CCEE1826 ~ Relax!

Hi friends!

Today's CCEE Stampers challenge is a peaceful one :)

Joanne's last theme for her month of June is ...

"RELAXATION. 

   Create a card that depicts RELAXATION to you.  Can be a place where you are relaxed or what you do to relax."

Thanks, Joanne!  

Your month of June has been filled with fun challenges!

 Because we just got back from vacation,

I'm channeling the sandy beaches and sunsets we saw over on the Gulf side of Florida.

For me, it's an absolutely glorious day when I can sit in a chaise lounge,

under an umbrella and get lost in the salty air ♥

 

This card was a combination of quite a few things.

I previously blended several Tim Holtz distress inks/distress oxide inks to create 

the base layer of sunset/water.

Once that dried {overnight}, I added 3d foam to the underneath of the frame border

and attached it to the card base.

I stamped/die cut and colored the images (literally at 1 am! Like ... today!)
 from Lawn Fawn's Flamingo Together stamps + dies  and Life is good stamp  and die

and just created a simple scene of what our Florida beaches look like :)

The sequins are a gorgeous assortment from Doodles Paper Playground

which I won over on Instagram.

It's called the Peacock Pizzazz Sparkle Blends and just fabulous in real life ♥

Thank you so much, Doodles Paper Playground!

 You can see all the relaxation cards here on the CCEE blog.

Each of the designers created something so calm and serene ~

relaxing indeed :)

You can also find the linky to add your relaxation cards if you'd like to play along,.

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

You had me at ALOE ........... :)

Hi there!

Say aloe to my little friend ....

 Name that movie!

That's a game my daughter and I play all the time :)

One of us will blurt out a line from a {famous} movie and 
try to guess the correct one.

It's such great fun!

But often, I get stuck :)

Hee hee!

She's much wittier than me but we do love to play ♥

And something else I love!

Succulents!
You may remember that from this post.

They are super trendy right now, including in the stamping community ~

I have several (in stamp form) as I just adore these little plants so much!

 I'm in a card group on Splitcoaststampers called the Creative Card Chicks.

The CCC is a group of us friends that take turns sending card kits
 to all the members to complete the card challenge for that month.
Debby is our hostess and said she also shares a love of succulents - yay!

This card is my take on the kit and ...

i love it ♥

The card base looks like a 'river runs through it' ~ AND

I wish I could take credit for that creative idea,

but that part of my card was a total oops!

I intended to make hills for the cacti to rest upon

and the blue polka dot paper was the 'sky'.

I think that's about the time I realized I hadn't packed for vacation

and in my haste I cut the dsp upside down :/

So I had to 'half it':  part of the paper went north, part of it went south 
and to fill the gap, I used the blue sheet of dsp for a sky turned river.

True story!

Isn't it fun when the unexpected brings us joy!

 

 

I'll be back this week with my 2nd card :)
Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥
~Kelly

Crafting on the Go: Vacation vibes :)

 

Hi friends!

We're in full vacation mode over here on the Gulf of Mexico!

It's absolutely stunning here on the other side of Florida with the

gorgeous pink and purple sunsets, crystal blue water and sugar sand beaches ♥
We've been enjoying the fabulous sunshine and gorgeous weather :) 

My daughter and I visited a beautiful private island yesterday
and I brought along some card making items for 'Crafting on the Go.' 
I've been diligently keeping up with The Daily Marker
 and I also needed to make my cards for The Project Bin so they traveled with me!

My inspiration for these cards was looking out into the ocean
writing in the sand and watching the waves wash it away ♥

The idea behind my card was to create with limited supplies.
I made sand and water and sunsets by simply using the wide tip markers
and making streaks across the cardstock in varied colors.
Once they were dry, I used my mini misti to stamp the sentiments from
the fabulous #bff stamp set.

The idea is it might not be what you normally would create,
but that you CAN create - be inspired by your surroundings ♥ 

These cards are clean and simple because it was impossible
to bring designer papers, the cuttlebug, dies!
I used limited supplies and created an linear type art for the base card.
Piet Mondrian would be so proud! :)

All photos were taken when we returned to the resort.
 We have a few more adventures planned and then head for home Tuesday :(
Always the hardest part about vacations - the ending!

Meanwhile, you can have fun shopping at The Project Bin here
and visit the blog for inspiration here!

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥
~Kelly

I'll enter this into:  City Crafter #418/Seaside
International Art and Soul - Art Nouveau

CCEE1825: Ocean Challenge ♥

Hello friends!

It's time for a new challenge at the CCEE Stampers 

and this week's challenge is one of my very favorites!

Joanne has asked us to make an ocean themed card

and I knew two things right away:

 1. I wanted to make a card for my son who is away at camp 

and having an absolutely wonderful time!

He ADORES sharks (definitely part of the ocean)

and 2. To ink up my new Heffy Doodle stamps called Oceans of Love

(yes, there's a shark in this stamp set!)

I couldn't get the cellophane off my new Heffy Doodle stamps

fast enough to ink them up when they arrived!

How. cute. are. these!!

The second I saw the sneaks during release week,

I was already swimming around the shop waiting to purchase them ♥

There's more!

There is some-fin new on my card as well ~

a technique that I stumbled upon quite by accident.

I don't know if it's a 'thing' or has an official name,

but one day while watercoloring, I made a big 'ol mess with too much water.

I sopped it up with some pretty textured paper towels 

and as I lifted it off, this background was left behind.
I let it dry overnight, looked at it and said wow, it's a such a pretty piece.

I cut one of the sides with a frame die cut and the other I left as a background. 

When I added the frame with 3D foam, I purposely turned it 

so the green/blue would be opposite from the base green/blue.

Since this card is traveling to camp,

I didn't want to make it too fussy or overly embellished.

He's 13 and in a cabin with 6 other boys :)

He's a sweet, sweet boy who always compliments his mama's cards,

but I'm sure the accompanying goodie box is going to be the crown treasure!

You can see all the ocean cards here on the CCEE blog ~

these cards are pretty fin-tastic! 

Big hugs, bigger blessings!
~Kelly

RSG: Happy Groundhog's Day!

Hiya friends!

Who's ready to celebrate Happy Groundhog's Day?!

Apparently, my husband!

:-)

Today's the day that Barb, Jeanette and I post our cards for the

Ready, Set, Go! Challenge.

That's a challenge we have once a month that's a bit ... well .... extreme!

It's usually a challenge that's a little more out of the box but always great fun.

Barb is our hostess and she asked us to create a card with this:

 Ask your spouse the following questions and record the answers for your card.

  1--What is their favorite color?

2.  Name a number between 1-5?  

 3--Name a holiday or occasion--does not need to be their favorite.  

Then--make a card for that holiday or occasion, with their favorite color as a prominent focal point and use the number they stated somehow in the card.  

 The key is not tell them why you are asking the questions until the answers are given!  

 Ready? Set. Go!

I LOVE Barb's challenge!

It was even fun-ner after hearing my husband's very strange answers, LOL!

(I know all the answers by heart and he only got the color correct - 

the rest, I'm blaming it on his recent surgery and some really good medicine!)

He gave me blue (check!), 5 (the huh?) and Groundhog's Day (okay, then!)

Yep, the one that was back in February when the world waited to see if

 Punxsutawney Phil would see his shadow or not after a long winter's nap.

  When the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray first came out,

my husband LOVED it!

He's watched it many times over on repeat (kinda like premise of the movie)

so I'm guessing maybe there as a spark of something something ;)

 

Back to my card!

I, naturally, don't have a single groundhog stamp ...

*shock!*

 

So, I did the next best thing and found a Whipper Snapper Gopher

in my stash. They kinda sorta in a furry animal kinda way look similiar

so said to myself ...

"Self! It. will. do! 

 Just gopher it!"

↑ 

Heehee!  See what I did there? :)

 This image is also a nod to Barb who got me into Whipper Snapper

stamps 100 years ago a few years ago with her

 Whipper Snapper card swaps and living close to Creative Pals

(which she lovingly calls Home Of The Whipper Snapper Stamps!) ♥

She has a HUGE collection - I know, I've seen it with my own eyeballs!

AND, I had the joy of going with the Wisconsin Squad to Creative Pals

and I can attest, it's a toy store for crafters! 

 

1. Blue is the card base and the balloon,

2. The Gopher represents the Groundhog for Groundhog's Day 

3. I have 5 layers on the card, plus 5 buttons just for good measure!

I added the fun wonky number paper as a nod towards Groundhog Day movie.

The day keeps repeating over and over and each time, 

and every day he wakes up, it's February 2nd!

Thanks Barb for this month's challenge!

You can see her card here and Jeanette's card here

and we'll be back next month with another fun challenge :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

 

The Project Bin: When life gives you lemons .........

Take them!

Free stuff is good! 

 :)

Happy Monday, friends!

I'm on the blog today at The Project Bin 

with a zesty, citrus card that just makes me smile!

I'm channeling thoughts of sunshine, cool sips of lemonade 

and lazy summer days ♥

And I'm also playing along with 30 day coloring challenge this month -
we're up to day 18!
This card will join the entries for Kathy R's coloring challenge here.

I adore the stamps and dies at The Project Bin

and very blessed to be on the Design Team ♥

Denise, owner and designer, is always on the creative edge

and we're super excited to have some wonderful new stamps being released!

Woohoo!

For today's card, I'm using one of my faves:  Yello!

I adore - ADORE - citrus!

I add lemon/limes to my water and diet coke, love desserts like lemon bars 

and adding mandarins and citrus dressings to my salads :)

I think if I could add it my Starbucks, I'd have it there, too - LOL!

I created my card by stamping/cutting the lemon and lemon slices

and coloring them with Azure markers.  

To add a little bit of color to the card, I used 3 colors in lemon, lime, grapefruit. 

The sentiment was added to the top as a contrast to the busy-ness

of the fruits at the bottom,

and matching enamel dots were added to complete the look.

The finished base was framed using Avery Elle's wonky scallop die

and added textured citrus cardstock from Bazzill.

 And that's my card - easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Be sure to stop over at The Project Bin shop to see the fun stamp sets.

If you click on each stamp photo, it will take you to a gallery

where inspirational cards are for you to view.

Thanks for stopping by today!
 

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

TPB: Red, White and POP! :)

 Hello, sweet friends!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend :) 

Thank you so much for the kind words, prayers and well wishes for my husband ♥

I haven't had as much free time since yesterday to craft

as he's so uncomfortable :(

I'm trying my best to be an attentive Florence Nightingale 

because I know without a doubt he'd be taking such great care of us

if the roles were reversed!

 

I did manage to get a card made for The Project Bin ♥

Mondays are my day to post on the blog ~

and I knew right away that I wanted to make another combo card.

I am so in love with the idea of combining more that one 

stamps sets and it's a great way to stretch your stamps.

 

Now for some super fun news!

I remembered I made a stamped inlay card a couple of years ago

using this same 'Just Poppin' stamp/die set.

I did a quick research on my blog and ......

it was 2 years ago, almost to the day!

That popcorn card was a stamped inlay card 

(or set back stamping, depending on what circles you travel in!)

 

To make this A2 card,  I started by having a base

 of Catalina Splash cardstock from Fun Stampers Journey.

I then ran a sheet of Gina K smooth white cardstock

through the cuttlebug to make the framed border using an MFT die

Next, I cut out the shape of the popcorn and bucket using the Just Poppin dies,

and adhered 3D foam on the entire panel.  

I also ran the doodlebug dsp 'patriotic parade' through the CB w/ a die

and set it directly onto the base cardstock.

The idea is that it lays flat while the frame die cut hovers above ~
it gives the illusion of being 'one' but it's actually two seperate panels

with the stamped/die cut image 'in-laid."

I decided to carry over the theme to the inside of the card.

This card has such a sense of bravery mixed with whimsy!

My brother - and only sibling - is a July baby and just shy of 4th of July

I'm a March baby and just shy of St. Patrick's Day ...

hmmmmm.

I think that makes him brave and patriotic

while I'm chasing leprachauns and rainbows and unicorns!

Sounds.  about.  right.

:-)

Here's the inside of my card ↓

You can find these stamps and more in The Project Bin shop,

and tons of inspiration each day on TPB blog.

At a quick glance:  

 Red, White and Boom!

 

Just Poppin'

 

 

Thanks for poppin' by today! :)

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

Hi! Happy Summer!

Hi friends!

and HELLO summer!  

School is officially out and this is such a glorious time of year ...

The good 'ol days of summer.

 

Yesterday (and today - at 1 am!)

 I had a fun crafter-noon with uninterupted card making

after I dropped my son off at a  ....... yep, pool party!

And just in time, my new Pink and Main stamps arrived to play with ♥

These sending waves cuties are such a delight ...

the minute I spied them, I said let's make a pool party ~ on paper! :)

Here's how I made this trio of friends card:

I really wanted the look of a pool with a thick white border 

so I taped off the 4 sides of the cardstock,

 then sponged out different shades of blue distress ink and oxide ink

in Broken China and Evergreen Bough.

Once that was finished, 

I stamped and colored the 3 friends from the stamp set,

alternating different colors of skin and hair,

and arranged them around the pool.

I had another spontaneous idea while creating this card,

so in the end I didn't add the sunshine but put a sentiment in it's place!

A few clear and aqua color sequins and this pool party 

is ready to begin!

Because summer looks good on you!  :)

If you want to peek back again,

you'll see more of this Pink and Main stamp set soon ~
it's my next stamp set in my 3/3 series ♥

 I've been playing along with the Kathy Racoosin's 

#thedailymarker30 day and already we're up to day 10 ~ woohoo!

I'll enter this into her coloring challenge here.

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

3M: Friends are sweet!

Hello friends!

We are home from the hospital

and the hubby is resting and recovering ♥

I recently heard a beautiful quote that has been resonating with me.

 It read "When life throws you a curve ball, learn to bend so you can reach it."

This week, I've bent.

And I've prayed, comforted, nurtured and sat in the silence of worry.

And in that same bending,

 I've also had the blessing of friends showering us 

with love, prayer, friendship, support ♥

I'm so, so, SO grateful for that!

 

It's the 9th of the month and that means it's time for a new 3M image.

Jeanette sent us this month's image to create with 

and it's a little cutie called Honey Pip by Nellie Snellen.

When I saw the stamped image, I saw blues and yellows,

so that's what I went with.

 

My card is VERY simple ~

 the image was so large and bold and took up so much of the A2  card front 

that I had to think a little bit outside the box.  

I remembered my MFT speech bubble dies and thought it would be fun

to use one of those, so I double cut cardstock using that die.

The sentiment is one from my stamp sets by CC Designs ~

I thought it was a pretty sentiment to match the card :)

And that's it for today.

Be sure to see what Jeanette and Barb made this month 

using Honey Pip on their blogs. 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly