Happy Hallo-Birthday! (CCEE1944)

Hi friends!

Happy Harvest/Halloween!

I can't believe it's October 31st ...

in a blink, it will be Christmas!

 I've had a WONDERFUL time coming up with the October challenges

at the CCEE Stampers blog and the last one is:

  Anything Halloween or Harvest!

 

 

Although many celebrate this day with dressing up or finding fun costumes,

or go out Trick or Treating (or pass it out at home!), the challenge is simple. Create a card with anything Halloween OR Harvest --

 costumes, candies, spooky things, or just use orange and black!

 

My card today is using the fun CAS challenge from this week at Splitcoasttstampers.

The challenge was to use purple on your card.

 

 

 

I used a stencil and created a bold background 

and ran it through the die cutter with an MFT stitched die.

I colored/cut the stamps from Which Way is the Candy from MFT

and popped them up on foam tape for dimension.

The sentiment is from The Project Bin

and I used in lieu of Happy Halloween.

I have FOUR friends with a Halloween birthday! 

This was a really quick and easy card to put together.

We'd love for you to link up your cards as well ~

and you can find the link up at the bottom of the DT post here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

Mele Kalikimaka !

Hi friends!

By the time this posts,

I'll already be on a wonderful getaway with my hubby ♥

25 years ago (in April)  we said "I do!"

and honeymooned in Hawaii for 3 GLORIOUS weeks ~

and those memories are etched forever in my mind and heart!

Except the last time we were in Hawaii,

I packed a bikini!

LOL!
Guess what WILL NOT be in the suit case this weekend?!

hee hee!

 

Today I'm sharing a card for the Splitcoaststampers inspiration site.

You can see the fun challenge site from today

here on Splitcoaststampers and I''ll share a little bit about my card!

I used these gorgeous coasters as a springboard

(and I'm pretty sure I'll be ordering these before I get home!) 

 For my card,

I've used Flamingo Bells from Avery Elle Stamps and dies

I've had this set for a good while and didn't get to use it until this week.

Sometimes stamping is fun like that!

I stamped/die cut the images and the popped them up

onto the card which is stenciled lightly for a bit of 'drama' :)

Wishing you a WONDERFUL weekend!
Big hugs, bigger blessings! ♥

~Kelly

Welcome to the porch!

 Hi friends!

I'm a little late to my own 'porch party!'

This has been an incredibly busy week for our family

with autumn activities in full swing.

And I'm trying to pack as my husband and I are taking a trip this weekend!

C'est l'amour! ♥

 I love seeing the homes in our neighborhood beautifully decorated

for this time of year ♥

It inspired me to think of this challenge this week.

My challenge this week for the CCEE Stampers 1943 is

'Porch in the Fall."

  Think leaves, pumpkins, rocking chairs, autumn wreaths on the door, décor. 

  Let's create a card with a fall porch in mind or use fall colors.

And here is my humble card this week ↓

.
I've used the gorgeous stamp from Impression Obsession
appropriately called Fall Porch.
The minute I saw it, my inner Joanna Gaines came out
and I started thinking soft colors for the wood frame doors,
shiplap on the exterior of the home,
the sweet kitty and pup laying in the warm afternoon sunshine!
And GOD BLESS the man who took off his work boots and
left them outside :)

Isn't this the most amazing stamp!
I'd love to give this a try using watercolors.
Soon!

.

Make sure to check out the Design Team cards ~

they hit the ground running!

Their cards are simply GORGEOUS!

You can see them here on the CCEE Stampers blog.

I'll enter my card into:  Impression Obsession:  Harvest Treats (pumpkin)

Thanks so much for your visit!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥
~Kelly

Bring on the Joy feature! ♥

Hi friends!

I'm absolutely delighted that ScrapbookPal.com is feauturing 

my whimsical holiday card, Bring on the Joy!
It's hard to have favorites, 
but this was truly one of mine!

It's fun, it's festive, it's whimsical, AND it has critters! :)

To see how I created this card, you can find it on my original post
and also more detailed directions at ScrapbookPal's blog today!

PSA:  If you head over to ScrapbookPal shop,
 there is also a HUGE overstock sale going on!

So.  many.  goodies! 

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


(I'm not on the DT or a paid to advertise,
I just love this store, their customer service, the FAST shipping!)

TPB: Eat Pie!

Hi friends!

Do you know what's better than a slice of pumpkin pie?

Two slices!

:)

Each year, my daughter bakes the deserts at our house for Thanksgiving.

And it's an absolute smorgasboard of e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g!

She's a self-taught, quite accomplished baker of breads, pies, 

cakes, cookies, even vegan bars for me!

I tell her she's my personal pâtissier ♥

Two of her specialty pies are pecan pie and pumpkin pie ~

from scratch!

(I'm lucky to get a frozen crust from Betty Crocker

and a can of pumpkin pie filling - LOL!) 

So my card today is a nod to my daughter :)

Eat Pie?

Yes, please!

This is one of my favorite stamps from The Project Bin.

Even though there are a few new sets out (like Pumpkin Spice),

I have so many ideas for autumn cards using this stamp set! 

