You hold the key to my heart ...... :)

 Good Wednesday morning!   It's time for a fresh new week at Fresh Brewed Designs, and this week we were given the challenge to use the new Emma digi stamps with a white, pink and red color combo - can we say gorgeous!  I knew instantly when I saw the Key To My Heart Emma that I wanted to make a card for my daughter who will be 16 in a week! :(   I can't believe how grown up she is and how fast time has gone by.  I colored Emma's dress in red to match the dress she picked out to wear to her Sweet 16 party next weekend :)   The little red felt flowers are also going into this special card as I found them in a little stamp shop in Germany this summer - I'm hoarding them for very special occasions and I <3 dd, she's pretty special! 

Would you like to play along?  Click here for the current challenge for this week to use this color combo on your card! 

Thank for stopping by!

~Kelly

Deets:   Martha Stewart Cardstock red; SU! Pink Pirouette; DSP = SU! Sending love DSP; PTI White; Image from Fresh Brewed Design's "Emma"; sentiment is computer generated; prismacolor markers; Cuttlebug, nesties; i-rock tool; gems; K & Co brads; MM Shimmery flowers; red felt flowers from Munich, Germany

Wishing for ........ shopping money ;)

Hee hee!   Happy Thanksgiving weekend!   Did you brave the stores this year for Black Friday shopping?  If so, I hope it was  successful trip :)  I stayed home this year, in need of sleep and relaxation and catching up on going 900 mph!  But I sure had some wishful thinking! LOL! 

Today's card is from Deedee's Digis called "Wishing Well" and the sentiment is my wishful thinking, bwahahaha!   I think so many of us wish we had that money tree growing in the yard or the well of wishes that could grant us the things we need ;)  I showed this card to my dh and told him it was my Christmas card to him this year - rofl!  He eyes popped out of his head - good thing he knows I have a sense of humor :)

Make sure you head on over to the Crafting with Deedee's Digis to see the current challenge, too!  There is a lot of wonderful inspiration for you to see and play along with - come check it out!   And remember, all Fall digis are on sale right now for just $1 each - what a wonderful time to grab some of your favorite images!

We are off to the Christmas tree lot to find "the tree" - this year, with money being a bit stretched, I'm hoping the kids will fall in love with my kind of tree - the Charlie Brown tree!  I always go straight for the one that is always overlooked, spindly and forgotten.  Last year, the *helper* said "oh, you don't want that one - it's ugly - it's missing branches - hey, let me show you some really good ones back over here!"  Well, guess what tree came home with us :)  And it looked splendid! x0x0

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone! 
Blessings!
Kelly 

Deets:  Cardstock from SU!  Chocolate Chip, Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa; GP White (image and sentiment); Cuttlebug, nesties, prismacolor markers; DCWV paper "Cafe Mediterrian"; Kaiser pearls, misc flowers; Basic Grey Button; embroidery floss; double sided tape; 3d dots

I'm THANKFUL for you!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Although I am nostalgic about missing living in Europe, I do love the traditional Thanksgiving and being handed down the baton of cooking the big meal and love playing hostess!  It's been a rock n' roller coaster few weeks here but I'm putting on my smile and grateful to many friends, near and far, and know that there are so many blessings still to be received! 

I wanted to share with you a project I worked on with my son's Kindergarten class - a Thankful Tree :)  I have to tell you, having done many projects over the years, this one was by far a favorite!  I found a similiar link on The Crafting Chicks where they used a branch and wrote on paper-like leaves for the T-giving table.  This is my representation with a little twist!  The kids were so thoughtful in thinking of what they really wanted to say about their teacher, asking things like "How do you spell sweet?" Awww!  I found this blinged out, glittery foam leaves at Michaels and scooped them up so I didn't have to cut out 23 cardstock versions of these, rofl!  Even after making one of my dear bbf's get her husband to shimmy up the oak tree in their backyard to bring down the PERFECT branch (this was supposed to be free!  As in From Nature!) but alas, the branches we found, on the ground and some not, were all too dangerous in the end.  As my dear dad would have said "You're gonna poke an eye out with that thing!"  So ....... Plan B! I"m all about having a Plan B!  LOL!  I stumbled upon a beautiful faux branch at Crate n Barrel wich was sprayed in some type of plastic & glitter and bends when you touch (bump!) it, so this was the one! 

I had so much fun helping the kids with their leaves and reading some of them later as I put the tree together had me in stitches - like the little boy who is grateful for Skittles and Snacks, ROFL!!!  (my kind of kid!) :)

Blessings to you as you celebrate this holidays with your families, the far away families that you wish were near, and the ones that live on in our memories. 

Love & Blessings!~Kelly

A Forest Kinda Weekend :)

 Hi there!!  I hope you all had a marvelous weekend :)   It's SONday night here, and I'm winding down from many things going on at the same time but lucky enough to sneak in a few minutes to post this swap I was in from SCS :)  We happen to have a couple of hours to visit our town's Enchanted Christmas Forest  - it's a beautiful fairgrounds that is decorated all year long but only open during the "Christmas Season" with rides and games and food galore!  It plays only Christmas music, has *snow* that falls around areas and the kids were riding rides over and over all night - they wanted to stay til closing time (midnight) but 5 hours was enough for us! :)

And it's a Forest on my blog, too!  If any of you know Jeanette from SCS, you'll know her swaps and threads are among the best there is!  She is not only creative, and juggling like 4 DT's at the same time with precision, but is truly one of the sweetest gals around to know on a personal level ...... she is my confidant, my prayer partner, and a truly beautiful soul!  And Luck Be A Lady tonight, imagine my squeals of delight and shock when random.org pulled her name as the winner of my Deedee's Blog Hop candy - what a God-cidence!!  Congrats to you, my dear friend, and please stop by the Crafting Challenge blog to find out what to do next! :)

So it's only fitting I show you the card I made for her swap!  It's part of her ongoing "Forest" theme swap she has that are oodles of fun - I highly recommend you check them out in her next round of swapping - you will not be disappointed! 

Using my old school rubbah, lol,  I had a blast inking up this gorgeous set "down by the pond" from TGF.  I've had it for forever and sadly hardly ever play with ink & rubbah anymore.  I think I kept the tin of stazon under my nose a full minute - LOVE that smell! :p   Paired with my trademark bright and whimsical style of paper, K & Co, this card came together quite easily.   I had these colored last month and set them aside, and finally had a chance to get them together yesterday morning to be ON TIME, hee hee!

Thanks for stopping by!  My son is in the Thanksgiving play tomorrow at school - he's a pilgrim with some pretty big lines :)  So off to bed for me and I'll see you all on your blogs/threads tomorrow afternoon!  x0x0x0

Blessings!
~Kelly

Card deets:  SU! Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Kiwi Kiss, MS Pink & GP White; DSP = K & Company; Stamp = Down by the Pond from TGF; SU Ribbon "Regal Rose", Corner punch, SU Scallop punch, Fancy Pants buttons; Embroidery floss; Tombo, 3d dots

"Tis Better to Give - Deedee's Digis Blog Hop!

What's Cooking?!

"Tis Better to Give" Blog Hop!




The holiday season is upon us -- a blessed time of love and laughter, precious moments spent with family, good food aplenty, and, for many of us, gifts and giving.   Now, we can almost hear the chorus of groans at that last part -- LOL! Yes, holiday gift giving can be stressful, especially when budgets are tight, gift lists are long, and the pressure is on to "shop 'til you drop." Well, we of the Deedee's Digis design team firmly believe that gift-giving should be a joyful experience all the way around. That's why we have come together today to share with you some ideas of fabulous gifts that you can make, so that your gifts this year are are meaningful, affordable, and hopefully as stress-free as possible. Join us today on our blog hop as we show you why "'tis better to give" -- because not only will you have fun giving these gifts, but making them as well! :-)

You should have arrived here from Jerusha's amazing blog post! If not, and need to start at the beginning, click HERE!

Here's how the hop works:

To participate, visit each of the participating designers' blogs to see a fun project using one of our digis, and leave a comment on their post for a chance to win a free digi of your choice from our store! You have until 12 noon ET on Sunday to comment. Each designer will choose a winner Sunday evening, and we'll announce them all here on Monday. Please be sure to check back then to see if you have won!!

I have two projects to share with you today!  First, I am true believer in giving from the heart and the saying "it's not the gift that counts, it's the thought", that must have been made for me :)  I cherish the things that are made for me and keep them near and dear to my heart.  Everything from the macaroni necklaces to the beautiful hand painted canvases from my girls, sometimes you don't have to spend a lot to make something really wonderful!  First up, using the most amazing recipe cards from Deedee's Digis, I created this recipe box!  I'm always in the kitchen with my girls and wanted to make my daughter her own little recipe box since she has become the "baker" :)  I had a recipe box from the $1 bin at Joanns but wasnt' happy with the design, so I refurbished it!  Using lovely papers from TPC from my stash, I covered up her recipe box, added matching Gingham ribbon and a polymer button and handmade the recipe cards inside using cardstock with Deedee's Recipe cards, free this month with your $10.00 purchase!  Wow!



Sitting on the counter :)

For my second project, I made my daughter, Victoria, her own magnet message board!  I covered a regular $1 chalk board with shimmery dsp from My Mind's Eye (stash!), adorned it with the stunning digi from Deedee called "Weeds and Wildflowers" - I used the flower tops, enlarged several times to create dimension and made magnets using the bottle tops from rootbeer!  Victoria was a bit too long, hee hee, so I used her nick-name ~ this project was easy breazy lemon squeezy! :)   This is actually hanging on her wall with a big grosgrain bow!

I bet you are excited to see what the rest of the DT have created for you!  You will be amazed and hopefully inspired to create with Deedee's Digis :) From here you'll hop on over to see what a creative project Lawren has made for you!  And here is the full list of the DT - be sure to comment along the way for your chance to win!  xoxo

 April
Ceal
Darsie
Deedee
Jeanine
Jerusha
Kelly {you are here!
Lawren
MelissaPaula
Robin
Sandy
Michelle




Thanks so much for joining us today. Now let's get to hopping! :-)

Deets:  Project #1 - Standard recipe box $1 spot Joanns - DSP = TPC Studio "Everything but the Kitchen Sink", American Crafts gingham ribbon; Polymer button from Buttons and Bows; recipe cards from Deedee's Digis, cardstock from SU! and GP White

Project #2 - Small chalkboard, The Dollar Tree;  Deedee's Digis "Weeds and wildflowers", prismacolor markers, stickles, dsp - Whirlybird from My Mind's Eye and Penny Lane; wooden letters from stash, border from K & Company, magnets, rootbeer bottle caps, SU Wide Grosgrain ribbon, staples, tombo

Blessings!
~Kelly

It's show us your style day at FBD!

Jesus is the light!

Happy Wednesday!  I hope this middle of the week day brings you peace and love and all things wonderful!  It's a fun day for the DT at Fresh Brewed Designs, owned and designed by the amazing Heather!  First, today was Show off your style day!  I think I'm a bit eclectic in that area, jumping from the bright, bold whimsy to the softer shades of vintage and just about everything in between!   FBD is getting bigger and better with wonderful new changes - you won't want to miss a thing!  Please note this image has not been released yet but will be in the shop soon!

There is also a brand new Design Team!  You'll find them listed in my sidebar, and I hope you get the chance to see what they can do, they are one creative team :)

My card for you today is using "Jesus is the Light" digi, a beautiful candle with holiday decor - a perfect reminder that not only is the most blessed Christmas nearly upon us (37 more days til Christmas!!)   Since I colored the candle with a raspberry colored prisma marker, I pulled some Cherry Cobbler and Early Expresso from my stock and wrapped it up with some vintage papers (anyone recognize this collection?  It's gorgeous, thick kraft colored Vintage Valentine's paper I never got around to using!)

Before you go, click here to find the new challenge blog!

We also have a new PCP group!  You can find FBD here!

And a Facebook Fan Page!!! 

Blessings to you today!
Thanks for stopping by!

Let it snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

OH how blessed am I!  Not only did I receive this fabulous award, but I received it twice!

My wonderful blogging friend, Kate, of Small Bits of Paper and new blogging friend, Naomi, of Scrapping in a Zoo blessed me with this award that has been making the blogging rounds :)

I'm excited to finally have one, too!  Thanks, girls!

I think this is where I'm to say 3 things that represent me, so ....

1.  My first and foremost love in my life is Jesus Christ, my Savior! 

2.  I am never home.  Ask my kids!

3.  As Bella said, I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Starbucks. A true addiction. 5 bucks for a cup of coffee, positively SHAMELESS .... 
 

I leave this up on my blog for all to grab.  I'm sorry, I know that's not really following the rules!  But everyone I know has already has this on their blogs so I hope a follower who doesn't know that I appreciate you following and commenting on my blog - so it's for YOU! x0x0

I changed up my project this morning after find

ing the original box of cupcakes I had planned to use!  So I'm showing both ways to use these phenomenal digi sets!  Here is the updated picture set using a simple cupcake mix, a card and belly band! 

Just Chillin' and Let is Snow by Deedee's Digis!



Snowman Cupcakes are ALWAYS good! :)




Let it snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow ..... in Miami, please! :)



Yes, truly words I wish could come true here in Sunny South Florida!  How I miss the snow!

But at least I can stop in today and wish you a wonderful SONday and share with you a card and cocoa "purse" I made using these adorable Deedee's digis, available in the store :) 

For this set, I used two of Deedee's Digis - "Let it Snow" and "Just Chillin" sentiment - isn't it perfect how you can mix and match!  I colored this adorable snowman with prisma markers, added some Martha Stewart super fine glitter for snow and made a matching purse to hold a little pouch of hot cocoa --  Yum yum! :)

Did you know that Deedee's Fall digis are all on sale in November for just $1.00!  That's true!

And mark your calendars to stop in for the Blog Hop on the 19th!  You won't want to miss it!  The DT have been busy making gifts and stocking stuffers - perfect for this season where the budget might not stretch as far as it did before.  I know for me this year, handmade items will be on the forefront of gift giving and Deedee's Digis will be a BIG part of those gifts! :)

Thanks for stopping by today - blessings to you!
~Kelly

Card/Cocoa purse deets: SU! Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss & PTI White: Deedee's Digis: colored with prismacolor markers, stickles, MS Fine glitter, Kaiser bling; SU!Kiwi Kiss ribbon; BG button, embroidery twine, Tombo, Cuttlebug, nesties, Trimmer

Hot Dog! It's a Chrissy Card! :)

  

 OMGosh, I cannot tell you how excited I am to post today -- because my 13 y/o baby, Chrissy, made me this card! She did an absolutely amazing job! I just love it to pieces - she's an amazingly creative girl, always crafting beside me and comes up with the sweetest cards but this one just made my day, I was smiling huge all last night when I got home {another meeting!} I just had to share, she just tickles me ;)  

The little joke in our home is that she eats her hotdogs a very specific way - the rest of the family eats them "however" but with her, she loves them split down the middle, grilled (almost charred!) ala Johnny Rockets style ;) 

Thanks so much for stopping by today and seeing my baby's creation! :)

Blessings!
~Kelly

It's a Magical, Mystical and Fantastical Nov. Kit-Cat!

*Edited - Just back from a weekend of camping and I see the post didn't launch :(  I think I was the first one done and yet the last one to post, ROFL! Murphy's Law!  But camping was a blast  - more on that later!  I came home 1. exhuasted and 2. climbing Mt. Laundry all day and 3. trying to put together the pieces of a few interesting events that took place while mommy was away - but God is good and my babies are all fine and dh survived the weekend, bwahahaha!*

It's Kit-Cat Sunday once again and this month is the exciting preview of a little mysticism and fantasy!  Our host this month is the absolute sweetheart, Susan, who came up with this month's theme and sent us a yummy cache of paper goodness!  This kit was so chock full of goodies that it was nearly impossible to chose and use them all - definitely lots more cards in the future :)   She sent us some gorgeous Fairy images if we chose to make a card and a plain (au naturel!) daily planner .... and, of course, being the uber busy mom of 4 going to and fro every hour of each day, I chose the planner.  

Using this scrumptious paper from Que Sera Sera collection from K and Co, I chose a larger piece of the dsp that had an image already on it and couldn't bear to cover up this beautiful Koi fish!   Instant focal point ;)  I added the flowers, bling, gorgeous ribbon,  silver cord and

*Love* charm that Susan sent - the only thing I added was this flower paper border to give a little pop under the ribbon.  I didn't want to over embellish it since this baby will be traveling in my purse! :)   And, I couldn't resist making a little bookmark to go with and covered it with dsp, modge podge, matching ribbon and bling - a great remider to keep in my new fabulous daily planner.

Now be sure to head on over to see what the other kittens have made for you using this same kit "ingredients!"  You will not be disappointed!

Susan * Jeanette * Lorie * Michelle *

Thanks for stopping by this morning and have a most blessed, magical day! :)

Blessings!
~Kelly

Have a Bloomin' Good Day :)

Happy Bloomin' Friday! :)




Happy Friday to you! This week at Buttons & Bows it's "anything goes!" That makes for a fun challenge as Kristy is so generous with her button sets, there are enough left over from each set to make a second card, scrapbook page or project!

This week, I bring you flower pot goodness, made from paper, flowers and gorgeous button centers! The centers are all from the sets of Cancer Awareness, Witches' Hat, and Harvest Time :) I started with this little flower pot car that opens up to include a small card or bookmark, but wanted to make actual flowers to have a little card for my daughter after her Opera tonight :) I tucked a little note down inside the pot for her :)  The stems are just plain ol popsicle sticks covered with ribbon, and that's pretty much it!

This weekend I'll be campin' with my lil Girl Scout - and we recently heard it's dippin into the 50's at night - can you imagine!  We'll all be freezing something awful - guess it could be worse and have a forecast for rain and more rain, LOL! 

Hugs & Blessings,
Kelly

Sending baskets of love!

Oh, soon to be Key Lime Pie! :)

Wow, the rain that is pouring down from my window as I type!  It's a monsoon out there!  I ran out to grab a few more limes off the famous lime tree and barely got 20ish or so off the tree before I was hit with an instant shower - no time to run for cover :)  But soon, a fresh baked Key Lime pie will be gracing my oven ........ and hips ......  but it's all good! :)

Have you seen the new Happy Monday Challenge sketch at Deedee's this week?  You can find it here!  It's a fun one!  I used Baskets of love for this challenge, colored with my prisma markers ~ except when posting the pictures I realized I forgot to color the centers! :(  Hopefully it doesn't look too awful as I'm out of time to do another photo op and blog post so we'll chalk it up to creative expression, right? LOL!


Deedee's Happy Monday Challenge Sketch 6

How sweet is this digi set!  My sample is using Basket of Love :)

And even sweeter, ALL of Deedee's Fall digis are on sale!   Through the month of November, all Fall digis are just $1.00!  You can find them and all the splendid new images in the shop! :)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Blessings,

~Kelly

It's a Snowflake kinda day!

Even in Miami, bwahaha!  This is the only kind of snowflake I will see here - the cardstock cuttlebugged kind! :)

Sooooo are you recovering from a fun night of Halloween festivities?  This was the first year dd15 went off with a group of friends in a  "theme" group of Alice and Wonderland - too, too cute!  DD was, naturally, Alice :)  They kept getting stopped for concersation and photo ops, lol!  I did manage to get one of my troop before they all scattered and yes, my kids are very mis-mashed this year being they were doing their own thing!  This photo cracked me up!!  They were in full drama mode and totally posed after taking their "mom-a-razi" required picture of the year ;) 



Breaking news!  Opera star attacked by zombie while Ninja Warrior turns Alice into Sushi! ;)

Never a dull moment at my house! :)-

And how about a card!  First, if you haven't stopped on over to Buttons and Bows, please do!  You can find the blog and become a follower here!  Kristy's buttons are all handmade, clear polymer buttons and I promise you, to see them IRL is absolutely joyful!  She has many sets to chose from for all occasions in her store!  And the DT are super creative and their cards and projects are simply genious - so many things to see, especially with the holidays coming up ..... which reminds me ......

52 more days til Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!  Are you ready? ;) (not me!)

I found this neat-o (I can't believe I just used that word!  eek!) template on SCS for a mini pocket style card which I turned into a card holder :)  You could easily change it up for the seasons and add anything from a gum to a packet of seeds to gift cards!  



Ready for an envie!  5" x 3.5" closed



Close up of the gorgeous button! (from the Harvest set)



Inside and open - enough room for a bookmark and Gift Card :)

I thought this was so cute - 1.5 years old and never stamped til now! 

Buttons and Bows blog can be seen HERE!  Please click to become a follower so you won't miss the upcoming wonderful-ness in the next weeks! 

Thanks for stopping by today! Your comments mean the world to me and I appreciate you!  I hope that in some small way something I post or create might inspire you!

Blessings,
~Kelly

Deets:  Close to Cocoa Cardstock (bookmark), Candy Lane DSP from SU!; button = Buttons and bows,
stamp = inkadinkadoo, close to cocoa ink; Cuttlebug, stickles, embroidery floss, tombo