Are you Nutty or Nice?

Hi friends!

It's hard to believe it's almost October!

It's so hot here in Miami ...

I think I'll skip right to winter! :)

  

Did you pick up any fun stamps during Simon Says Stamps

Stamptember celebration?

I was lucky to pick up a few treasures ~

like the darling Lawn Fawn Nutty or Nice set!

Are you nutty?  or nice?

Nutty here!  

♥

I smiled HUGE when I saw this darling stamp set!

It reminds me of some of the nuts in my family tree ...

and probably a few friends, too! 

 Hee Hee!

Jumping right in with a monochrome colored card ~

keeping it light and fresh

with blues and whites and greys.

 

 I left the inside uncolored but with the fun Christmas sentiment ~

nice and simple! 

It's nice to have one card done ahead of time for the holidays ~

and I already know where this one is headed :)

I'll enter this into Simon Say Stamps Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

CYS: "Witching" you a BOO-tiful day!

Hi friends!

*Picture heavy post!  Lots to see! :)*

Today's the day that we post our cards 

for the Challenge Your Stash (CYS) group.

Our hostess this month is the group's founder, Barb!

She asked us to create a card with a fancy fold and a fall theme

 :::: insert panic face here! ::::

In the summer, I was blessed to visit the REAL MFT store 

and it was an absolute dream come true!

My Favorite Things is as wonderful to visit in real life

as it is to shop online and create cards with their stamps and dies!

I chose for my fall theme:  Halloween!

It's not my favorite holiday ~ but being mommy to 4 kids,

we absolutely enjoyed seeing our kids pick 'the costume' each year,

getting excited about going house to house for Trick 'O Treat,

and getting the chance to visit the neighbors!

They ESPECIALLY love visit the Manzanares family ~

"Mommy!  Daddy! They give out full bars!"

♥

So the "fancy" to my fold is I made a bouncy/springer/flattening card!

How's that for a name?! :)

It's similiar to a basic tent fold - mountain and valleys ...

 Here's the top view ~
and there is a card that pulls out from the center :)

 This card, when it bounces down (or springs up?)

folds completely flat and fits neatly into an A2 size envelope!

Which is wonderful ~

since this has to get into the mail! ♥

I hope it's not too soon to consider this *stash*,

but I purchased this Halloween set in the store 

and just now am getting it out to ink it up.

If it is, I'll take the L! 

Barb is one of the kindest and sweetest ladies I know ...

and she's retired from education but I am SURE she won't get out her red pen

and give me a bad grade! 

LOL!

What is your favorite fancy fold?

I'd love to see yours, too, and visit your creations!

Big hugs, bigger blessings! 

~Kelly

CCEE 1839: Set Back Stamping!

Hi friends!  

It's almost the weekend ~ I can almost feel it!

Today's card is a fun technique called Set Back Stamping

and it's the CCEE Stampers challenge of the week,

brought to us by our hostess, Maryann.

 

First, if you want to delve into this technique

and really be inspired, you can watch the ever amazing

and always talented Jennifer McGuire - her videos are super!
She's innovative and such a positive mentor to the crafting community ♥

This technique really allows you to give your card dimension 

and extra character by popping up the frame from the image,
a reverse of my usual popped up images on 3d foam on a flat background.
I actually have done this technique/similiar (not knowing it had an official name!) 
 twice in the past - you can see my popcorn posts here and here!

 For my card today, I used the MFT Stamps Adventure is Calling stamp/die set

that I was able to purchase at their last online retirement sale - woohoo!

I love the fact that I was able to use the inlay - or the cut out part where the die cut the cardstock - for my top layer.

It's always nice to upcycle AND make a pretty card!

I chose to use this stamp set for the daughter 
of a good friend of mine who is off to college!

The sentiment is also from the set and 
I just added it to a simple banner at the bottom.

You can see the Set Back Stamping cards here on the CCEE blog - 

you won't want to miss them :)

 Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blesings ♥

~Kelly

3M: It's a BREW-tiful day!

Hiya friends!

Let me espresso how much I love this picture of me 

coffee lady and sentiment - a whole latte!

 

This is my card for the  ~ 3M ~

(that's Barb, Jeanette and I)

and they were a perfect blend of being on time!

My card took a little bit longer to brew :)

Jeanette was the hostess for this month and sent us 

this hilarious stamped image from Inky Antics.

 

I colored her with my prismacolor markers

and used several dies to create the card itself.

When I saw her, it looked like she was talking

  and a speech bubble came to mind :)

The rest of the card is pretty simple overall,

just die cutting, picking the card stock and adding a bright colored paper :)

You can see what Barb and Jeanette perked up using this image

and sentiment by heading to their blogs, and

we'll be back next month with another fun card from our hostess, Barb!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

 

TPB: I see real people!

Happy Monday!

I love, love, LOVE punny cards 

and cards that have a sense of humor :)

So it's no surprise that I giggled when I saw the sentiments 

in the Cool Ghoul stamp/die set from The Project Bin!

This set is perfect for making your fun Halloween cards

and fall projects ~ and there's still plenty of time to get them in the mail!

I've made a peek-a-boo card ~ 

starts on the front, finishes on the inside :)

  I had a lot of fun creating this card!

  ↓

 It's an A2 size card,

with a die cut through the center for the ghouls to peek through :)

The ghosts are stamped and die cut with the matching dies from the stamp set.

Now the sentiment was a little more of a labor of love!

It's actually a horizontal sentiment stamp,

and for this card, I needed a vertical.

So, I masked the sentiment to stamp it one word at a time

and moved the orange cardstock in my Stamping Platform

 down by one word at a time, 

creating a slightly wonky look.

I added the enamel dots for a little extra design

and finished off the inside of the card and done!

Here's the card standing from an aerial view:

And YAY!

This stamp/die set will be showcased all week long!

The designers will be showing their cards using Cool Ghoul

so you'll see many different inspirations and fun uses.

Be sure to stop into the shop for this stamp/die set and more!

Here is a quick peek at the set in it's entirety:

 Thanks for stopping by today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

CCEE: Rock a bye baby ....... ♥

Hi friends!

There's a new challenge over at the CCEE Stampers - baby cards!

 I think this might be the fastest card I've ever made, too!

I had the wrong theme written down in my calendar 

(I like to keep myself entertained apparently and switch things up a bit!)

And .... trust me ~ that card was not even close to baby friendly :)

 Without further adieu .....

  

Mommy ~ I love you ♥

Some of the most wonderful words to hear on the planet, I think :)

 I went with my Neat and Tangled stamp set Mommy, Daddy and Me.

I bought this to have on hand during it's release week,

and now it's coming in handy.

I think I'll be making quite a few cards with this super sweet set.

I'm on my way out for the day ~

time to zip, create, post and dash!

Compliments of Starbucks!

Lots and lots and LOTS of Starbucks.

 It's what keeps my mom cape flying!

The CCEE Stampers blog is here and you can see all the DT

inspired baby cards!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

RSG ~ International Day of Happiness!

Pumpkins in March?!

That can only mean one thing ~ 

it's Ready, Set, Go challenge time!

The RSG challenge is one that's a bit more out there ~ 

typically 'out of the box'

(more like not for the faint of heart!)

But always - ALWAYS - fun!

(on Friday, you'll see my card from last month - August - eeek!)

 Barb is our hostess this round and she gave us 
a scavenger hunt of a color combo/holiday challenge!

I love color combo challenges, so this is a version of one.  Go to the master lists of Color Challenges on SCS.  I think there are over 700 right now.  Please check out the ones that end on your birthday ... You can pick any one of those color combinations that you want.

  The twist is to also pick a holiday—famous or weird—from the month of your birthday. 

 So, Kelly picks something in March while Jeanette and I use October.

  Use your color combo to make a card that “celebrates” that holiday.  

Ready?  Set.  Go!

I found 6 or so ending with my birth day

and most of them were pastels ....

but one had colors that were rich and vibrant ~ more my style!

Then, I perused the list of obsure holidays and found ...

*March 20 is International Day of Happiness!*

As my children have grown, we have spent countless hours 

at the Pumpkin patches,

looking for the perfect ones to bring home to carve.

The memories I have of our kids toddling through the vines

looking for the 'the one' will always stay with me.

Then, after carving and roasting the yummy seeds,

we watched a VHS tape of The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!

Oh these memories brought us - especially this proud mama bear -

much happiness!

A few months ago - and I'll link that blog post soon - 

I mentioned trying to find a new system of taking photos that works for me.

I've seen a lot - inspired by more!

It's wonderful to credit an artist that inspires, and for me, Sheri is one!

For now, mine is outside - 
in the Spanish moss under my reading tree ♥

 For my card, I colored the main image from CC Designs 

with my prismacolor markers and then framed it.
There's a simple frame around the image
using a die cut and 3d foam,
and that's added to a simple card base with a small strip of dsp from Echo Park.
Enamel dots and thats it for this simple card
bringing lots of memories and happiness!
My cardstock is:  Rich Razzleberry and the greens/oranges are close to Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie :)
 

Barb's card can be found here,
Jeanette's card can be found here!
Jeanette already has our theme for October -
I wonder if it will be tricks or treats ;)

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

Words 2 Craft By:  Feel of fall 
CAS Colours - color scheme

Let's give 'em PUMPKIN to talk about ......

  

.. how about love?

♥

 Happy Monday!

I hope your weekend was fantastic

and you were able to *carve out* some crafty time!

 

Mondays are always Fun-days on my blog ~
that's the day I post a card for The Project Bin!

Denise, founder and creative genius behind this stamp line,

has been busy busy busy making gorgeous new stamps/dies.

The shop is bursting with innovative and fun stamps 

~ take a peek!

 

Let me tell you about this. sentiment. right. here!

The minute I saw the Eat Pie! stamp set,

I about swooned ♥

Anne of Green Gables!

Yes please!

As a English Lit minor in undergrad college 

and a book nerd bookworm,

this sentiment just stole my heart ♥

Someday I may be lucky to visit Prince Edward Island :)

When I think of October,

I think pumpkins and the color orange ...

so that's what I based my card on ↓

 I created this pumpkin patch card by masking the single pumpkin stamp

in the set and added some hills in fall plaid paper.

I added a little white gel pen to the tips of the stems for 'frost on the pumpkins',

and kept it simple by popping up a frame on 3d foam around the card.

Here's the set in it's entirety:  

 

You can stop in at The Project Bin's inspiration blog

each week day to see what the design team posted ~

a new card is posted each day during the week! 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

Entered into:  Creative With Stamps Challenge - Pumpkins

Always Fun challenge - fall colors

Crafty Cardmakers - fall colors 

Let me {stencil} you in!

Happy weekend, friends! 

I wish I could say fall is in the air,

but it's still super hot here in South Florida.

The only fall I'm seeing is in the decor in the stores

and on all the pretty autumn cards on social media :)

One thing that i absolutely love in this card making hobby

is creating a card that tells a story ♥

Some great techniques to do this are to using scene building dies,

masking and stencil work!

 

Yesterday, I stenciled in some time to make a new card

using some super cute fall critters!

I quickly fell in love with these fall friends and had an idea of a card,

then another, then another!

This is the first of three cards using one stamp set ..

first up, a stencil!

I found an amazing stencil during that massive Hobby Lobby stamp/die/etc

liquidation a few months back and it was one of the many things

that ended up in my cart and followed me home!

Thinking of an outdoor scene, it just made sense :)

 I used the Tim Holtz distress oxide inks in warm tones

of worn lipstick, fossilized amber and squeezed lemonade.

Using my mini blending tool, I applied the inks directly to the stencil

on white cardstock to give the illusion that they are birch trees.

Last, I colored the friends with a mash of prismacolor and promarkers

in a similiar color palette and added the sentiment and iridescent sequins.

And that's it from me today!

Wishing you a wonderful rest to your weekend! ♥
Big hugs, bigger blessings!
~Kelly

DDD: Sunflowers!

Good Morning, friends!

It's the 15th of rhe month ~

and that means it's time for a friendly duel between the Divas and the Dazzlers.

The DDD card group is about to wrap up for the year

anb begin fresh in 2019 ... 

our 10th year together! ♥

The fabulous sister duo Suzy and Deb are the hostesses 

of the DDD for this month and chose a theme of:  Sunflowers!

Always a cheerful and bright card when a sunflower adorns it!

Suzy - team Divas - sent us this fabulous card kit to work with ↓

 

The only thing I used that was my own to create this card (besides ATG!)

was the cardstock and some wink of stella ;)

For my card, I loved how Suzy states in her description letter

that the colors of her home state of Texas weren't as they should be 

and that 'brown is a color!' LOL!

So I went with a brown cardstock base ...

 I love the rustic, country chic feel to the card kit ~ and really loved the woodgrain paper, too!  I colored the stamped image and layered it onto the very basic card background ... I used the ribbon and brads from the kit.  Lastly, I added wink of stella to the flower to give it a burst - I can see a tony got it here for my uflowers

Here it is on my sunflower plates - oh these are a treasure!  I got them at a discount store when my daughter's were little and my son wasnt' born yet .. which means these plates are over 14 years old!
 

 

I made the inside into a birthday card because I never seen to have enough ...

and here it is:

 It will be fun to see what the other Darlings have completed 

as our competitors received their own kits re: kindness

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings!

 Kelly 

Wishing you Good Fortune! (CCEE1837)

HELLO friends!!

It's me!

I'm still here!

What's a girl to do when she's sick for 3 weeks, 

then enjoys a weekend long birthday celebration for her son

, and has zero internet due to the modem going kaput 

AND runs out of  ATG and tombo runners then can't find where The Kid 

used the emergency travel bag of crafting supplies to make a card?!

*she breaths in, breaths out!*

And drinks coffee.

Lots and lots of coffee ♥

LUCK-y me, today is Fortune Cookie Day!

The CCEE Stampers are celebrating the day of this fun cookie

with the unique messages inside :)

The challenge this week for CCEE1837 ~ make a fortune cookie card! 

Surprisingly, I own 2 different fortune cookie stamps,

so I used my Lawn Fawn Year Eight Stamp and Die Set.

I love this sweet, fun little stamp set!

In hindsight, I wish I'd used the little happy faces in the set, too

 - they are so cute! 
I added 3D foam to the cookies and banner to pop it up 
from the panel and give it extra dimension.

Fortune-ately, you can see all of the designer's cards 

at the CCEE Stampers blog here.

There's also a link to add your cards ~

we'd love to see what you make!

I'll be posting a lot of 'catch up' cards on my blog/Instagram

 this week ~

as well as see what you all have been creating, too!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

I'll enter this into:  If you give a crafter a cookie - AG

Simon Says Stamps  - Pop it Up (cookies are on 3d foam)