For today's card, I stamped the bold sentiment right onto the paper 

(from MFT), and added it to a base layer of 

Fun Stampers Journey cardstock, appropriately called Pumpkin Bread.

Once is was all in place, I stamped/colored/fussy cut the pumpkin image

and popped it up with 3d foam.

I added the clear sequins as 'rising steam' and Wink of Stella on the whip cream. 

Yum! 

You can see the stamp set here in the shop

and here on the blog today.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥
~Kelly

Beautiful YOU!

Hi friends!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Today I had some quiet time while all the kids were out of the house

and my husband was on the couch snoring watching tv :)

He even later helped me move my craft desk to smack dab 

in the middle of our formal living room!

 I'm so blessed that he's very supportive of this hobby of mine ♥

Due to lack of space, I've been at a small desk 

and using the dining room table

but it's not conducive at all for crafting. 

By the time I set it out to create,  it's time to move it all again to eat, LOL!

There's a new Featured Stamper at Splitcoaststampers this week

and it's Claudette.  

I chose this card from her gallery  

It stood out for me because it reminded me of this card I made

which I absolutely loved!

So combining the two, I came up with these two cards

with slight differences!

.
Here is the first card (but the second one made, as a replacement!)

I've used Beautiful You, a clear stamp set from STAMPlorations.

It's a lovely silhouette style floral set with quite a few sentiments

which makes it very versatile :)

.

Both cards are made using white cardstock,

and they were run through my Gemini Jr to get a base.

I masked off the area I only wanted to get distress ink on  ~

and used a trio or different color inks.

I didn't intend for it to look like a stopllight - LOL!

(Here, I've used Coral, straw and spring green!) 

Next, using Stazon black ink, I stamped the flower and 2 of the sentiments.

Last, I added sequins and popped it up onto the cardstock with foam.

On the insides (not show), there is a message:  Happy Birthday!

I hope you were able to get inky and crafty this weekend, too!

I didn't make as many cards as I'd hoped

but did get MANY pieces done for easy card assembly ~

backgrounds, stenciling, cutting out images for this week's cards!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

National Fossil Day ~ CCEE1942

Hi friends!

It must be my birthday - it's National Fossil Day!

Hee hee!

I sure feel that old most days

with a hip that doesn't want to walk and a foot that won't work ;)

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

I'm the hostess for the month of October and thought it would be neat

to showcase cards based on Nat'l Fossil Day, which was yesterday.

 

  A fossil is a preserved impression of a once-living thing

 from a past geological age, including plants, animals, shells, and more.
  The challenge this week is to create a card including anything that has been found as a fossil -- dinosaurs, leaves, amber, footprints, etc.

 

For my card today,

I've used a sweet stamp set called Prehistoric

by Neat and Tangled.

Ohhhh I absolutely adore this stamp company!

I think this set is retired now ~ it was released in 2017 .. I think!

 I stamp/cut/colored the images with copic markers

 and set those aside to create the scene.

I used distress oxide inks, blended to create a night sky,

The little stars are a white signo pen just dotted about

and the mountains are from a die-namic from My Favorite Things.

 

In hindsight, I needed a bigger card base... one that was longer!

The card seems a bit squished now that I see it,

trying to fit all the focal points on but it's still sweet :)

You can see the design team cards here on the blog post,

as well as link up yours, too!

We'd LOVE to see what you make with the fossil theme!

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

RSG ~ Celebrating Webster!

 Hi friends!

Thank you so so SO much for your sweet words

and lovely comments that made my heart melt!

Seriously, I had little happy tears ~

you're encouragement and kindness made my day!

I'm humbled  ...

and yes!

Very VERY excited!!!!

Today's card is for the Ready, Set, Go challenge card group ~

a challenge to create a card that's a little a lot out of the box!

They aren't ordinary card challenges and, as Jeanette says,

ones that are quite extreme with themes that make you say hmmm!

But it's also tons of fun!

Our hostess this month is Jeanette and she is getting book smart!

This is her challenge: 

Every year on October 16, the United States celebrates National Dictionary Day in honor of Noah Webster, the Father of the American Dictionary, who was born on this day in 1758. The objective of this day is to emphasize the importance of dictionary skills and to seek to improve vocabulary. Webster began to write his dictionary at the age of 43 and it took him 27 years to finish it.

So here's the challenge... when creating your card, you must include three things that start with any three consecutive letters of the alphabet. For instance, (BCD - the color Brown, Coffee, and a dog... or RST - Ribbon, Sequins, and a Truck... you get the idea). 

Ready, Set, Go!

How fun!

Here's my card ↓

 

The letters I went with:

B:  Brown dog

C:  Chocolate Chip cardstock

D: dots (enamel)

I've also used the sketch from today's challenge at

Splitcoaststampers as a springboard to my card design.

You can find it by checking out SCS here!

 Such a fun theme and I can think of so many combinations of letters

that would make a fun card!

I think I'll definitely use this Webster's A, B, C again.

You can see what Jeanette created here

and what Barb created here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

Some big big BIG news!

Oh friends, I have some really REALLY big news to share!!

I'm still pinching myself to make sure it's really REALLY real ♥

When I first started this stamping/card making hobby about 12 years ago,

I could have only dreamed of a few moments ...

like this ...

and wished

and hoped

and prayed

that one day it could be real .....

and now it is!

... and never, ever imagined it would be me!I am feeling like the luckiest girl in the whole world ♥

.

If you are familiar with Splitcoaststampers,

and are familiar with the Dirty Dozen,

a group of ladies chosen to represent Splitcoaststampers,

I am the newest 'Dirty Girl!"

I am OVER THE MOON EXCITED!!!

.

I am so grateful to each of you that follow me,
leave me warm and kind and inspiring messages here on my blog!
It means the world to me and I'm truly grateful for you all ♥


As a small way of saying thank you,
I'm going to have a giveaway!

I will actually have one on my blog here
and one will be over on my Instagram
(yes, two different giveaways!)
 

Stay tuned for details!

Big big BIG squishy hugs!
Blessings,
Kelly

TPB: Nice shoes!

Hi friends!

I had a productive card making weekend and this week my blog will be hopping!

Up first,  my card for The Project Bin today ~

the day I traditionally post over on the blog. 

I've created a Surprise Inside Peek-A-Boo Halloween card.

This style of card is always fun to make ... 

because the outside is actually on the inside :)

When you life the flap, the funny stamped sentiment is revealed!

 

 

 

The stamp set I've used from The Project Bin is called Haunt it!

It's from last year's collection but still so fabulous

and perfect for the theater buffs, too!

(Wizard of Oz, anyone?!)

  Here's a full view of the opened card:

 

You can see the stamp set here in the shop,

 along with many cards created with it.

 Thanks so much for your visit!

I have some news coming up soon ....

I hope you can stop back by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings!
~Kelly

Hot Mess ~ Success #3: Wrap it up!

Hi friends!

A little late getting online today as the Boy Scout troop

had a FUN-raising garage sale today starting at 6 am.

way. too. early!

 

 

You may remember from this post that once a month,

my crafty group of friends invited me to join them in making Hot Messes!

We take a technique with any messy quality and turn it into a card ~

and Barb, the hostess for October, said make it a Halloween theme.

  I previously saw this technique 'string wrap block art' on Splitcoaststampers

and thought it looked intriquing.

I kept putting it to the 'try this later' shelf and finally did.

And it IS fun ...

 Just not for me, LOL!

The idea is you dip the block of wood wrapped with string into paint ~

I chose to use ink.

I just daubed up the string by inverting an ink pad in varied colors.

By pressing it directly to the white cardstock,

it leaves a variety of blocked colors 

and you can basically create any number of patterns you want!

I've used Frightfully Sweet by My Favorite Things stamps,

last year's very popular Halloween stamp set :)

I colored the images with prisma color markers in colors to match the ink stripes,

and they are popped up on 3d foam dots.

The sentiment is a quick stamp with Picket Fence Studios black ink.

And that's October's messy card!

I wish I had more photos to show you on the process

but I could't find them on my phone.

You can see what the rest of the messy crew made today by

visiting Barb, Jeanette and Terry!

I'm sure they're SPOOK-tacular!

Tried a new techinique - check!

Made a mess - check!

Success!

Thanks for stopping by!

.

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

Crafters of Faith: Thankful for .......

 Hi friends!

I've been playing 'catch up' with my card making 

as most of August and September 
went by at lightening speed! 

.

Thankfully, STAMPtember has continued into ARTober! :)

.

.

I fell head over heels IN LOVE with so many of the Simon Says Stamp

STAMPtember releases last mionth!

I was so excited to see so many of the reveals

and had to purchase a few of them, like this one from Mama Elephant.

It's called Snow Kittens and it's just. so. cute!

In September, for the Crafters of Faith card group,

Jeanette asked us to create a card based on the scripture John 1:3.
The challenge was include something on your card (or project) that you are especially thankful that God created. 

 I thought about being cheeky and making a coffee themed card, hee hee! 

 However, one thing I am absolutely sure that I am thankful for -
 the seasons, especially winter and Christmastime!
  Here is my card ↓

.

 .

 I chose seasons as my theme.

I absolutely ADORE places where there are actual seasons ~

from gorgeous and breezy springs,

to hot and warm summers,

and snowy, cozy winter! 

Winter is my very VERY favorite season!

For this card, I used a white piece of card stock and 

did my favorite cardmaking technique - distress oxide-ing!  

I blended several shades of pink Ranger Distress Oxide inks

and added a die cut snowy border from glittery paper.

I cut/colored the images from the snow kittens set

and popped them up on foam from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L.

Finally, I stamped the matching sentiment from the set

with Momento Tuxedo black ink and created a

a very meowy Christmas card!

 I''ll enter my card into the Simon Says Stamps Wednesday challenge:  Christmas

and the SSSIGChallenge:  Favorite Technique.

Thanks for stopping by ~

wishing you a purr-fect day!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly