas. Biiig thanks once again to each of your for joining us! Lots of Wuvvles and Huggles! xxxx Belles ‘n Whistles, SCACD, Whiff of Joy and Alora and Me ;)

*THIS BLOG CANDY IS NOW CLOSED.* Thank you to everyone for participating. The winner will be announced tomorrow. Good luck to you all! Finally, some more yummy candy to give away to one lucky winner! This candy is a little different. I have stamps from not one company. Not two companies. But THREE companies to give away! Belles ‘n Whistles: Fall 2009 Collection SCACD: Special Edition Ornament Collection Whiff of Joy: Fall Willow Holding Corn Basket Big big thanks! to the very generous Summer of Belles ‘n Whistles, the wonderful Susana of SCACD and the awesome Katharina of Whiff of Joy Stamps for their fantastic sponsorship! :D You can see all the yummy stamps that are available to win in this give away. PLUS I will throw in your choice of one of my T-Shirts from my Redbubble gallery as a bonus ;). That’s a total of ELEVEN stamps and one of my own exclusive designed Tees to go to the winner! Woohoo! Anyone, anywhere in the world can enter. I will ship the goodies after I receive the T-Shirt in the mail to send off to the winner, so please allow 6 weeks for delivery if you live outside of the USA, and up to 4 weeks for delivery if you are living in the States. Please remember that I do not cover custom fees for delivery outside of the USA. After the winner is announced, please get in-touch with me and let me know your mailing address, and which tee you’d like (size, colour and design) from my  T-Shirt gallery on the Redbubble site. To enter, all you need to do is answer the following question: When did you find out who Father Christmas really is? (hehe) Leave your comment below this post. Please also add a link to this candy to your blog if you have one (also please leave your blog addy with your comment). And let us know your first name and where you’re from. This candy will be open for one week and will close at midnight Wednesday October 14th, 2009, Arizona time. The winner will be randomly selected and announced the following day at 8pm (or before hehe). I might ask Alora to help me choose the winner once again ;). So be sure to keep an eye on this space! It doesn’t matter what anyone else tells me about Santa Claus. I know for a fact that Father Christmas is REAL *winks*...But he also has his helpers hehe. I found out who some of his helpers are one Christmas eve when I was 12 years old and my dear Mom was TRYING every so quietly to sneak into my room to place a portable stereo player beneath my bed (it wouldn’t fit in my stocking haha). Just like the song, she thought I was sleeping. I don’t know if she saw me sit up in my bed and lean over my bedside to take a look at what she was doing hahaha. I think she looked up but my head was back on my pillow and my eyes were shut. I might have even pretended to snore LOL! Oh, the memories! Christmas has always, and will always, be my most favourite holiday of the year! Good luck to you all! And I look forward to reading your answers ;D Oodles of Huggles ‘n Wuvvles! xx Me

Happiness is not found in things. Nor in boxes. But in some cases, this is debatable hehe. To assist with editing my illustrations to achieve high quality imagery and clear, precise line work, I use Adobe Photoshop CS4 along with my tablet of preference, the Wacom Intuos4. I have used the Wacom Intuos3 for the past two years and have thoroughly enjoyed my experience with it. Now that I have used the Wacom tablet, I will never go back to executing traditional pen and paper pieces alone. What can be accomplished through the superior editing medium of the Wacom tablet with one’s art is a broiling thunder storm and happy clear skies in comparison. Last week I ordered the Wacom Intuos4 drawing tablet and on Monday, it arrived! Woohoo! (Let me just say, Amazon free express shipping rocks!) I found it at my front door after the UPS guy dropped it off. I screamed and did the Happy Dance. I noted it arrived packaged in the most sexiest black box I have EVER seen. And the box even had a sleeve with a handle! I was smitten.  I ordered the Large size, which is slightly larger than the Intuos3 that I worked with. I won’t go into detail explaining the upgraded features of the 4 or the difference between the two tablets. If you’d like to learn more about the (deliciously awesome and super sexy) Wacom Intuos4, please click here. And I highly recommend viewing the video. It is the stuff from which adrenalin is created (at-least for most farty-artys like myself). There is no staggering reason for my upgrading to the Intuos4 over the Intuos3. Admittedly, I have a penchant for updated, quality materials and equipment, so when the Intuos4 came out, I drooled. I salivated. And well, I wanted it LOL! I love my Intuos3, it really is fantastic. And I would have been perfectly happy with using it for years longer. I thought it would be difficult for me to make the transition from the 3 to the 4. Bu-ut, sadly, and happily for me, it was sheer delight! *smothers a snicker* And since they are of the same family, this can only make matters better hehe. It’s funny how “little” things like this can make me happy. As for the Wacom Intuos4, it and I have a love affair (LOL). (And the upside is, Clint is perfectly okay with it bahaha!). The calibration is fantastic and I love the ambidextrous feature (the Intuos4 can be used with both right handed and left handed artists). Plus, the Wacom tablet works excellently with the Mac, both in functionality and aesthetically.  Ok, just to make it super official, I am a Mac girl. I have used the Macbook Pro for just under a year and I. Am. Converted. The PC is history to me. One cool feature (of the bajillion cool features) about working with the Mac and the Wacom tablet is all one needs to do is install the device via the installation disc that comes with the Wacom Intuos4 package, follow the prompts, and voila, it's done. You don't need to download extra drivers (which translates to "extra hassle") to make the Wacom work properly (unlike you do for the PC). The combination of working on a Mac with the Wacom Intuos4 is a dream. The only thing I still need to get used to is the toggles appear only one side of the tablet and I find myself going to use the opposite side for commands hehe. But that’s not a set back at all verses what it can DO. In the mean-time, my much loved Intuos3 will be going to another good home. The new owner-to-be doesn’t know it yet, it will be her surprise :). It still brings a lump to my throat when I look at the box that my old 3 is now sleeping in. But I have moved on to ever jade pastures. Let the creativity, and cuteness thereof, persist and be bettered! And of course, this delivery has made the Super Happy Factor of my week. Woot! Oh, and I get to keep the box heehee. Hugs, xx Me

Hello Everyone! Here is the second exciting SCACD Sneaky Peek (also called Three French Hens) of the Elisabeth Bell “Special Edition Ornament Collection” for the up and coming SCACD New mini release Stamps available on September 29th! *Fans face for the bajillionth time* To enter the yummy blog candy and to read more details on the SCACD blog click HERE. I wonder what theme it shall be... *winks* Big Hugs, xx Me

Hi Everyone! The fabulous Susana, and the awesomely creative Suzanne, are hosting a SCACD Big Huge Blog Candy on the SCACD Blog! Here is a Sneaky Peek of just one of my designs in the NEW SCACD mini release Stamps ;D To help celebrate SCACD’s store’s first year anniversary (Happy Birthday SCACD!), Susana is offering two super exciting NEW mini release Stamp sets designed by Yours Truly ;) and the fabulously talented Victoria Case! These NEW stamps will be available to order on September 29th. Woohoo! And to make things even MORE exciting (*fans face*), Susana and Suzanne are giving away a set of NEW mini release stamps from each artist PLUS the New Ranger Heat It embossing gun as well to the winner!!   Whew! (*Fans face multiple more times*) All you need to do to enter is answer the question on the SCACD blog which you’ll find HERE. So hurry and post your answer because this Candy will be over in 2 days when the winner will be announced midnight EST on the 28th! And remember to keep your eyes peeled on the SCACD online store and blog to see the NEW stamps on September 29th! Good luck to you!!! Huggles, xx Elisabeth